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SATURDAY. NOVEMBER. 20. 1915 THE R1NSTON FREE PRER3 FIVE nPSTJTKORITATIYE STATEMENT: OF MR KITCHIN (Continued from .First Page) . . strongest and most powerful . nary in the world, except that of Great Britain (which is eliminated as above stated). Our nary la Stronger than that of Genfluiy, jfar auperior to that of France, more than twice aa strong s that of Japan or of any of the other nations. Admiral Fletcher, the highest active officer in' the Davy, commander of the Atlantic fleet, the man who will have to do the fighting if any it to be done, (whose judgment on naval subjects ths Secretary of the Navy, before the Naval Committee, de clared he had sooner take than that of any man in the world) expressly declared, at tho naval hearings during the last session of Congress, Hw we had a navy, auperior to that of Germany or. any . other nation, except Great Britain. In answer to the question, "If in a war wixh Germany, could our navy successfully resist that of Germany?" he answered "Yes!" Captain Wintwnalter, another naval expert, testified: "Judge Witherspoon has proved that our navy is superior to that of Germany and 1 agree with liim." Admiral Badger, ex-commander of the' Atlantic Fleet (a member .f the General Board of the Navy) declared that no one had ever heard him say that "Germany had a superior navy to ours." - The facta, of record, the tests laid down by naval experts here and abroad, and the naval authorities of the world (all of which I have before imt as I write) confirm the truth of this testimony. TwentyJennan BattlesUps Can't Cress Ocean. The armored fleet of Germany, consisting of battleships, dreadnaughts and pre-dreadnaughts. armored cruisers and battle cruisers (built and building) in number is 52 (to say nothing of the vessels lost since Janu ary 1, 1915). The fleet of the United States, of the same vessels, is in number $ifty:six, with over 40,000 more tonnage. Number and tonnage, howevefi r not the criterion of superiority. Of twenty of Germany's battleships listed by our Navy Year-Book, sixteen are not able to go more than 1,000 miles from base to engage in naval warfare. Not one of the sixteen carry coal enough to go from Hamburg or Bremen to within five hundred miles of New York and return (to say nothing about being em ployed in a naval engagement). The Oregon, which some of our naval ex perts sijiy is obsolete,' and not listed by our Navy Year Book (the Indiana and Massachusetts not listed also) in every characteristic of a fighting ship (fnggei "guns, heavier armor, stronger ship) is far superior to any one of the twenty German battleships listed by our Year-Book. Four of the German ships listed "by our Year-Book as dreadnaughts are in reality not dreadnaughts, and are shown by one of the highest naval authorities ia the world (Jane's Fighting Ships) to be defective, unsuccessful ships, and Iso known to be by every student of naval affairs. The last five dread naughts authorized .by Congress are superior to any six dreadnaughts Ger many has, built or building. Our ships are better, larger, stronger and more heavily armored. Our guns are larger, stronger and more eff active. Of the big guns of the ships, twelve inches and over, we have 284, while Germany has only 194 (built and building). I If the navy of Great Britain is to be eliminated in the "Preparedness" 'program, which our navl experts say it should be, and if we have a navy $iow superior to that of Germany or any other nation in the world, except tifcat Britain, for whom or against whom do we propose to prepare by the fabulous increase of our naval appropriations which the proposed program requires! 'Large Increases In Wilson Administration. 1 We are Prepared! . ' Instead of our "navy growing weaker." as the metropolitan press, tho "Patriotic Societies" and the jingoes and war traffickers would have the pec-' pie believe, it is growing bigger, stronger, more, efficient and better equipped every year, w in the two years of Wilson's Administration the naval build ' ing program authorized is twice as large and costly as the last two years of Taft'a Administration, and larger and more costly by $8,000,000 than the entire four years of Roosevelt' last term and practically as large as the entire four years of Taft's Administration. .There is today over 50 pei cent, more construction going on for our navy than on the first day of .MaTfch, 1913,,W at any other time in the history of our country. We have fnearly 100 per cent, more torpedoes, mines, mine layers,, powder and other munitions than;' we had on the first day of March, 1913, and steadily in creasing them. We have under Mr. Wilson's and Mr. Daniels' Administra tion, for the first time in years, the full complement of enlisted men author ized by law. J We are preparing! Quotes President Wilson's 1914 Speech. In View of the foregoing facts, was not President Wilson right when he said in his message to Congress, December, 1914, in opposing the pro gram of the Hobsons and Gardners: "Let there be no misconception. The X country has been misinformed. We have not been negligent of national defense." - 2. As to the Enormity of the Program What It Is: There heretofore large and growing expenditures for our navy had aroused .the people of tho country into asking, "where shall it end?" Sec retary Daniels, in