The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1894-05-03
HOW THEY DRAG!
Every Day Congressman Think
Appropriation Bills
Will Soon Be Made Into
Laws,
BUT STILL THEY LAG.
Prospects Of Adjournment by
Middle of June.
BUT STILL THEY LAG.

Every day or two leaders Of the house as
sure us that the appropriations bills are
going along swimIningly and will soon be-
come laws, and yet all sorts of little diff
cu1tics spring up, and the thing drags.
Hon Ames Cummings, chairman of the
committee ON naval affairs, is getting
somewhat impatient to be defending the
bill which GENES next ON the calendar aft
er the army bill and the river and harbor
bill ''The-e viii, - says Mr.. Cummings,
''be at least three very pretty little fights
over our bill, but yTe have prepared it with
such careful regard to existing conditions
and demands that VIC expect it to become
law exactly a it now Is. The republicans
will probably make q sharp fight in favor
of tyTe er three moro battIeships, and some
of both Psrtiez viii doubt object to ap-
propriatins money for re1tting the old
Hartford. They will claim that it is mere
matte CT sentiment, as the Hartford is Far
rague's old flagship and one of the only
TIVE really hiEtoric government vessels we
have since the Kearsarge went to pieces on
Roacador reof, but it Is not all a matter of
sentiment by any means. Her hull is in
tiptop condition, and with modern ma
ehinery and battery and a general refft-
ting slso will Eorve as splendid flagship
for many q year yet.
New Features.
"Anether itom over which there may be
some struggle is that Of 5000, 900 for the
Chieegs. She vnS the first of our ar1nored
cruisers and has boon in service IL years,
SO she IL now counted a slow vessel. With
new eag5noa and now machinery we can
save srace Gzad increase speed and make
her PFs9tically a new vessel. Now, the
main points Of this bill have been published
by fss E-=a starts hero ard there and some
bfsee summaries of OUT report it, and
YET there are several new features in it
which have scarcely been noticed One is
that cay foreigner who has served five
years in our navy or one unbrolzen enlist
meat Ia tl>o rnarlns corps and been honor
ably discharged shall be admitted to citi-
zenship upon application under the same
conditions eS if he had lived in the coun-
try the requires. number of years. In other
words, no 1ner5or in what part of the world
he eaiists. his time runs in our navy just
as if he had landed in the country and de
elarc. hiI i2tontion ON that day. do not
tkiak there VIII b any opposition to this
clause. though there may be. You see,
thess men havo no opportunity to acquire
citizenship, and yet it IS morally certain
thas any man IS well fitted for it who has
stood the test Of five years in our navy.
90 years and ere not yet entitled to any
pFivilcrc Of citizenship.
A Contrast Other Powers.
''Taizo nocice also that we have neither
increased nor decreased q salary, and that
while tho secretary's estimates were for
$27, o51 sT3 wo have appropriated but $685.
2s0 9G0. Now, IL has from the beginning
besa Democratic doctrine that the navy
was 20 be supported literally, while a
standing army was to &c kept down to the
line ef what w2s absolutely necessary, and
we found that the contracts for which the
secretary asked this So, 500, 600 could not
be completed till 1896 anyhow, and so
there win be ample opportunity to appro-
pirate whatever is needed at the short
term. And right here comes in the deli
cate question to how far we are justified
ia going ahead with new contracts while
iRa Dortano questions are in doubt. You
llaust roIe.cInber that the French have
found tho Magenta worthless, and the
English confess themselves afraid OF their
old vessels and have appropriated $50, O0O,-
eco for new ones It IS just as well to wait
awhile anyhow, Tor it may turn out that
many>of tao supposed ocean terrors of this
day are more tarrible to sailors and tax
payers than to the enemy. But, my, what
a contrast To present to other powers, after
ALTO England, with 227 torpedo boats;
France, a2S; Italy, 179; Russia, les, and
SO ca down tho list to little Portugal, with
nine, aud these United States have only
three.