Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1916-08-24
oval. unpatriotic and traitorou, cav

loyal. unpatriotic and traitorop. r.
paign OF Misrepresentation aeains,
our navy that has ever been nerne-
trated in any country at any time The
testimony of the naval exnerts has
shown. as the fact is. that we has ~.
second most powerful navy in the
world at tic commencement OF tho
overseas war Since then our navy
mas been rapidly added to while the
naVies Of Europe have been continualIv
diminishing. There is not a reason ON
earth why we should now double our
naval appropriation.
The naval program recently adontad
contempiates the build' of navy
larger than that OF England I sun
pose IL is preordained that this bur
den is to be imposed upon the Ameri-
can people. Twelve months ago the
secretary OF the navy denounced II
and the President Of the United
States was against it. With the finan-
clal power of the other great nations
OF the world weakened. if not broken
there Is every reason why we should
not have this program showed through
Congress.
Plan to Excel British NAVY.
1t is unjust; it is great wrong: II
is the beginning of greater wrong
When we start upon a plan of this sort
we can never get back to q basis that
Is rational The present plan contom-
plates a navy greater than Great
Britain. Great Britain has to have
large navy because of her oversee
possessions and because her CONT
nents are isolated by water The peo-
pie of the British Isles could not live
for single month if they were shut
off from the markets of the world by
England's failure to control the seas.
We are in no such position Our isoa-
ton is our protection When we have
built a navy that will be menace to
Great Britain and other foreign coun-
tries then these countries will in
crease their navies, and we will again
increase our navy and so on in end
less progression until the countries In
this mad contest shall be absolutely
exhausted. Admiral Vreeland testi-
fed on this subject that this policy
was limited only by the limit of taxa
49,.
Naval Appropriations Exceed Ger.
many's.
European countries by this great
war in which they are engaged will
weaken themselves financially. They
will exhaust themselves in men and
military strength. Many of their bat
tleships are at the bottom of the sea,
more will be here before the war is
over. There is not one of them that
is keeping up with the destruction.
Just in the proportion that they de-
stroy the soldiery of Europe, just as
they feed the men between is and 40
years of age to the cannon, wiping out
ten to twelve millions Of the yirie
manhood of the world, just by so much
the reasons diminish why we should
begin an extrayagant, extortionate
program of taxation upon the people
of this country for what we call pre-
paredness.
| want you to understand that for
the past Is years our naval appropria-
lions have exceeded those Of Germany
by so per cent, they have exceeded
those of Japan by 800 per cent, and
now in this last Year of our Lord
1916, we double the appropriation OF
the preceding year and the appropria-
ton OF 1915 was $55,000.000 more than
Great Britain had expended on her
navy during. any year Of peace.
Compare the preparations for peace
with the preparations for war inc
Panama Canal the greatest and most
extensive piece of engineering the
world has ever seen, cost the United
States $500. 100000 But one appro-
priation for war preparation cost tne
United States more than twice that
vast sum or sS40,00OOo0.
Better Uses for Our Money
we have better uses for our money
Let us prepare the manhood and the
womanhood of our country for the
struggles of peace; more education,
more compensation for the industrial e
soldiers who fall by the wayside Dyk
reason of the hazards Of their occupa
lions; more compensation to thelrE
widows and children; pensions FOR III
aged and infirm who have failed in
the struggle of life to gain a pitlanca #
against old age or misfortune MORT
money for the common good; nc q
money to fight contagious diseases
This is the preparedness toward walo M
we should turn.
We should spend less to prepare
kill and more to prepare TO live
Men of big business today are y
ing grievous burdens upon 'ns pog
for preparation for war thal ous
never come, while they are az
same time hypocritically crying ~
against increased wages. increased =
propristions for schools ana 10,
general welfare Of the commuuN.
which they live. Shame on