davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-09-08
ANOTHER SPEECH THE PEOPLE
SHOULD KNOW ABOUT.

Extracts from the speech of Con
gresham Frank w. Mondell (repub-
lican) Of Washington, which the big
press associations did not carry.)
Mr.. Mondell. Mr.. Speaker, we have
adopted the partial report OF the con-
ference committee, in regard to which
l shall speak later. We are now ask
ed to concur in senate amendments
providing for a large increase in the
shipbuilding program above that here
tofore adopted by the house, including
10 more dreadnaughts and a three
year building program.
These increases will add to the ap-
preparations carried in the bill before
us about $35,000,000, and will add to
the obligations of the government In
the next three years $487 ,000,0 900 more.
We are therefore asked to add to a
naval bill, already twice as large as
the bill of last year, expenditures and
obligations equal to half our total
yearly national expenditures for all
purposes.
Mr.. Speaker, staggering as these
figures are, the popular thing to do is
to vote for this increase. Yet / ven
ture the opinion that If we could
search the hearts and consciences of
all the men sitting here we would find
that not a third of the membership of
the house here present believe that
this increased program is justified or
justifiable. (Applause.) Yet the prob
ability is it will carry by a large ma
jority. The great metropolitan press
Of the country Is for 1t. The great
manufacturing industries OF the coun-
try are for it. All of the organizations
promoted by those who benefit by war
lT CT h<A1~ -
result of all these influences many
good people in the country have con-
Guided that we cannot go too fast or
too far with armies and with navies,
and this house will respond. Yet I
prophesy that few who vote for the in
crease but will live to regret their
vote and to apologize for it.
One very remarkable thing about
all this is that we find those who in
times past have been opposed to rea-
sonable increases and appropriations
for the maintenance of the army and
navy are now most vociferous in de-
handing this unnecessary and unjus-
tifiable increase. A year ago we au-
thorized the building of two battle
ships, and not a hammer has been
struck to start them on the way to
construction. A few months ago the
secretary OF the navy told us IL would
be impossible to lay down and start
half the number of capital ships pro-
vided for in this program. He has
since expressed a different opinion,
but the facts have not changed They
are what they were a year ago If we
were able in this country to lay down
and build the ships proposed in this
program, why in heavens name have
we not laid down the two great bat
tleships which we authorized over a
year ago?
I cannot believe these demands for
enormous increases are in response
to any sane, sound, or reasonable SEN
timent for the proper upbuilding OF
the military or naval establishment of
the country. They are in response to
a wild hysteria, which, regret to say.
has been promoted largely by those
who would benefit by these useless
Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-09-08
Selected by Tavenner

| and reckless and unnecessary expend-
lures, by those who would find profit
! in the slaughter that would follow a
| declaration of war. The war in Eur
ope broke out and IS now raging be-
cause the parliaments over there were
| led to believe that the way to prevent
war was to build great navies.
We stand here in the presence or a
situation that demonstrates that these
great military establishments are the
inevitable precursors of war; that
they will breed and compel war. We
stand in the presence of the most SOL
emn and astonishing demonstration or
that fact the world has ever known,
and yet we propose to start on the
same reckless expenditure that has
resulted in the awful catastrophe on
I the other side of the water.
Gentlemen, we are the greatest ma
ton in the world, and in the future
we must, as we have in the past, rea-
sonably prepare to defend ourselves;
but we shall be best defended if We
save our people from the burdens of
unnecessary military service and tax
alton. Far stronger than nayies be-
yOnd our reasonable needs is the
splendid force of our hundred million
intelligent, patriotic people. Gap
plause)
Less than two months ago the house
voted down a proposition of increase
much smaller and less expensive than
the one now offered The chairman
of the naval committee implored all
good democrats to vote against 1t.
Now he appears demanding that we
approve this much larger increase in
the name of the secretary of the navy
and the administration.
Let us see just what it is that they
want us to agree to. Beginning with
an increase of 10 superdreadnaughts
to cost over $2O,000,000 apiece, the in
creases in ships runs all down the
line, and If we agree to them we shall
have a naval bill of 1913, 1884, 1924 for
the current fiscal year and we shall
authorize the secretary of the navy to
incur contract obligations amounting
to S487 200, 900 more.
We have done a lot of talking in
this country at one time or another
about being a peaceful and non-mili-
tary people. A faYorfte theme of ora
tors has been our freedom from the
burden OF military establishments.
And yet, IL we agree to this increase
and pass this bill we shall have pass
ed the largest naval appropriation bill
in all history. It is more than $780,
100000 in excess of England's naval
bill the year preceding the breaking
out of the European war. IT is nearly
three times the naval expenditures of
Germany the year before the break
ing out Of the war. In fact, it is sew
eral millions more than the naval ex-
penditures of Germany, France and
Japan combined the year Immediately
preceding the breaking out of the Eu-
ropean war.
Those who think we have not been
spending much on our navy heretofore
should remember that the outlay for
our navy for the 10 years preceding
the European war was over 1881
600, 900. This was almost four times
the expenditure Of Japan. more than
three times the expenditure of Italy,
and exceeded the expenditures of Ger
many for the same period by more
than 100000, 900.
((To be concluded in tomorrow ev-
enings Argus)
Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-09-08
100 PER CENT DoDGING.

