The Canon City record with which is consolidated the Canon City cannon., 1916-05-04

III lLC Ddhg AhtCOIu VI April L.
A. r. Livingston takes exceptions to
some statements in an item which was
published in the Messenger under my
name. He first bubbles about my ref
erence to the Steel Trust" which
he confines to the Carnegie plant of
the United States Steel Corporation.
The fact is the Steel Trust" as gen.
orally understood includes the Carne-
gle. the Midvale and the Bethlehem
Steel companies. These three COM
more definitely in this connection,
"The Armor-rlate Ring" The AR
mor-plate Ring" has been paid, out
of the United States treasury since
1887. for armor plate alone the signi-
ffcant sum of s95. ,912. to say moth
ing of the subsidiary war-traffcking
material. and yet we are told that our
government is inadequately prepared
even for defending this land assaults
of some imaginary foreign foe. In
speech delivered by Hon. Clyde H.
Tavenner in the House of Rerresenta-
tives, Feb. Is, 1915. he showed how
the government was being robbed by
this patriotic Armor Plate Ring. The
War Department was paying this ring
1850 for 3.S common shrapnel
while II is now manufacturing the
Identical article In its own plant for
1874, more than one half less. On
contract amounting to 81 l,900.964
the government saved s979.SI6 by
manufacturing the ann n.tion in its
own plant And yet Mr. Livingston
would have US believe that these pa
trlotic srmor plate manufacturers
would continue business on the pitt
ful return of percent on their so
called investm Mt of Si5.0oo.0oe. No
wonder their voices are unit for
preparedness. for in time OF war
scares. or when war is actually raging
the war trafaekers reap their great
est harvest. Look at the way the
stocks in war mun-tI factories have
SCARED since the war in Europe has
heen going on. We have not space
10 so into detail. but let me note
4 this one Illustration. Suppose at the
outhrehk OF the war you had bought
a share OF Bethiehem Steel ct the
price Then OF $40 At times since
that you could have sold IL for s475
clearing. $3.50 en- the transaction Hun
dreds of similar illustrations oouli
he noted. all OF which go TO show the
T.. -
the Wall street war marnates who
owned millions and millions OF war
munition stocks. No wonder they arc
doing all in Their power to create a
sentiment in favor of preparedness.
But IL is unfair TO try to make the
people OF this country believe that
their government has been remiss in
its Efforts to Prepare for the defense
OF the country IL the expenditure OF
money Is any criterion TO 20 by. The
fact is that the United States Gov
ernment has increased it's sppropria-
tions for war and on account OF war
faster than any nation on earth has
increased such appropriations in time
W AtfRAAAlA W nEAAtN SUR
piled by Mr.. Tavenner. in the last ten
years the United States has spent
on account OF war two billion dol
lars-enough to pay of the national
debt. dig the Panama canal. and pay
the expenses of every church and ev-
cry school in the country for an en-
tire year. OF every 500 that we have
collected from the American people
we have paid out SCI for war and on
account OF war and a very large slice
of the money that we have appropria
ted for the Army and Navy has gone
to four firms. which. up TO this time
have had n MONOPOLY of the manufac-
ure OF armor plate and power.
Mr. livingston acknowledges that
the Bethlehem Steel Company made
contract with the Russian govern
ment for 1900 tons CT armor plate at
s2ta per ton. which is in accordance
with the statement which | made in
the Messenger and which is the oc-
the Record. At that time this same
company was charging the United
States government seie for the same
article. MIR. Livingston says that the
purpose of this low price to Russia
was TO get foothold in Europe. II
was not so much to get foothold in
Europe that this low price was made
to Russin, but for the purpose OF fore
ing the organization of worldwide
Armor Plate Trust. and II succeeded.