Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-04-11
NO NEED OF A NAVY.


The Provision for Three Battle Ships De.
feated In the Housc-A Test of the Civil
Service Law-The Tariff Bill 10 be Re.
ported on Monday.
WA sHINGroN, April 1o-The House to-day
went into Committee of the Whole upon
the naval appropriation bill. Mr.. Herbert, Of
Alabama. offered an amendment providing for
the construction of two (instead of three)
coast line battle ships. Lost. 81 to 50. Mr.
Peters. of Kansas, moved to strike out the
entire clause for the increase of the
navy He believed that the United States had
no need of battle ships, and possessed all
the cruisers that it required. MIR. Cannon, of
Illinois, said that he did not know much about
the navy, but he wished to make few re-
marks about the bill. Continuing. he said that
nevertheless he began to suspect that he knew
as much as the experts on the floor. He had
watched naval progress and feared that those
ships proposed to be built would become obso-
lete before completion. He believed in small,
compact and perfect navy, including the best
type of vessels.
Mr.. Kerr, of Iowa, said that he represented
district i'll which there resided many Quakers.
who had sent him petition after petition re-
questlng him to vote against this appropriation
for an increase of the navy They knew that
this preparation for warfare was in the direc-
tion of war with foreign countries. After
further debate Mr. Holman, of Indiana, moved
to strike out the paragraph providing for the
three battle ships, but leaving in the provision
for an armed cruiser. Agreed to-9S to- 10 Mr..
Peters, of Kansas, then withdrew his motion
to strike out the entire clause. The bill was
then favorably reported to the House, but no
final action was taken and the House ad-
journed.
Testing the Civil service Law.
In the case of the Old Dominion Republican
League action has been instituted in the
courts of this District for violation of the United
States civil service laws. 1t has been deter
mined to waive all further proceedings, and to
admit a statement of facts on the part of the
defendant, c. A. Newton, President of the
league, in order that the same may be passed
upon in higher court. and final decision had
in the Supreme Court of the United States.
Newton. who is not Government officer. and
who is charged with a violation of the civil SER
vice law by soliciting contributions of
Government employees for campaign pur-
Poses will, test the right under ns the
CONT % BY one NOT in the employment % % Of
the Government, and also test the question
whether the sending of letter by such one
to a Governments employe and delivered on his
desk is solicitation forbidden by the twelfth
section of the civil service law, and if it is a
solicitation. whether that law is consistent with
the Constitution Of the United States.
Programme ON the Tariff.
the tariff bill was laid before the Ways and
Means Committee by the Republican members
ten days ago, it was called up for final disposi-
tion, so far as the committee is concerned, this
morning. Without reading the long bill,
direct vote was taken upon the question of re-
porting it to the House with favorable
recommendation just as it stands; The result
was that the report was ordered by party
vote. Chairman Mckinley desired to make
the report to the House at once,
but as Mr.. Carlisle stated that he
had not quite completed the report of the mi
nority and desired few days time, an under-
standing was reached that the bill should be
reported to the House Monday next. The
committee will have another meeting on that
day and will endeavor to adopt programme
for the debate in the House.
John Sloan, of New York. made brief argu-
ment to-day before the committee in favor OF
covering art squares, a new kind of carpet, to
equalize the duty with the increases made in
the cases of other carpets.
Tint Pncifc Railroad Debt.
THE House Committee on Pacific Railroads
entered upon the formal consideration of
the Senate bill providing for the settlement of
Government indebtedness Of the Union and
Central Pacific Railroad Companies. The first
five sections covering the case of the Union
Pacific Company were approved, with few
changes the most important of which is one re-
ducing from per cent to ~ per cent the in
terest to be paid by the company on the bonds
falling due during the next five years. This
is partial concession to the wishes of the COM
pany, which desired the low rates of interest to
prevail for the first ten years Provision is
made, however, for capitalizing the difference
between the lH per cent rate and the full per
cent rate for five years, SO that the effect of the
change is to reduce the amount of the payments
for time, but to make the final payments
heavy enough to cover the difference. The
committee also struck out of the fourth Sec
tion the clause relating to Government guar
antee Of the bonds.
For the First Time since the War.
A T the review of the regular troops and the
District National Guard tomorrow, which
has been ordered for the special benefit of the
delegates to the Pan-American Conference.
President Harrison will be the reviewing
officer. He will be supported by the members
of his Cabinet and the delegates to the inter
national conference. This will be the first
time since the War of the Rebellion that
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