W nile MI 11uSleS was speaking a.
| Nashville he referred to the attitude
of President Wilson toward Huerta.
you would have recognized that
| assassin. wouldn't your" shouted a
| man in the audience. Nov l didn't
say that" replied Mr.. Hughes.
The same answer can be made to
any inference that anybody tries to
draw from Mr.. Hughes speeches. The
| candidate can always insist that Il
didn't say that for every Hughes
statement admits of a multitude of in
| terpretatiOns.
1t is impossible to ascertain from
any of Mr. Hughes speeches what he
would do or what he would not do.
/ At Nashville he attacked the president
| for preventing railroad strike by
the only means then available. He as
| sailed the Surrender" of congress,
and the metropolitan press hastens to
credit him with showing his ''Old-time
! fighting spirit" in declaring he would
not have surrendered the principle of
arbitration, which means that he
would have let the strike come on
rather than yield the eight-hour day.
! Mr.. Hughes has been going about
| the country for weeks talking about
/ the "timidity and vacillation" of Mr..
/ Wilson but no other candidate for
1 president was ever so timid and vacil-
( Iating as Mr.. Hughes. There is not a
voter who does not know where Mr.
/ Wilson stands on every issue Of the
campaign. There is not a voter who
knows where Mr.. Hughes stands on
any issue.
Mr. Hughes has Contented himself
with abusing and criticizing the in
cumbent of the high office he seeks,
but with the exception of the fiat
footed declaration that he would not
/ have considered the eight-hour de-
mand of the railroad workers, he has
not yet said what he would have done
! had he been in Wilson's place in deal
ing with perplexing questions. He is
proving what Roosevelt said of him
the greatest 'pussy-footer" of the age.
All knock and no boOst-and no bet
ter ways the Hughes idea. But let
the New York World say what ii
thinks of these tactics:
No man has moral right to as
pire to the office of president in
times like these who is afraid to
say frankly and openly where he
stands on every issue of the cam
paign. To dodge or to evade is to
seek to gain the presidency by
false pretenses. A candidate who
fears to have policies Of his own
confesses that he does not believe
the American people would elect
him if they knew his true political
opinions.
We should never have expected
such a contribution from Charles
Z. Hughes to the national stock
Of intellectual dishonesty, but
since Mr.. Hughes became 100 per
cent a candidate" he has done
much that we should never have
expected. The more he campaigns
for the presidency the less we can
recognize the Hughes who was
once governor of New York. But
as Lincoln once remarked about
presidential ambition, You don't
know what that gnawing Is till
you've had it"
Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-09-08
THE FATE OF THE TONsHS.

