The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1916-08-11
ROBBED THE GOVERN
MENT FOR 20 YEARS
Senator Reed Scores Armor Plate Fac
tories and Shows up Attempt to
Get Use Of Franking Privilege

book which were read by the Senator
from Indiana (Mr. Taggart).
One of those declarations was that
the Bethlehem Steel Co. was now pre-
pared to make a binding contract with
the Government for the next five
/ years to sell and to deliver to it, if
remember the figures Alright, the arm
or plate which it might want for
some $50 a ton less than it had been
, charging. In connection with that
statement is another that the price
named is less than has ever been
charged to the Government in 20
years. In connection with the two
statements is third statement, that
the price of labor and the price of all
material entering into armor plate
are higher now than they have been
for 20 years. The effect. therefore,
of the statement is that although arm
or plate material is higher than it has
been in 20 years, that labor is higher
than it has been in 20 years, and that
the cost of production is greater than
it has been in 20 years, this concern
can afford to deliver, and will deliv-
er, to the Government armor plate
for $50 ton less than it has at any
time during the past 20 years exacted
! from us.
That is an absolute admission that
for 20 years it has robbed the Gov
eminent, whose flag floats over it and
whose armies and navies protect it..
Now that concern comes here, and the
! Senate grants unanimous consent to
print its propaganda and advertise
ment and to send it through the mails
without charge.
Nor is that all Of the loathsome and
sickening story. 1t is an evidence
that this company has been selling
its armor plate to foreign govern
ments to put upon the sides of their
ships and to protect their guns for
! less than it has been charging this
Government that gives it protection.
1t has been willing for less of dollars
to furnish to government or to gov
ernments that may at any time be-
come our enemies armor for ships of
war for less money than it charges
us, thus enabling those governments
to build their navies at less cost, and
consequently, for the same amount of
dollars, to build greater navies than
ours, navies that may in the mutations
of national life at any moment thun-
der with their guns against the coast
cities Of the United States. And it is
proposed that such q concern can have
the franking privilege, so that it can
flood this country-probably through
the Republican National Committee
with document that looks like Sen,
ate document; that looks like it had
come with the sanction of the Senate:
SO that it can flood this country with
its ex parte, its false, it's misleading
statements without the payment of
penny of postage!
Mr.. Oliver. Mr.. President
The Vice President. Does the SEN
ator from Missouri yield to the Sena-
tor from Pennsylvania?
Mr.. Reed. / do.
Mr.. Oliver. l challenge the Sena-
tor from Missouri to find single false
statement in that document. He can
not do it.
Entire Document False
Mr.. Reed. Well, say to the gen
tleman who is stakeholder, and who
has admitted he is stakeholder, in in
stitutions that are engaged in making
armcr plate, who stands here on the
floor of the Senate advocating the
cause of those things in which he is
financially interested, and who, if, he
were the judge of a court would be
barred from sitting in a case involv-
ing the question of dollars and cents
to the concern in which he is interest
ed, but who, nevertheless, has the cold
efllontery TO stand here advocating
and voting for that which win put
money in his pocket say that the
entire document is false and mislead-
ing that is it is Undertaken in this
document 20 demonstrate that the
Bethlehem Steel Co. has dealt fairly
with the United States. the faces ore
otherwise
Mr.. Reed. Now, Mr.. President, it
was said in the old days corporations
had too much influence in the halls of
legislation. 1t was charged that this
was true in the General Assemblies
of States. 1t was charged that this
was true in the Congress of the Unit
ed States. 1t was believed by many
people that great institutions came to
Congress to obtain special privileges.
1t was believed that too often their
attorneys, their representatives, their
hirelings, their stockholders sat in the |
halls of Congress and voted the money
of the people into the Golfers of their
respective corporations.
The people of the country had some
reason to believe that these influences
were at work, that they were too po-
tential, that their arms were too long
and their fingers too active, that the !
public treasury and the public right |
suffered by reason of the services of |
such men.
Against that protest nationwide
was heard. 1t took many forms. 1t |
produced many varieties of organiza-
tion and Of party. The insurgent ele-
ment of the Republican party came
into being in protest against such
It rose to such power as
to temporarily overwhelm within the
party the emissaries of the
old regime.