his report to the last session of Congress, December, 1914, -said (and he was but substantially repeating what had been said in the British Parliament, the "German Reichstag, ' the . French Assembly, and ly prominent statesmen the world over relative to the armament expendi tures of their respective countries for the last several years): "The naval rppropriations in our own country have doubled in a dozen years and have gone up by leaps and bounds in other countries. If this mad rivalry in construction goes on the burden will become too heavy for any nation to bear.!' In his report of December, 1913, he says: "The growing cost of dreadnaughts, of powder and cf everything that makes an efficient navy fives reason to paused The heavy expense commands national and inter national consideration. Ten years ago our largest battleships cost $5,282,000. The next dreadnaught will cost $14,044,000." (The dreadnaughts hereafter .to be authorized will cost from $18,000,000 to $20,000,000, and in an inter--view the secretary says all ship materials and munitions of war have gone ' up vr 30 jer cent) He asks "When is this accelerating expenditure to be deduced ?? If it is not hastened by appeals for the peace fulttlement of national differences, the day is not' far distant, when the ) Crowing burdens of taxation for excessive war and naval expenditures will call a halt.4 , f . ' . . 1 '. U. S. Appropriations Exceed Those of Balance of World. Now, in the face of the deplorable ;truth recited by the secretary; in the face o oart that we have a navy superior to, that of Germany or anyjftbi nation, except that of Great Britain, in. the face of the fact that c-ur navgrowing larger, stronger and better equippedthan ever before; -thaliaceiof the Afact. aa the President declared both in his message to s Congress December last and in his recent Manhattan Club speech: "We are : threatened from ao quarter," tho proposed "Preparedness", program at one bound one year increase our already immensely large naval appropria tions more thaa our total increase for the last fourteen years; more than the increase by Germany the whole fifteen years preceding the European ar, and more than the combined increase of all the nations in the world any one year ia their history (in times of peace)! The g ve-year program increases our naval appropriation over forty Kmes more than the increase by Germany in five years preceding the Euro "irJj!.t, $200,000,000 more than the combined increase of all the Ra tions in Oie world for the five years preceding the European war; and -tlfj fcO.000.OOQ more than the combined increase of all the nations in the rld for" the whole period pf ten yenrs immediately preceding the Euro- Paa war: ' '." .' '' '". " " " : " ; Add to this the fact that prior to the beginning of the European War we were expending annually on our navy from $20,000,000 to $30,000,000 more than Germany or 'any other nation (except Great Britain) was ex pending on its navy. ., v : - For the ten years preceding the European war we had expended on our navy over $300,000,000 more than Germany or any other nation (except Great Britain) had expended on its navy! And yet tha metropolitan press, fhe magazine writers, tho "Patriotic Societies" and the jingoes and war traffickers would frighten the country into the belief that we have a little, puny, egg-shell of a navy! The five year naval program calls for an increase of $500,000,000 $100,000,000 increase a year. This is all extra in addition to the large ap propriations we have been annually making. The army four-year program de mands $450,000,000 increase, over $100,000,000 a year extra, being an increase of more than 100 per cent- will then be expending on its army and navy more than any nation in the world in times" of peace ever ex pended on its army and navy. At th beginning of the European War Ger many, was expending for past wars and preparations for wars (on its ar my and navy) 55 per cent of the to tal amount of revenues collected, Ja pan 45 per cent; Great Britain 37 over our annual army appropriations. f per cent;, France 35 per cent; the All extra appropriations, be it re-" United States over -60 per cent. With membered. Extra taxes must be paid the proposed military and naval pro by the people, "be it remembered! gram, enacted Into law the United At the expiration of the five-year States will be expending over 70 per period for the program this country cent, of its total revenues. Treasury Less Able Now to Stand Increase. cates "national defense" or "pvepar- 3. As to the Condition of our Treas ury and jts Revenues and Extra Tax ation Required: The condition of our Treasury and our revenue and the necessities of the government are less able now t per mit increased appropriations than ever before. The Treasury has felt most heavily the burden of the pres ent war. We have strained the nerves of the government to get suf ficient revenue to meet its ordinary expenses. After the expiration of the present emergency tax December 81, 1915, we will be faced with deficits for the coming year of at least $117, 000,000. This is upon the assump tion that not a dollar of increased appropriation will be made for any purpose over the last, year's appro priation (yet I understand that there will be from $30,000,000 to $40,000, 000 increase asked other than the ar my and navy increase). For this program of militarism and navalism euphoniouscly called by its advo- cdner" pr:;j am- $200,000,000 annu al inrrease cf taxation is repaired. This :s three time.: largrr ann. al in crease than was ever required ov rais ed (and practically all cf it m. st be raised by direct or excise taxeO than at any time in the history of ovr gov ernment except during the Civil War. No man in the Administration or in the Ways and Means Committee, al though for months they have wear ied their wits over it, has yet been able to solve the problem of raising this enormous increase of revenue. 