The Portland daily press., 1884-12-23
THE NAVAL BILL.
senator Hale Explains ihe Position of the
Senate.

WARRINGTON, Dec. Ex-senator Hale who
has charge OF the naval appropriation bill in
the Senate as chairman of the naval sub-cOm-
mittee on appropriations, was asked tC-iay by
reporter OF the Associated Press to state the
position OF the Senate in the pending issue
with the House and the reasons which under
lie Its disagreement with that body. He said
Inc controversy at this session aross out OF the
TACT that at the last session c be House of Re-
presentatives refused to go forward in tde
WORK OF rebuilding the navy, while the Senate
og considerable majority favored an it,
crease OF the navy. felt ia managing the
Dill that while it was proper for the Senate to
maintain its ground and while it was very de-
slrable that the work of rebuilding the navy
should not be DELAYED still under the raIes
that govern the two bodies the Senate could
not in the end coerce the House. The session
expired and the bill with all the Senate
amendments was left in conference aud the
two bodies passed what is called the "emer-
gency bill, giving the Navy Department fifty
per cent OF the appropriation of the last year
TO run until January l. 1885. This session the
attitude OF the Senate has been that the re-
gular appropriation bill for the current year
ending July l, 1885, should ba taken up and
considered by the two houses dedpcting from
its appropriations what had already been
given for the first half Of the year. By this
the items for the head and several bureaus of
the Navy department would all be given un-
DER the estimates made for the present year.
The House blindly insisted on another six
months temporary provision going back to last
years appropriations and giving fifty per cent
OF them and the Senate insisted that such a
way OF aDpropriating is not good one, that
each gears appropriations should be consider
cd Dy themselves and presented to the House
confereeS for their consideration. The regular
bill Tor the present year as prepared BY the
House aud amended by the Senate including
the provisions for cruisers and monitors and all
extraordinary appropriations for rebuilding
the navy. The Houses confsrees declined
even 10 consider this amendment. The result
OF that attitude on the part of the House has
Deen that no appropriations have been made
and that the Navy Department after the first
OF January will find itself without actual ap-
propriations. Under the general statutes Civ
ing the Secretary the right to provide for its
indispensable need, the Navy Department
will run on until some bill is passed. As some
attempts has been made in the House to con-
vey the impression that the Senate seeks to
force the House from its position against the
new navy, l have this morning by unanimous
direction of the full committee on appropria-
tion reported as an amendment to the bill of
the House giving months appropriation to
the Navy Department substitute which
makes regular appropriations in the usual form
icf the last half OF the present fiscal year and
have taken as the basis of that bill the regular
naval appropriation bill for the present year as
1t passed the House last session and came to
the Senate. All extraordinary items in refer
oAco u tue new navy are cut Oil because the
House has so persisteatly opposed them. The
present bill will no doabt pass the Senate to-
morrow, and If the House does not consent to
take 1t up 1t rejects its own action az the last
session aud persists in maintaining that the
navy department. must run on its own bill.
The bill which the Speaker of the House aas
decided on point of order is not one of the
regular appropriation bills The action of the
Senate has been eminently conservative, and
there can be little doubt that in the end the
House must recede. But should any emerg-
ency arise and the American people be found
unprepared in view of complications with a
foreign power, and with a navy comparatively
useless, 1t will plainly be seen that st least the
last two years have been wasted by reason OF
the obstructive course of the House of Repre-
sentatives. think by this time the public
will understand that any delay in the rebuild
ing OF our navy results from the attitude of
the House. If the next administration finds
itself without means to rebuild the American
navy the responsibility for that rests with the
branch OF Congress that sympathizes with it
politically. Mr.. Clevelands administration
will be more interested and more affected by
this condition than anybody else.