Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-01-18

he added, this interest charge would
be met by all the industries of the land,
and any attempt TO throw this aside
would destroy national solvency.
The crowning reason for an ade-
quate army and navy for the United
States said Mr.. Williams, rs not war,
but peace The boundaries of the
country need defense, but no more
than its duties need discharge"
Says Paciiicists Misunderstood.
Adequate preparedness for national
defense was advocated by Mr.. Com
pers. While he insisted that military
organizations must be democratic and
the nation must be safeguarded
against the evils OF militarism, Mr..
Gompers declared that Americas own
freedom had been achieved by resist
ance to tyranny, and that pacifcists
tailed to understand that quality Of
the human race which made men will
ing to risk their all for an ideal.
Men worthy Of the name" he said,
| will fight even for a scrap OF paper,
when that paper represents ideals of
human justice and freedom. There is
little progress made in the affairs OF
the world in which resistance of 9TH
ers is not involved
War as it is waged today is not de-
termined merely by the men on the
ton of the national resources, ma
tiCnal industries and commerce. The
real program is the organization of
/ the material forces and resources of
the country, the coordination of these
in the furtherance Of a definite de
fensive military policy
Labor Demands Representation.
Whatever plan may be adopted,
said Mr.. Gompers, explaining the at
titude of labor, the organized labor
movement Of America demands that
certain fundamental principles must
( be regarded. All policies and plans
I for nationel defense must be demand
| ed by representatives of all the people
/ The organized labor movement, which
/ is the only means for expressing the
will and the desires of the great mass
es of our citizenship, asserts its right
| to representation in all committees
/ commissions or bodies that decide or
military defense.
The labor movement holds that pol
icies and methods of self-defense are
best safeguarded when there is equa
opportunity for all to become mem
bers of whatever organizations anC
institutions, whether military or 9th
erwise, exist throughout the country
II has never advocated the abolition
of agencies for the enforcement o.
right and justice, or for the abolition
Of the military arm Of the govern
ment, but it does demand that these
! shall be so organized as to proven
their misuse and abuse as means o
tyranny against the workers, and t
prevent the development Of perniciou:
results that have grown out of mill
tarism, the building up of separate
military caste and the subversion o
civic life to military government ant
military standards"
Hits Inadequateness.
SO inadequate is the country's mill
tary efficiency, declared Senator Wads
worth, that if congress were to orde
intervention in Mexico today. it woult
be three, four or five months befor
we could get the troops TO intervene
The whole history of American mill
tary expenditures, he said, had beel
one of waste and extravaganza due {,
the national trait to skimp details
Il have come 10 the conclusion tina
the only efficient way TO establish re
serve force that will come to the relic
Of the United States IN a time of Ma
tional crisis or peril is by the institu
ton of a system of compulsory mill
tary training" he said