Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-09-01
Selected by Tavenner

harm us than ever before; IN face or
| the fact that prior to the European
| war we were expanding on our navy
| $50, 900, 600 more than Germany or any
| other nation, except Great Britain, was
expanding on its navy and for the 10
years preceding the war we had ex-
pended over $500 600, 900 more than
Germany or any other nation. except
| Great Britain, had expended on its
| program, this program, for which we
| are asked by the administration and
| the chairman of the naval committee
| to vote-at one bound-one year-1n-
| creases our already immensely large
| naval appropriations twice as much as
our total increase for the last 10 years;
more than three times as much as the
| total increase by Great Britain in the
| three years prior to the European war;
more than two and half times as
| much as the total increase by Germany
! in the 10 years preceding the war and
more than six times her total increase
in the five years prior to the war, and
! $50, 100000 more than the total in
] crease of all the nations in the world
combined in any one year in all his
| tory, prior to the war. And In one
year And yet they says that we are
sane and conservative in our pre-
paredness" program.
| The three-year provision OF the pro
gram requires an increase of appro-
priations over seven times more than
the total increase by Great Britain in
! the 10 years prior to the European
war, 10 times more than the total in
crease by Germany or any other ma
ton, except Great Britain, in the 10
years preceding the war, go times
more than the total increase by Ger
many in the five years preceding the
war, and 100 times more than the to-
! tai increase by Germany in the three
years preceding the war. And do not
| forget that when the war began we
/ were expanding $30000.000 annually
more than Germany.
! But this is not all.
! This three-year program increases
| our naval appropriations over $780,
! 600 900, more than the combined in
crease of all the nations in the world
| for the entire 10 years preceding the
| European war, and over $350,000, 900 or
more than twice as much as the total
| increase of all the nations in the
world for the five years prior to the
| war. Our increase alone provided in
! this measure for this year is over
| $50, 100000 more than the largest to-
/ tai appropriation for any year by Ger
many in all her history.
/ Still they insist that we are sane and
| conservative.
Our total appropriation for this year
! Is more than two and half times
larger than the total appropriations by
Germany, France, or any other nation
except Great Britain, in any year in
| its history, and $50, 900, 900 larger thar
| any annual appropriation by Great
/ Britain prior to the war: and $60000,-
| 600 larger than the total apprOpria-
tons by Germany, Japan, Italy, and
/ Austria combined in any one year of
their history.
| Our appropriations required by the
! three-vear program will be as large as
! the total appropriations of Germany,
! France, Russia, Italy, and Japan for
the three years prior to the war.
| For the last three years our total
naval expenditures in round numbers
amounts to $4,000, 900. Last year
| per year of $142 900. But under
A., this program for this fiscal year it
amounets to S316,OO0,0 900. Last year
| the appropriation was 500, COO 900, an
| increase alone in this year of $780,
| 900. 900, and the three-year program
will require not less than a total APP
preparation of 81, LOO, 100000, or an in
! crease over the last three years or
| nearly $500, 100000.
| l wish l had time to go further into
details as to the enormity of this out
| rageous, insane program. | shall ap-
! pend to my remarks a table of naval
| expenditures by the nations of the
world from 1900 to 1914, inclusive,
filed by the navy department at the
hearings this session before the naval
committee. A study and investigation
| of this table will sustain the state
ments | have made.
CTo be concluded tomorrow