The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-02-13
OURNAVYTO BE THE BEST
UNCLE SAM WILL RULE THE
OCEAN WAVE IN FIVE YEARS.

Senators Plumb and Hale Pay a Trib-
ute to the Able Administrator of
the Navy Department Under Secre-
tary Whitney-W Wherein the Strength
of Our Ships Will Lie.
WASHINGTON, Feb. II The Senate to-
day resumed CO sideration Of the naval
appropriation bill, the pending question
being Mr. Chaadlar's amendment to
strise out the words requiring the new
cruising monitor to b. constructed of the
type and under the plans and specifications
of Mr.. Thomas of Illinois.
Upon suggestions from Messrs. Morgan
and Hale the sugge Stion was modified aud
adopted. The clause was thus made TO read ::
''One armorad steel cruising monitor
Of a type Dpproved and recon-
mended by the naval board in their report
to the See etary of t G Navy, a ID by him
referred to and approved in his lette" to ne
chairman of the fnmittee on naval affairs
of tie H use of Representatives, dated Jan.
9, 1889, to be CO 1structed accori z to plans
and specifications furnished by the navy de
partment, to be approved by the Secretary
of the Navy" the speed limit of tie cruiS-
ing monitor was raised from seventeen to
nineteen knots.
PLUMB PRAISES WHITNEY.
Upon an amendment for the purchase of
guns and ammunition from the Hurst Re
irforce Cartridge and Arms Company, Mr..
Plumb of Kansas passed TO consideration of
the general subject of the navy and o)mpli-
ment the present administration of the
| navy department. He was glad to say, in
| the closing days of the aimi listration, that
the navy depart rent had been we'll admin
| istered, not only in the sense that there had
| been stimulus given $50 far as could be given
| by executive direction) to everything
that went to the unbuilding of The
navy, TO procuring the best typos Of shlp9, to
stimulation of the highest forms of manu-
| factures but m4re than a that, to the
| eucourageme It of the individual geniu of
| the people and to the doing of work, not in
| tie navy yards where pO itical cOnside a
| tions might have infiuence), but in private
| yarts. He was glad to say that during the
| pa t four years, the navy department had
been administered in practical.
level-headed, judicious way. The
result was that quoting a remark
made to him by Mr.. Hale he was prepared
to believe that within ten years the United
States would have the hest navy IN the
world-not the sLrolgest navy, not the
navy with the most ships. not the navy
with the greatest variety of ships but tie
navy with the most modern ships, with the
ships best adapted to do the work they
would have to do.
HALE SATISFIED.
Mr.. Hale expressed his satisfaction al
Mr.. Plumb having called attention to the
condition of The naval strength OF the DUN
try, and having mentioned some of TIE
| causes that had produced at strength, he
had recently said to thai senator thai not
in ten years but ia five years the United
States would have the best navy in toe
world. Tat was true TO all intents and
r, rposes. The country was "out of tue
woods" as to the question of proper,
suitable and strong naval es al lishment.
The legisati aud acts of the administration
Of the last seven years lad settled that.
The progress at first had been slow, tut the
founda ions had been well laid under the
Secretary Chandler. Much Of tie success
which he ascribed to the present admins
tratiol of the navy department TO which
he was glad to bear testimony had been
owing to party holding up of the Secretary's
hands by a majority Of The Senate opposed
to him in politics. The Secretary had
been careful in his met DDS. He
had encouraged American inventors,
American eIte prisa AMI A leric RI SIX i
and now the United States had some OF the
best ships that were to lie found to-day in
the waters of the globe. The next four or
FIVE years were to give the fruition Of all
that had been done before.
WHERE OUR STRENGTH WILL LIE.
Then the U uited States would have the
very best navy in the world, not in the
number Of her ships, but it would have no
refuse in its navy. Its navy would be
clean-limbed and thoroughly equipped, with
no impediments and nothing To hinder
it. with no old or useless ships, and
with none of those vast, unwieldv aud mon
strous structures that had consu ned mil
lions on millions Of the money of other
powers, AID that officers and men would
not dare to trust themselves to at sea. The
United States would have no 70 Of these,
but it would have few of the best armored
ships in the world.
The pending amendment was withdrawn,
and an0 her, proposed by Mr.. Hale, was
agreed to, appropriating $4,000 to test the
Hurst guns and ammunition.
a. The appropriate n bill was then passed.