Much as we lOathe to confess it, we
are somewhat old-fashioned in our
ideas about the treatment of enlarged
tonsils. Having children of our own
who have tonsils, we naturally take a
special interest in the fate of the ton
sils
There are excellent throat special
lists who insist that nothing short of a
complete tOnsillectOmy, complete
enucleation or removal of the tonsi,,
should ever be done. This is a ser
ious, major operation; there is consid-
cradle hemorrhage, the operation
takes some time, and altogether it is a
formidable procedure which certainly
requires a competent surgeon. But
when our own children need an oper-
alton they will have no tonsillectomy.
One has already had a tonsillotomy-
amputatiOn of the tonsils, removal of
the portion which projects out into the
pharyngeal orifice and causes obstruc-
ton. This was done four years ago,
and the child has never had any ton
sill troTble since. We did it in the
office, without any assistance, and we
certainly would not attempt a tonsil-
lectomy under like circumstances.
AS stated, we are perhaps a bit
old-fashioned about it. The tonsfls so
far as we know, have no function They
are like the wisdom teeth, are appen-
dix and the gall-sac-vestigial re-
mains Of structures which probably
had important functions ages ago, but
now only add to the dangers of being
alive. Yet 1t does not seem necessary
to dissect out the tonsils when they are
merely enlarged or hypertrophied, as
is the case in something over fifty per
cent Of all children who are compelled
TO spend several hours a day in the vile
atmosphere Of our public schools. In
our opinion neutrality-suspicious.
slicing off, guillotining such tonsiIs in
sufficient, and this may be done by the
family doctor with snare or tonsillo-
tome in a jiffy, with or without an
anesthetic. 1t is no more painful nor
risky than the extraction of a loose
primary tooth.
When there is reason TO believe that
tonsils are infected, that they harbor
puS loci. septic areas, then the only
proper treatment is complete enuclea-
ton, total removal OF the tonsil or ton
sils This is the rule in older persons.
1t is especially so in cases OF sub
merged tOnsils which harbor septic |
focl and cause such troubles as chron- |
ic rheumatism, gall-sac disease. heart |
valve disease and the like The ton
sils may be enucleated by a nose and |
throat specialist under a local anes-I
thetic, in two sittings If both tonsils |
are TO come out; or under a general
anesthetic in one sitting.
In many cases, tonsillotomy or |
never Injuries the voice, |
weakens the throat or otherwise in
lures health, strength or efficiency |
mat Is typical old woman's super
Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-09-08

to- me that this was the only vav =.
avoid answering questions as 10 -.
I came 10 be in bed in a strange hopsa
Hes not dead" said the girl VIII,
had discovered me. Don't you see ~
color in his cheek?" I concluded 80.
IL would be better TO play Injured
groaned and lowered my eyes to ~
group bending over me.
where am ~ / asked
How IN the world did you come "a
be here2" exclaimed the woman In
tone Of amazement
Don't you remember anythlua7y
asked the girl.
Il remember being taken up BY
wind and landed somewhere, but when
I stopped ! lost consciousness" Ther
looking in assumed wonder az the omen
side Of the house, "can II be that vas
brown through there%
l asked them II they couldn't cover
up the opening and let me stay there
till / felt able TO go somewhere elss
They got blankets and tackled them IN
between me and the outside Then
they asked me what else they could
do for me. / told them that / would
prefer to be let alone for a time I'm
could collect my faculties, declaring
that I felt bruised all over. Thev
suggested that some bones might b.
broken, but as this would involve an
immediate examination, I said nv
bones were all right. The girl said
that though she could understand how
I might have been blown IN AZ the
aperture, she couldn't understand how
I could have been blown into bed and
covered up. I said that Just before
they had come IN / had felt sensa-
ton OF cold and had doubtless pulled
the covers over me.
do you remember tucking yourself
in ?" asked the young lady.
/ paid no attention 20 what was
plainly a sarcasm. l was we'll tucked
in, for I had got under the covers With
out throwing them down.
Well, I played safe" long enough
to send for my brother, dreading all
the while that the house would be
searched for me. Had / seen the
damage that had been done / would
not have feared so much for myself
A strip OF the town several hundred
feet wide had been wrecked and many
persons injured. The house I was in
had been badly damaged, though no
one was hurt.
I left with my brother after dark
and didn't visit Topeka again till I
had ample proofs of my identity Then
/ went to see the girl who asked me II
the storm that had landed me in bed
had tucked me in" l told her the
whole story and asked her IL she had
believed my explanation She said she
hadn't, but thought had been so bad
ly frightened by the cyclone that had
got into bed without knowing what !
was doing.
Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-09-08
The Daily Story
An Effect of Cyclone-By Willard Brakeman

