The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1920-07-07
'HARO|AG DEFENDED
ARM0R PLATE, MEN
Candidate Ran True to Old Guard
Form During Preparedness
Dates in 1915

Warren G. Harding, Republican
nominee for President of the Unit
ed States, ran true to Old Guard
form during the preparedness de-
bates of 1915 by rising to the de-
Tense of the so-called "Armor Plate
Trust"
/ The Government was consider
| ing the establishment of an armor
plate factory to enable it to prepare
for war and to avoid exorbitant
prices. Senator Harding followed
in the footsteps of Senator Boies
Penrose, who preceded him in OPP
position to a Government armor
plant. The debate was on March
81, 1916.
Senator Harding said he had been
inclined at first to favor the Gov
eminent armor plat plant, because
of its apparently popularity, but
that study of the hearings caused
him to believe the public had not
heard the side of the steel men.
| Big Profits Suspected
"a study Of the report of the
hearings on which the committees
recommendation is founded" he
said, reveals that a govern
mental plan is not proposed be-
cause of unsatisfactory service, not
because of a lack of capacity, but
because of lack of knowledge of
the exact profits of the large con-
Germs engaged in serfing the Gov
eminent. 1 have studied the hear
ings very carefully, and 1 can reach
no other conclusion than that this
whole movement is inspired by the
suspicion or conviction that some
body has been making enormous
profits in serving the Government.
there is a fear or conviction that
those who make armor plate for the
navy are inordinately proflting
through their operations; that there
is essentially no competition; that
the Government is excessively charg
ed, and it is more or less of a crime
to make money.
Attacks On Big Business
81 know something of the popu-
larity of inveighing against enorm-
Gus money-making, honest or other
wise. 1t is a great hit, not pecu-
liar to any State or section, to swat
the great captains of industry,
particularly the wizards of the
world Of iron and steel, because they |
have developed stupendously and !
made great fortunes in that develop |
ment. They have made a million |
dollars look like 80 cents so to !
speak, but in doing so they have
made these United States the great
est iron and steel producing nation
on the earth, and iron and steel
prices make a more dependable bust
ness barometer than wheat and cot
ton and the glow of the furnaces
makes a beacon of American mater
ial good fortune"
Asking that the question be ses-
tied on what is best for the Ameri-
can Republic" Senator Harding
continued:
LET us put aside the immediate
ly popular thing. l know what
that is. Nine men in ten would
say: Down with monopoly; up
with the Federal armor plant
have confessed to my own inclina-
tion to favor that policy. 1 know
why l felt that way and it is not
unreasonable to believe the popu-
lar mind has been fixed by the same
impression. The people have heard
only one side. The hearings were
revelation to me- The public
has little heard the side of the ar
NOR plants. 1t is rare that a news I
paper and rarer that a politician
will disseminate their story. 1t
would sound too much like a boost
for the business rather than a swat
at the parons. There is no popu-
larity in that.
Make Nothing Else
Few people know that armor
plants are given over exclusively to
making armor for the Government S
and are fit for little or nothing else z
Few people understand that these I
special plants have been developed y
at the instance of the Govrnment /
to meet Government need. Few G
people realize that the undertaking i
is so enormous that only immense C
capital and highly organized enter l
prise may safely venture upon the t
of armor. I
Rarely anybody has thought, n
much less spoken, Of the enormous p
losses in Investment due to obsolee h
nee. Not very many people have
I 4.