1 have had hundreds of suggestions as to how to raise it. All the sugges tions combined would not begin to raise the amount. When the Ways and Means Committee begins to at tempt to frame measures for raising the revenue, and especially when,th' people begin to -pay the taxes for this enormous increase, they will then, perhaps, realize what the program means. Ccrdia! Relations acd Perfect Understanding With Wilson. " Program Will Shock the World If Carried Out. 4. The Big, Overreaching Objec tion to the Program: The big, overreaching objection to this stupendous program is that this sudden, radical and revolutionary move for big war preparation on our part is going to shock the civilized world, and whatever be tho outcome of the present war, will alarm the world again into an armed camp. It will postpone for generations the day of. universal, peace for which Chris tendom has been praying. It will de prive this Government, through Its President, of the greatest opportuni ty to serve mankind that ever came to nation or to man, in the final ne gotiation of peace terms among the belligerents to lay the basis of pen petual peace,. . , United States Will Be Held Up as Examle for Other Powers. The militarists and war traffick ers of every nation in the wrold will point to our conduct as an example and a cause why big war preparations and big armaments should be renswed on a larger scale than ever before and its consummation will only be lim ited by the ability of the nations ap pealed to. If we take this step every nation will be suspicious in fact, every nation will feel convinced, and no argument of our Government can dissipate such conviction that our country in this tremendous step has other designs than mere self-defense. The world will be convinced, in spite of our protestations, that we are pre paring, as the Seven Seas Magazine, the organ of the Navy League, de clared in its last issue that we should prepare for "wars of conquest" Thi7 organ of this so-called patriotic so ciety in its same issue boldly broad casts throughout our country the sav ige, barbarous sentiment which I luote: "There should be no doubt that even with all possible moral refine ments it is the absolute right of a na tion to live to its fullest intensity, to expand, to found colonies, to get rich er and richer by any proper means, such as armed conquest. Such expan sion as an aim is an inalienable right and in the case of the United States it is a particular duty. The world, even among the bellig erents of the present war is already looking with grave suspicion and alarm upon this colossal step. In confirmation of it, the speech of Lord Roseberry, from which I quote." I know nothing more disheartening than the announcement recently made that the United States the one great country left in the world free from the hideous, bloody burden of war is about to embark upon the build ing of a huge armada. It means that the burden will continue upon the other nations, and be increased ex actly in proportion to the fleet of theJ United States." Mines and Submarines Can Protect United States' Coasts. 5. As to the Fears of Our People In the hope of allaying to some ex tent the alarmed state of mind and the fears of our people, I desire to make a few observations. With the sxperience of the present war, which we are daily observing, even if our fleet were not half as big as it is (and I have shown that it is superior to. that of any other nation in the world, except that of Great Britain), it would be impossible for Germany my on her shores, why in the name of emmon sense should any man. wo man or child in the United States fear that Germany or any other nation can ever get within gun reach of our shores or land an army on our coast, when they are over 3,000 miles away, provided we are equipped with mines and submarines? Add one thing fur ther, that, in spite of the press, the "Patriotic Societies" and the jingoes and war traffickers, our coast defen ses are superior to that of any nation or any other country to ever bom- in the world. President Taft, in his speech in Chicago, November 10, be fore the National Security League, said: "American coast defenses are as good as any in the world." , At the hearings in the last session ; of Congress (this year) General Eras mus M. Weaver, chief of coast artil lery, whose duty it is. he said, to "be advised as to the character and suf ficiency of our scacoast armament" stated, "My information is that our system of fortification is reasonably adequate far all defensive purposes which they are likely to be called up on to meet" . General Crazier.. chief or ordnance, sa'd: "In my opinion, these guns with the other advantages which our land defense fortifications have, will be adequate for maintain ing a