walked into Topeka, Kan, one
morning and was entering hotel
when a man in the doorway looked at
me with a growing expression OF as
| constituent on his face. / could not
understand why he regarded me thus,
for / did not remember TO have ever
seen him before. I passed into the
hotel. Persons were moving about,
none of whom interested me or i them,
till ran up against another man, who
looked at me with the same expression
as the man I had met in the doorway.
AS he passed me I turned and looked
back at him and saw him looking back
at me.
Not ten minutes after this a hand
was clapped on my shoulder, and
voice said:
Jim Donegan, want you'll"
This third surprise was clew 10 the
others. Quite likely l resembled
man who was wanted for crime or per-
haps supposed crime. 1 certainly never
broke law In my life.
True enough, both the men who had
looked at me in surprise swore that
was Jim Donegan, who a few days be-
fore was caught red-handed in rob
berry, but got away. The only thing
about my case that seemed to puzzle
my accusers was that l should openly
show myself in Topeka. But when |
denied that l was Donegan they con-
cludsd that l was bluffng.
While l was being taken to jail one
of those Kansas cyclones came up and
cut a sWath right through the town,
taking in me and my captor. What
became of him / don't know to this
day. AS for me, / was blown against
a tree box and chung to 1t till the storm
had passed, which involved only few
minutes. What especially interested
me was to make good my escape from
those who had mistaken me for some
one else. 1 was fearful lest my captor
would get his hands ON me again.
Perhaps, considering the damage that
had been done by the storm, L magni-
fed my own Importance. Nevertheless
thought OF nothing but rearrest.
Holding TO the path of the cyclone, /
ran like a dee6 till | came TO a house
with a hole In it's side so big that /
could walk right through ii. There
was a bed inside that looked very in
viting for tired man. l was not tired,
but it occurred to me that 1t would be
a good place to hide. So jumped into
bed and covered up, all except my
eyes, resolving that / would pretend to
have been killed by the cyclone
l had not been in bed long before a
pretty girl came in and, seeing me,
ran out crying:
who in the world was in bed in
the spare room when the storm came?"
A woman, a young fellow about II
years old and little girl came into
the room. l lay staring at the cell
ing, pretending to be dead. 1t seemed
Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-09-08

Neither man nor party can entirely
shake off bad past by one act, and
become on the spot altogether pure
and lovely. With Mr.. Robins it is a
case of black or white. In 1912 the
republican party was made up of
rogues. Now II is composed OF saints.
The proof is that Barnes is no longer
chairman or boss, But Penrose and
Smoot are not known to have ordered
their ascension robes. They are still
there, TO make the republican party
appear a sort of gray, and not the
glistening white which is all that MIR.
Robins can see. And this campaign.
we submit, cannot be run by advo-
Gates of either party as one between
all the angels and all the devils.
It IS less personalities that count
with Mr. Robins than certain trans
cendental political forces. He has
now discovered a sort Of glacial
drift" towards the radical policies
which are dear to his heart. He also
takes much comfort in the voter mass
control" Both this control and this
drift he finds far more to his liking in
the republican party than in the dem
ocratic. We merely note that the line
OF argument which he now follows, II
valid at all, was valid in 1912, and
SnOulu nave leu INODIll0 u DO a
republican in that year. But this is
not of much consequence. The ques-
ton which arouses our curiosity IS
how many voters, temporarily progress
sives or not, will be moved by such
considerations as Mr.. Robins ad-
vances? So far as he seeks to re
duce the choice to one between good
and evil he will have no lack OF
sympathizers. Fitzjames stephen
pointed out that most political argu-
ment comes down, in the end, to the
assertion: Il am a better man than
you are Not all would be so frank as
Mr.. Robins in virtually assuming this
position, yet multitudes will, in fact,
do so. But as for following in his re-
condite views of glaciers and mass
control they will not think of doing
So They will call all this merely
high-brow reasons after the event.
Why not go straight TO the point and
say: I'VE think we can get more of
what we want out of the republicans,
and therefore we are for them?
Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-09-08
Day i'm Davenport

