Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1915-11-18
TAVENNER FACES
STRONG CURRENT
Already the Vicious Batteries OF thu
War Trust Have Been Turned
On Congressman.
BEING PLACED IN WRONG LIGHT
TRYING to Make Him Appear as 0ppos.
ed to Preparedness-Is In Fight
to Stay.

f-lt UuLe SaSts oVais5f SSf9AiAoA ~ ~ -
Tavenner stopped in Chicago long
enough yesterday to dictate the fol-
lowing, which he desired to he sent
the press to his constituents
1t was the congressman's intention, as
ne says, TO send out a carefully pre-
pared statement on the eve Of his de-
parture from Cordoya. but a hasty re-
OF his plans in order TO .
fill an engagement in New York pre-
vented
Chicago. Ill. Nov 17.-By the time
this message reaches my constituents /
will be well on my way toward /
Washington. I had anticipated giving
cut a statement before my departure,
but the development Of circumstances
compelled me 10 depart for New York
a few days in advance of the time |
originally planned, and without oppor-
iunity to prepare what ! had intended
to say. ! frankly confess to the feel
ing Of a heavy responsibility upon my
shoulders. although | am sustained
and cheered by the hopeful outlook for
the ultimate, If not early. outcome OF
the fight I am about TO make, or rath-
er to continue. 1t is far from a pleas
ant one, to be sure, for it is to be
struggle Il is a case Of pulling up
stream against powerful current,
when it would be so much easier and
more pleasant and even more prof
table Just to drift, even though drift
ing does take us downward instead Of
upwards, But the fight ahead is one
that some one must take, and fate or
accident. or something, has been I'M
! kind enough 10 me to put it on my
shoulders. and ! cannot escape If I
would Everyone friendly or I'M
friendly who has followed my fight to
take the profit out of war, and prepara-
tion for war, must realize just as do,
that there is no crossroad at this late
day at which 1 can turn off. even if I
would There is just one road -
straight ahead l must follow that
road clear to the end
MlsFtpFesthIbG IN run.
This means ] shall be misrepre-
I scented in every conceivable manner
Only this morning a Chicago newspa-
per led off by stating that / had
voted against preparedness in the
straw vote taken by that paper among
members of congress. I received a let
ter and ballot from this newspaper in
question, aud was requested to vote,
but l did not answer It. Yet / am rep
I resented as having voted No" The
gentleman who conducted that poll is
a fellow director. with ] r. Morgan,
Of Mr.. Morgan's Navy league. Know
ing that | am insisting upon govern
ment manufacture of war materials,
the navy league is insisting | am OPP
posing preparedness. The truth is
that / am only opposing the kind of
preparedness that the Navy league
stands for. My position on prepared
ness is this: If the army and navy
bills are loaded TO the guards with
pork for the Morgan war trust, as
they have been heretofore, ! shall vote
against them. / shall vote for sane
I and reasonable preparation, providing
the government is permitted to man.
ufaCture munitions and ships in gov
eminent arsenals and navy yards, but
= insist that members Of congress whC
own stock in war traficking con-
= Germs shall have nothing to do with the
army and navy bills, and that tbs
amount OF the increase Of military ap
preparations shall be raised by III
! creasiug the tax on incomes in excess
Of $4,000 a year.
Money Has Been Wasted.
If the man whose annual income
or profits is in excess Of this sum j.
justified in complaining against bear
ing the cost of militarism how muci
more justified is the working man wht
can even now do little more than sup
port his wife and family. In the pas
the taxpayers have paid for prepared
ness. but they have not obtained il
Their money has been wasted like
water. | am insisting that the people
get dollars worth Of preparedness
for every dollar appropriated. It Il
only natural that this policy SHOULD
cause stir in certain quarters I'D
/ mitted moment ago that in contem
/ plating the odds that I must face il
standing by the principles l have out
lined l realize the weight of m,
own sponsibilities May be / hay
the feeling that comes to all who ar
/ on their way TO the firing line. Afte
the decks have been cleared for &C
ton, after the battle begins, thert
will, If / know myself. be no deiec
ton, not until after every war traffick
ing mongerer. big and little. and al
those who serve them, have beef
driven from the public trough at whicl
they have so long gorged themseIve
on the money of the poor.