Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-09-06
Selected by Tavenner
FACTS THAT THE PEOPLE SHOULD
kN0M.

FACTS THAT THE PEOPLE SHOULD
KNOW.
Extracts from the speech of Con-
gresham Finly Gray of Indiana, which
the press associations did not carry.)
Mr.. Gray of Indiana. Mr.. Speaker,
there are two schools of preparedness,
two policies, two general and well-de-
fined positions In congress, in the
country. and even among the naval and
military men themselves. One is pre-
paredness for defense against invasion.
The other is preparedness to contest
for world power and control of the
seas. There is no middle ground; you
must choose between these two posi-
tions.
l am in favor of full, adequate, and
complete defense against invasion, and
for every preparation, at whatever
cost, necessary to this end. But l am
opposed to a naval policy looking to
world power in war. l am opposed to
a naval policy looking to a contest for
control of the seas, the great common
highway of all the nations. l am op-
posed TO a rival military policy for this
nation. l am opposed to any military
policy for this nation which viii
arouse distrust and apprehension
against us, engender antagonism, ami
mostly and enmity toward us. l am
opposed to any military policy for. this
nation calling for vast expenditures of
money and burdensome taxation to
maintain a menace to our peace, in
evitably leading to war, and ultimately
jeopardiZing our very national exist
ence.
Military rivalry is the criminal folly
of the nations. If we increase our
navy today, England will increase her
in turn, increase her navy to meet Eng
lands increase, and France will in
crease her navy to meet Germany's IN
crease, and then we must build again
and again to keep pace with this mad
rivalry in war.
The grounds we urge today for an
increase Of our navy to equal other
navies will be urged again and again.
If our increase will make us stronger
against them, then their increase will
make them stronger against us. This
increase of our navy will not increase
our relative strength against other
navies. 1t will not make us stronger
to resist them, until we have built to
the limit of taxation and other nations
have fallen in exhaustion.
I will quote from the evidence of
Admiral c. E. Vreeland, a member Of
the general naval board, and given in
response to questions by myself rela-
tive to the policy of naval increase,
and found in pages 585 to $50 of the
| hearings Of the house committee on
naval affairs of the second session of
the 63rd congress, admitting the inevi-
table result of military rivalry:
Mr.. Gray. I wish to inquire of the
admiral if it is not the policy Of other
governments to increase their navies
with all other leading powers?
Admiral Vreeland. 1t is sir.
Mr.. Gray. What would be the ad-
vantage to us or any other power if
the navies were increased equally by
all the nations of the world? Would
there be any advantage to US or to any
other power?
Admiral Vreeland. Not if you mean
| in the same ratio.
I "Mr. Gray. Would not the same
grounds exist after an increase for a
further increase?
/ Admiral Vreeland. 1t would seem
so.
Mr.. Gray. Then it is only a ques-
ton of the limit of taxation?
I Admiral Vreeland. Yes, sir"
/ And when we have won this mad
race in taxation, when straining to the
utmost limit in taking taxes from their
people other nations have fallen be-
/ hind, when we have eXcelled in the
weight of tax burdens which our peo-
| pie can bear, when we have outriv-
| aled other nations and built a navy,
/ the most powerful in the world, then
will come a great equalizing factor to
operate in human affairs and under
! the law of self-defense to defend the
weak against the strong. An individ-
ual of superior strength can not con-
I troll his fellow men by reason of his
superior power over any of them. No
nation can dominate the world by rea-
son of being stronger than the strong
est. When ever such power is assert
ed by an individual or nation, natur-
ally and instinctively the weaker or
smaller will join and unite and their
/ combined strength will destroy the
would-be dominating power. And there
! is still another principle that will as
/ sert itself; it is for relief against force
and might. Without such union of the
weaker powers, internal dissension,
factions, and rival parties will arise to
resist and rend asunder a dominating
! power and restore equilibrium among
4 the nations with freedom to progress
and advance in civilization and the
natural course of social evolution.
| Then two nations will join their
navies, and we must build against