and explained the reason for the diff
ference OF rates. According 10 Mr.
Blackwell there are not enough people
per mile of pipe to give the Davenport
rate and the light company cannot af-
ford to give a lower rate than that
which they are now offering the Rock
ingham people.
Marriage Licenses. - George ".
Kroeger. Rock Island, and Stella
Knapp, Davenport; Peter Dittmer and
Mile Peters, both of Davenport; Ar
thur H. Detmers and Helma n. Nuessle,
both of Davenport.
Obituary Record william voelkers,
aged rs, passed away at the county
hospital. Nothing is known about his
life. The remains were taken to Ms
sen & Hartwigs undertaking parlors,
where they await funeral arrangements
by relatives.
Does Not Help VOlunteers.-The ma
jority of Battery B boys enlisted in
the guards after the call for volunteers
and therefore their families. If depend
ent, are eliminated from realizing any
help from the $2,000,000 congress re-
Gently appropriated lot htpNhuNhe
families of national guardsmen az the
Mexican border. In making this state
ment, A. +. Dawson. president OF the
First National bank here, stated that
the comptroller of the treasury We'd
nesday ruled that none of the funds ap-
propriated would be available for men
who Joined the guards after the call
for volunteers had been issued. some
OF the news from Washington has been
misleading TO the point that many peo--
pie believe that Battery B boys VIII
have their dependent families taken
care of by the government while they
are on the border" said Mr.. Dawson.
1T has also been assumed that men
in the service OF the guards could come
home when they desired IL their fam
lilies were dependent upon them
Neither of these contentious are cor
rect. | believe the boys have found
that 1t requires a great deal OF red tape
to procure such leave" Mr.. Dawson
is connected with the Davenport Pa
triotic society He stated yesterday
that the society is supporting 80 needy
families Of members OF Battery B. Inc
society is expanding $1,000 a month
and receiving but $500 a month TO-
ward the war relief fund. Therefore
$500 more each month is needed 70
maintain the dependent families OF the
Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-09-08
MR.. ROBINS FLOP.

II was Benjamin Franklin who said
that the definition of a reasonable
man was one who could discover
good reasons for what he wanted to do.
We will not say that this saying is the
only or chief thing illustrated by Ray
mond Robins in his long explanation
why he intends to support Hughes.
That would be to wrong a man whose
influence both parties have been seek
ing to acquire. Democrats in general,
and the president and chairman Nc
CormiCk in particular, will not min
imiZe the importance of Mr.. Robin s
choice Of a presidential candidate. It
may be questioned however, If this
importance is so great as Mr.. Rob
ms seems to think. He felt it neces-
sary 10 issue a 3.00O-word statement
announcing and accounting for the
momentous event of his decision, af-
ter waiting a month TO make up his
mind OF this the ordinary newspaper
printed anywhere from 80 to 800
words. On the scale of national poll
tics, that was really about all the
space it deserved, says the New York
Evening Post, which is Independent in
politics.
1t was probably, however. not to the
general public that Mr.. Robins intend
ed mainly to appeal. He apparently
desired to make an apologize to his for
mer associates among the wide-awake
democrats OF Illinois, and especially
OF Chicago, but, above all, to his fell
low progressives. To the latter he now
states that their party was never a
real party. 1t was only a protest.
revolt, not a permanent political
cleavage" A good many said this
from the first. Mr.. Robins was quite
q time in discovering it. But the over
whelming proof. he now says, was
given him two years ago. Nearly
three-fourths of the progressive yot-
ers Of 1912 refused to support the pro-
gressive candidates of 1914" More
over. the "acid test" of party enroll
ment and voting IN the primaries
showed the same thing. The voters
had decreed it, and there was nothing
10 do but accept the sad conclusion:
THE progressive party was dead"
But Mr.. Robins was certainly a live
~ corpse when he presided over the
convention of the progressive party at
Chicago. And in his speech he was
very far from assuring his enthusias
tic hearers that they were all dead
men. Nor when. at the very end, he !
called for and received pledges OF
100000 for a party fund. was there I
any intimation from him that this !
sum was intended TO furnish a first |
class funeral for the progressives. We I
fear that some Of the progressives who !
were there VIII accuse Mr.. Robins of !
holding back, for some mysterious i
pnrpose, his knowledge that there was /
no future for them except in the /
grave.
We will not dispute the sincerity OF /
Mr. Robins conviction that by nomi- /
mating Hughes the republican party
has instantly and completely ceased /
to be dominated by the masters Of
special privilege" who have in times
past found II their instrument OF
vast exploitation" Memo repente. |