Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-09-18

pears to be telegram signed by you.
as follows:
Hamilton. Mass, Aug. EFF Viii
son takes a bold stand. the country
will take a bold stand. even if il means
war If Wilson wabbles. the country
will wabble. If | were Wilson. ! should
send Count BernstOrff home at once
and call congress together with the
recommendation that war be declared
against Germany. I hope that the
president will not write any more
notes. "A. +. GARDNER,
Member of the House or Representa-
tees"
Mr.. Gardner. That is absolutely cor
rect; take pleasure in verifying H.
Mr. Towner. To whom was IL di-
rected?
Mr. Gardner. I presume II was in
reply TO some press inquiry.
Mr.. Tavenner. Mr.. Chairman and
gentlemen of the committee. if | had
been present at the time Mr.. Rogers
offered the resolution under which this
hearing is being held. 7 should have
offered as a substitute therefor II. ].
Res. No. 112. which l introduced on
Jan. 10. 1916. which is before the COM
mittee on rules and which | have never
been able TO get reported out of COM
mlttee. Such an investigation as this
resolution of mine provides for would
have shown what members OF congress
own stock i'm war-trafiiCking firms and
would have shown who was chiefly re
sponsibIe for the present reign of pre-
paredness propaganda. l have made
the statement on the floor Of the house
that those chiefly responsible for the
present preparedness propaganda were
munitiOn makers or men who when
they started their agitation we're stock
holders in war-trafTiCking firms
have no personal quarrel with the
gentleman from Massachusetts. Mr.
Gardner. and my only interest is to see
the facts stated as they are. I will he
entirely satisfied, and / think Mr.. Call
away Will be. if it appears in the Con-
gressionaI Record that Mr. Gardner,
when he started this so-called pre-
paredness" agitation in October. 1914,
was a stakeholder in the General Elec-
trio company. that his wife was
stakeholder in the General Electric
company. and that his daughter was
stakeholder in the General Electric
company. This is a war-trading con-
Germ These are facts, I understand,
undisputed by Mr.. Gardner The rea-
son I consider this important is that
Mr.. Gardner, l believe, more than any
other member of the house is RESPONSE
BILE for the starting of the widespread
agitation for excessive preparedness. I
want the record to show for all time
that Mr. Gardner did own this stock
when he started this propaganda for
increased army and navy expenditures.
| 1t tends to substantiate my statement
that war-traff1cking firms and stock
holders of war-trafficking firms started
the so-Callsd preparedness" propa-
ganda. l do not challenge the motive
of Mr.. Gardner individually, and / have
never challenged the motives of the
members of the navy league individ-
ually. / have simply called attention
to the facts so that the public may
consider them and reach its own con-
illusions.
1 have here a copy of the Navy
League Journal. and 1 desire to direct
the attention of the committee to the
fact that on the first page appears the
statement that this is "the official or
gan of the Navy League of the United
| States"
Are Named Founders.
| Mr.. Raker What is the date of that
| publication?
Mr.. Tavenner. February, 1904 This
| was at a time when no one had ever
attacked those behind this militaristic
propaganda and they were a little
careless in stating who was financing
it. On turning to page 80 l find that
| this official journal of the Navy League
publishes these names under the head
of "Founders"-I do not say that these
men were the founders, but I say that
the official organ of the Navy League
itself represents them as the found
eTs' Of the Navy League.
Herbert L. Satterlee, J. W. Miller, J.
Pierpont Morgan, Benjamin F. Tracy,
Seth Low, Clement A. Griscom, Thomas
Lowry, Timothy l.. Woodruff, Midvale
Steel Co, Arson Phelps Stokes. George
Westinghouse, r. S. Sloan, John J.
Aston, r. NJ. Thompson, Charles NJ
Schwab, John J. McCook, Harry Payne
Whitney, George B. Satterlee, S. S
Palmer.
OF these 10 men. IA are either war
traf1ckers, stockholders in war-traf-
ticking firms, or else they sat on boards
of directors with men who were war
trafhckers. For instance. here is J.
PierpOnt Morgan; the Nidvale Steel
Co; Charles NJ. Schwab, who is now
the president of the Bethlehem Steel
Co. Then here is Benjamin F. Tracy,
who was counsel for the Carnegie
Steel Co, and the Harvey Steel Co:
Clement A. Griscom. who was a part
ner of Mr.. Morgan's; Herbert L. Sat
terlee, brother-in-law of J. p Morgan: