The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-02-13
Senator Plumb Compliments
the Navy Department.
COULD WHIP A DOZEN YANKs
COntesting n South CaroIinian's Seat
Charged by Democrats with
Receiving q Bride.
SENATE.

tne SENATE DllIS reported from commit.
tee and placed On the calendar to-day
was one to provide for the enforc' mem
OF quarantine laws and one for The
establishment of a national board o.
health.
The following house bill taken from
the calendar was passed: Granting the
right of way to the Pima Land and
Water company across the Fort Lowell
military reservation in Arizona.
The Senate then proceeded to ex-
ecutive business. Within FIVE minutes
the executive business was transacted
and legislative business was resumed.
Senator EVarts gave notice that as
soon as the naval appropriation bill
should be disposed of he would ask the
Senate to consider the resolution re-
ported from the committee on privileges
and election as to outrages in Washing
ton County, Texas, and directing that
the committee revise the existing laws
regulating the election of members of
Congress.
| CdANDLEh AMENDMENT
The Senate resumed consideration of
the naval appropriation bill pending
the question, being Chambers amend
ment to strike out the words requiring
q new cruising monitor to be con-
structed OF the type and under the
plans and specifications of Thomas of
Illinois,"
MERELY IDEAS.
Senator Chandler continued his argu-
ment in support of his amendment.
His understanding was Thomas merely
enumerated certain ideas as desider-
alum in the ship, and that the naval
officers now in the employment of the
| government, made all the designs, plans
| and specifications.
] He thought 1t altogether wrong to put
such provision in the appropriation bill
but, If anybody was to be recognized in
| that manner, it should be the men who
had taken the ideas and designed the
ship.
Finally clause was made to read as
follows: Zone armored steel cruising
monitor, of the type approved and re-
commended by the ma al board in their
report to the Secretary of the navy and
by him referred to and approved in his
letter to the chairman of the committee
on naval affairs. House of Representa-
tives, dated January 8, 1889, to be con-
structed according to the plans and
specifications furnished by the Navy
Department, to be approved by the Sec
rotary of the Navy"
DEFENDING THOMAS.
Senator Cullom said that Thomas had
devoted good deal of labor and at
tention to the matter, but he had done
80 for the public good and not from
any ambition to be especially identified
by name with the ship, and vet he
(Cullom) mad private letter in his
pocket from the gentleman who had
done the clerical work in getting up
the plans and Specifications, giving the
entire credit of the invention to Thomas,
PLUMB's COMPLIMENTS.
Senator Plumb commented the pres
ent administration of the Navy De-
partment. He was glad to say, in the
closing days of the administration,
that the Navy Department had been
we'll administered not only in the
sense that there had been a
stimulus given ESQ far as could |
be given) by executive direction to
everything that went to the upbuilding
of the navy, to the procuring of the |
best type of ships. No stimulation to
the highest form of manufacturers, but
more than all that to the encourage
ment of individual genius of the people
and to doing of work not in the navy
yards where political considerations
might have influence. but in private
yards.
the past four years the Navy Depart
practical, level-headed, judicious
way. The result was that (quoting a
remark made to him by Senator Hale)
he was prepared to believe that within
ten years the United States would have
the best navy in the world.
ONE OF THE FINEST.
Not the strongest navy, not navy
with the most ships, nota navy with the
greatest variety of ships; but navy
with the most modern ships, with the
ships best adapted to the work they
would have to do.
Senator Hale had said the founda-
tons for good navy had been well
laid under the administration of the
department. Under Chandler's ad-
ADMINISTRATION the old plan of spending
large sums of money in repairing old
wooden ships had been abandoned.
simultaneously with that policy which
Chandler had pressed upon Congress in
season and out of season, the founda-
lions for construction of new navy
under modern methods to meet modern
and present exegences had been laid.
AS result the work had been
entered upon of building the Dolphin,
Boston. Atlanta, and Chitago, and
when the present administration came
in it had found that those ships were IN
process of construction, with provision
made for other ships. Much of the
success which had characterized the
present administration of the Navy |
Department Ito which he was glad to
bear testimony had been owing to the
partly holding up of the Secretary's |
hands by majority of the Senate, !
opposed to him in politics, The Secre-
tary had been careful in his methods.