Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1888-06-30
Fiftieth Congress--First session.
wAsHIserox, June 90.

Q6I Ou bl6 AE10UQ1u6ub was tQ66 LIS EHOukus
this was not the time and place for such 9
proposition. He did not believe the terms OF
the amendment were sufficiently guarded to
protect the interests of the country in begin
ming such great enterprise It proposed to
place the whole Sc, 300, 900 in the hands OF
the ordnance bureau, system which was
regarded as vicious and sure to result in dis.
aster. The experience in England and Russia
was adverse to such system, the report to
the English Parliament as to the operations at
Woolwich showing that the government could
not make guns with economy and efficiency.
He commended the legislation of the last
Congress in regard to fast cruisers, and re-
ferred to the establishment growing up on
the Patapsco, not five miles from Baltimore,
as one which was to become the greatest in
the world. He expected that within five
years, with all conditions as they stood, even
with the iron ores from Cuba taxed a. they
were under existing tariff, vessels would be
nsde there as cheaply as on the Clyde. That
was one of the growths of the legislation of
last Congress and of the intelligent and
patriotic administration of the Navy
department. He denounced the ordnance
department as affected with dry rot.
There was not man in it who
had ever permitted an inventor of the coun-
try to bring his invention to perfection. The
ordnance bureau as it was now and as it
was under the amendment was the graveyard
of American genius and enterprise. It had
destroyed every man who had invented new
gun. Not satisfied with the liberal appro-
priation for experiment it wanted control of
the whole affair. IF he were secretary of war
there was not man in the bureau who had
been dallying at Washington for the last
four years whom he would not send to the
interior and bring in some new blood that
would not interfere with and obstruct i'm
provements.
N aeI~a To- ,1,,kI, Z,
would wait three years to build the guns
Mr.. Gorman-I would not wait one hour
But wouldwait five years rather than say to the
American people that their private enterprise
and genius should be excluded from the War
department.
MIR. Hawley replied to Mr.. German. The
opposition, he said, was hardly to be expect
ed because the Senator from Maryland had
always been heartily in favor Of the proposed
work. He did not know what that senator's
special, particular plan was, but he ventured
tor say that the Senator proposed the most
monstrously expensive plan ever heard Of in
connection with the subject. He was not on
" surprised but discouraged. It was thirteen
years since one dollar had been spent in coast
defences. It had been two or three years
since there had been money enough to paint
an old gun carriage or gun or to cut the
grass on the glacis of fort The United
States land forces had only one modern siege
gun, and even that had not yet been accept
ed, but was at the proving ground. There
were twenty-five or thirty excellent guns for
light artillery. And yet here comes the old
story over again and the Senate was asked to
wait, was told that something was to be in
vented, that something was to put up new
plant, and that something in that line was to
be in the future. He hoped that there would
be better houses and better clothing than
now, but people must have houses and cloth
L l..
do the best it could. The great modern guns
of Europe and those proposed to be con-
structed under the amendment were the
result and browning glory of the
genius of America and Europe directed to
that subject. The modern gun was the end
of a generation of study and would never be
come obsolete. The amendment merely pro-
posed to do for the army what had been done
for the navy. The proposition of the Senator
if he (Hawley) understood it was that private
concerns should be invited to make perfect
ed gun. He asserted that no large steel man.
ufacturer in this country would undertake,
on terms that the government would listen to
or the people sanction, to build twelve or
sixteen inch gun in its own shops purely for
experiment. Would the Senator if he had
two or three millions invested in steel
works spend another million in putting up q
plant in order to turn out a single per-
fected gun which might be rejecteda
No private manufacturer would do it.
After the Harvesting experience of old John
Roach "a man who had done honor to the
country not one manufacturer would spend
a million dollars making gun. As to the
dynamitegun which the Senator from Mary
land represented as a complete and final sue
cess he (Hawley) did not know that it was
And yet it was largely success and had he
thought, come to stay as part of warfare
He defended the ordnance officers of tbs
army and navy. to whom he said the grossesi
injustice had been done. There was q body
of young men in the ordnance corps of both
the army and navy who were not surpassed
or equalled on the staff corps of any nation.
Mr.. Butler argued in favor of the amend
ment. The appropriation he said should be
made, and made promptly and without fur
Their delay.
Mr.. Beck said no senator was more willing
than he to vote money for guns, but he OBJ.
jected to the spending of millions for navy
and then getting no navy, and spending mill
lions for guns and then getting no guns.
Senators Reagan, Stewart and Chandler ad-
vocated the amendment. The discussion was
then suspended IN order to let other business
be transacted. Committees of conference
were appointed on the legislative, the diplo-
matte and consular and the District of Co
lumbia appropriation bills.
Mr.. Allison reported back the joint resolu-
ton extending the appropriations for the
pEcScnb 11nSa1 y 0dE LUZ buAIbJ 0A1s AIOIA JUNK
80 in the departments of the government fol
which the appropriation bills for next yeal
shall not have become a law and the Senate
proceeded to consider it.
A long discussion took place on the PRO
priety and necessity of passing the joint res
olution, Senators Sherman and Edmunds con
tending that the departments could run or
until August without this special law, Will,
Senators Teller and Allison argued that il
could not be done without violation of law
the latter predicting that if ii were not passed
the government printing Office would be eloseS
up next Monday. The resolution was finally
passed and the Senate resumed consideration
of the army bill, the question being on thu
amendment offered by Mr. Hawley. Mr.
Esarts advocated the amendment.
Mr. Hawley stated that with the appropri
alton of So, 000, 900 two hundred and seventy
guns would be constructed, but it woult
take five or six years to expend the money.
MIR. Plumb suggested that the gun of tn
future would not be made of steel at all, bu
of q metal composed of iron and aluminium
the latter being q universal metal contained
posed plan would be adopted it would b
abandoned within Eve years and said tina
ons shot from the pneumatic dynamite gu
would do more damage than q thousant
shots fred from the best guns where propel
ling power was powder.
MEs OLoWAI6 dskol1 INV ~ WOu1Q Dc IL VA
United States would be at war tomorrow
How would it be? was the reply If th
skies should fall we should catch lsrks. TIL
man does not live to-day who shall ever hes
a hostile shot fred on the American coasts.
MIR. Hawley, replying to Mr.. Plumb. ap
l pealed to his common sense whether a
eightesn.inch gun or twelve inch gun or
six inch gun that would throw one hundre
pound bolt would be likely to be ever super
| seeded. As to MIR. Plumb's prediction that n
| living man would hear hostile shot on th
| American coast, he asked who coul
| prophesy the touch of an electric sig
nal that would plunge Europe into wa
/ and might involve the United States. Ores
Britain, he said, had 275 vessels that coul
sail out to-day to make war on the Unite
States. She had forty-one vessels DRAWN
less than seven feet OF water with ten-inc
guns that could walk up the We
land canal and into Lake Erie. Th
superficial observer could see only cleo
skies over the United States in 1860 and "
within year war had broken out and arme
men by the thousands were shaking the cor
| tinent with their tread. Congress dare nc
invite quarrel with any foreign nation. N
Congress could be assembled idiotic enoug
to declare war against fourth rate powe