successful combat with vessels of war armed with any gun which is now under construction anywhere ia the world to my knowledge." bard or land a soldier on our coast provided we were equipped with mines and submarines. With these we are most rapidly equipping our-, selves. The bulk of the English and French fleet is "now,' and has been, within less than a day's run of the German coast ' If England could bombard or land on the coast of G. er many, on 'the North Sea or on the Baltic Sea the war would end in six-, ty days; ' - -J ' , Certainly it is not the little one fourth size fleet she has, but because of mines and submarines. If Gar many, with her fleet not one-third as strong as that of the Allies, does not fear the bombardment of her coast or the landing of an army by the Allies, and if Russia, w-ith her little fleet one-fourth as large as that of Ger-n-n7. Is not afraid of Germany bom bard'es her Coast and landing an ar- . 6. As to the Relations Between the President and Myself : We thoroughly understand each other. . I know that he is convinced deeply and sincerely that his pro gram is right lie knows that 1 am thoroughly convinced that it is wrong. On this question we simply regrets (and, I am sure, sincere re grets) that I could not support the program. My inability to agroe with him and my opposition to his pro gram do not interfere with the pleas ant, cordial relations that exist be tween us. This question is not a par ty question but one for the thought and conviction of each individual. agreed to disagree, both expressing Will Stand by Conrictions Regardless of Consequences. In conclusion: to d-'fTsr with tho President, to differ with my friends, in and out of Congress, in the heat of' the moment to be severely criti cized, and sometimes denounced by them, gives me not only exceeding re gret, but much pain and distress. However after haying given the sub ject much study and thought, being once . on the Js'aval Affairs Commit tee, and interested for years In naval subjects, I cannot support ' the pro gram. Having the approval of my judgment and conscience, after ma ture study and thought and impell ed by a sense of duty, 1 take the step, mattering not the consequences, po litical or otherwise, to myself. CLAUDE KITCHIN. (For lack of space one or two im portant sections of the statement were omitted. These will be given Monday.) GREAT WM HURTS FARMS OEtolON European Countries' Dire Need Pro duces Finely Organized , Agricul-, ture, While United States Methods Chicago, Nov. 1".. One influence cf the European' war upon ' America is yet to be adequately stated ami gen erally comprehsnded by the people of the United States, according to the authorities of the National Confer ence on Marketing and Farm Credits. .'All the nations at war have given .he rest of the world an object les ion in what organization of a nation's food supply means," says an an nouncement issued today. "War mado it necessary to eliminate the waste and delay of handling foodstuffs for the army. Later, the press of cir cumstances made it necessary for the governments to take a hand in pre venting tremendous increases in the price of food. In Germany, England and France the governments made 111 use of machinery already in exist ence to control the food supply, stim ulating production and facilitating distribution both to the army and the civilian population. "And this efficiency, acquired in time of war. certainly will remain when peace is restored. Tho war will have, emphasized the great benefits to be derived for the people at large, for the' producer as well as the con sumer,; from an organized system of marketing. This new order has come to stay. "How is the American iarmer to meet this new order? Is he to try his luck in competition with his Eu ropean brothers without organizing for the contest? If he does not or ganize, he will be placed at a great disadvantage. Marketing ih this country is not organized. Waste still exacts a tremendous toll." Don't Worry About Christmas Gifts Purchase them next week at the Japanese Art Sale To open at 3 o'clocl, next Tuesday afternot n, November 23, in the office of Mr. Will Fields on South Queen Street. Also a iplendid line of Christ mas Cardt and Calendars. : Children Cry fOR FLETCHER'S C ASTO R I A Cotton Seed Wanted We pay the very high est cash value, or ex change cotton-see4 meal for seed at our mill at all times. See or phone us when ready to sell carload lots for " shipment from other points. LENOIR OIL & ICE COMPANY If At Kinston, N. C. Tuesday, At Novemibeir 1:30 A. M. 23irdl 25 Beautiful Residence Lots 25 Will Bs Sold to tho Highest Bidders ti ..V ) Penny Brothers Brothers and Thomas The World's Original Twin Auctioneering Force, with American Realty & Auction Company GREENSBORO, N. C U S. A. ; This property is located in the best residential: section-of tho prosper ous town of Kinston. sizo of lots 50. 150 fee tracing pn 50 foot 6treet. 4 Will bo st.ltl regard less of piico.' 7 '. . VERY EASY TERMS VALUABLE PRIZES GIVEN AWAY- MUSIC BY LIVE WIRE . BAND" SALE RAIN OR SHINE '- '' S A I iK CONDUCTED BY ' ; . Penny Brothers and Thomas Brothers, for DIXIE REALTY M lillOll G0,lPAllY Grccnsboro' K 0
The Kinston Free Press (Kinston, N.C.)
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Nov. 20, 1915, edition 1
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