Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-06-02
The Great Speech Of G. II. Perris at
the Worlds Peace Conference.
BY Congressman Clyde II. Tavenner

the worlds Peace conference.
BY Congressman Clyde II. Tavenner.
(Reprinted from the Congressional
Record of May 3, 1850
| will now quote from an address
delivered at the Worlds Peace con-
ference held at The Hague, Neither
lands, in 1913. by G. II. PERKS of Lon
don. 1t is entitled The Peril Of Pri-
vate Munition Plants"
I'VE have this year, for the first
time, | think, in the history of the
peace movement, an analysis, some
thing like scientific analysis. of the
methods by which war material is
supplied to three of the greatest coun-
tries in the world. In the case of the
German empire, Dr. Liebknecht has
| placed before the reichstag the results
of his inquiries. In the case of France,
M. Delasi has embodied the results
of his inquiry in a little pamphlet, to
be obtained upstairs. l have myself
made similar inquiry as as far as con-
Germs the great manufacturers of arm
aments for the British empire. 1t is
therefore not simply as regards the
wickedness of militarism and the
preparations for war in Germany that
this question rises. Liebknecht's rev.
| Citations in Germany have attracted
peculiar attention; but what the in
vestigations that have been made in
| England and France prove is that this
| disease IS substantially the same in
| all the great countries of the world.
These inquiries give somewhat sur
prising results, or at least surprising
to those who are already economic
students l shall very rapidly sum-
Marie for you the results of these in
| quiries. l suppose that it is natural
for people who do not know the in
ternational peace movement, and who
say that pacifists are sentimentalists,
to say also that ornaments are, as it
were, a national fire engine-they are
as necessary for the extinction of in
ternational animosity as are the fire
engines in our cities for the extinc-
ton of fires. These people sincerely
believe that the great names of krupp
and Schneider and Armstrong and
others are properly honored, each in
his own country. So in Germany the
kaiser decorated Krupp, visits his
house, and shows signs of satisfac-
ton in standing beside member of
that firm, and so we hear, in regard
to the war in the Balkans, of a con-
test between Germany and France as
to whether the cannons supplied to
the combatants came from krupp's or
Schneider's; which is as if people
competed for the honor of having
served out poisons for the purpose OF
murder. And so in England Vickers
Maxim and others are honorable cor
porations in the eyes of the public
and if there is a new battleship, ii
cannot go into battle without having
been christened by some lady of title
with a bottle of champagne. 1t is a
matter of honor thus to dedicate a
means of human slaughter. 1t is sup
= posed that the ornaments are neces-
sary for the peace of the world, and
= it is supposed that the makers of them
= are excellent citizens; and so it is
- also supposed that these traders can
e not be dangerous, because they are
S under the control Of the respective
o governments giving them their orders
trade-and it is nefarious, ladies anC
S gentlemen (applause) know that the
t reality behind the appearance is some.
r what different First, there is reveal
a ed the immense wealth of the trade
a in ornaments. Seven of the many
= companies in Great Britain which sci
= ornaments to the British government
e and to other governments have tota
a total capital of 100000 000-750, 000,
e 600 francs-seven of them only, ant
a there are scores of them. Two of thesf
f only, Vickers and Armstrong, this veal
S distributed 800 900 in profits.
t mention these facts to illustrate the
t wealth of the ornaments trade.
f The War Traders Trust.
s And we find that these firms, in
: stead of being competitive business
t are combined, both within each coun
r try and internationally. The plea thai
i one company completes with another
Y and makes honest sales to its govern
: ment is pure pretense. This combina
S ton is extending more and more into
t the international field. 1t is far from
e being complete. The whole business
n of ornaments has not become cosmo
e politaniZed, but it has reached a con
a siderable degree toward that. 1t il
: very probable that it will be some
$, time before great armament maker.
: Of the three great entities-the groups
|, Of nations represented by the Ger
: man empire, the French republic an(