Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1915-09-24

of war materials, because your only
interest and motive is the safeguard
ing of your country from invasion by
foreign foe, and SO long as you get
the ships and the increased armament,
and the country is saved, you don 4
care where the ships and the munitions
come from!
There have been 10 official esti-
mates as to the actual cost of the man.
ufaeture of ton Of armor plate. The
average estimate is $238.64 ton. Yet
since 1877 we have purchased 217,379
tons ,of armor, paying the armor ring
an average Of $4,000 ton, or to-
tai of $95, 656,24 If all this armor
had been manufactured in a govern
ment plant it is entirely conservative
to say that at least $35, 000,000 would
have been saved to the American tax
payers.
Another illustration: The war de-
partment, in 1913, purchased 1000 ~
inch shrapnel shells from the ammu-
milton ring, paying $25.26 each there
for. At the same time, precisely the
same article was being manufactured
in the government owned Frankfort
arsenal for $15.45.
A hundred similar illustrations could
be given which would make plain why
it is, that although we have been
spending $240,000,000 annually on our
army and navy, the claim can now be
pared' and that eff war were to
break out today it would be found
that our coast defenses have not suf-
ficient ammunition for an hours fight. !"
And now come the tip that Wall
street will demand not only vastly in
creased armament, but that the gov
eminent must purchase it from the
Wall Street controlled War Trust.
This was to have been expected.
From the moment J. P. Morgan's
Navy league discovered that the Unit
ed States was without navy, it
might have been expected that when
congress should decide to build one.
the J. P. Morgan controlled War Trust
would be all ready to accept the fat
contracts to do it. It is the way the
armor and ammunition concerns OBJ
tain their business in every country
on earth. The argument that will be
advanced by those who will push the
campaign for private instead Of gov
eminent manufacture of increased
will be that it is a wise
policy to distribute orders among 1,fi-
vate firms in time Of peace in order
that these plants may be available in
the emergency Of war. This is not a
reason, but a subterfuge. Any con-
tracts that would make is profitable
to the War Trust to maintain a plant.
would also make It profitable to the
people to maintain a government plant
of the same capacity.
War is profitable now to but one
class, the stockholders of the armor
and ammunition firms and their
friends. It is not to the interest of
THIS class that the european war is
brought to a speedy close but that it
shall NOT be hrough to speedy
close. 1t is not to the financial inter.
est of this class that the United States
OF America shall not become embodied
IN the European conflict, but that it /
SHALL become embroiled. The more
war, the more profits.
BEHIND the war trust is the most
powerful group of men in the United
States, If not in the civilized world. !
Its control is in the hands of the same
group of money kings that rule tn
express companies, telegraph compan- |
les, insurance companies, railroads, the :
steamship lines and the great colossal |
power Of the capitalists behind the
steel, armor, ammunition and g. Shin
building trusts, and recall the despa= !
rate ends to which more than one In
vestigation has revealed, they will 90 >
to satisfy their sordid greed for goid, |
and then to contemplate that the !
United States in War mean more in |
dollars to this group than the United i,
States in peace, is enough to Justify !
the most optimistic man to tremble for
peace of this nation of patriotic and ,
Christian people.
And If war should come, what a !
proposition it would he
which would require one group of citi- '
zens to 60 to war and sacrifice their
lives for the state while another and
group-the war traffckers
responsible for the war
remained at home becoming immensely
rich. ,..