The Portland daily press., 1894-05-12
OLD LIES REVIVED.
Amos Cummings Repeats His Speech
Attacking Mr.. Reed
AND HAS HIS STATEMENTS TORN
TO PIECES AGAIN.

In Fact, Before Mr.. Boutelle and the Ex
Speaker Got Through With Him, Amos
Was Made Supremely RidiculOus-The
Old Stories of the Kittery Navy Yard
the Basis of His TRADE.
Washington, May 1.-THE House today
proceeded to the consideration of the naval
appropriation bill. Mr. Boutelle of Maine,
said the rebuilding and upbuilding of the
American navy begun under President
Arthur and Secretary Chandler and came to
a stop under President Cleveland and Secre-
taryHerbert. The situation now confronting
the country was that since the Democratic
party obtained control of the government
progress upon the work of rehabilitating
the navy had ceased. The beginning of the
new steel navy was upon the recommended
tion of Secretary Chandler, and so deter
mined was the Democratic administration
to ignore anything done by the Republicans
that Secretary Whitney designated the first
ship contracted for under his administra-
ton as cruiser number one, when there
were already under contract and nearing
completion four vessels. The naval review
in New York last year, which the news
papers headlined as a Review of Secretary
Whitney's Navy" consisted of five ships,
four being vessels contracted for under
Secretary Chandler's administration. Mr..
Boutelle reviewed the legislation authoriz-
ing the construction of new navy to sup
port this assertion:that theDemocratic party
was entitled to no credit whatever.
Mr.. Cummings, Democrat of New York,
referring to the statement by Mr.. Boutelle
that since the new navy was begun a
majority of the Democrats in the House
voted against appropria tions, said that may
be he could give reasons for that. Most of
the Democratic members doubtless remem-
bered the Republican responsibility for the
carpet bag era in their states and could not
be induced to vote millions of dollars for a
navy to be expended under a Republican
administration. Mr.. Cummings quoted from
the Whittener report showing that from
1863 to 1875, Secretary Robson spent on the
naval establishment $3.50, 100000, and at the
end of that period, according to the report,
the navy had been in a most discreditable
state. Old tubs were put under repairs, he
said, and one of them brought around the
Cape from the Pacific that men might be
employed upon it at the Portsmouth yard
and vote for the candidate from the
FIRST DISTRICT OF MAINE,
the ex-Speaker of the House, Mr.. Reed.
when you rob the navy and government in
doing it," said Mr.. Cum nings, ''for your
own political purposes it need not surprise
that the Democrats did not vote money for
ho bxro Pa,n
ministration.' (Applause)
Mr.. Reed got the floor and said: 'Mr.
Chairman: If there is any position it is
delightful to behold on the part of North
ern Democrat, it is the position occupied by
the gentleman in charge of this bill, (Mr.
Cummings) in defending his Southern
brethren. It's astonishing how the Northern
Democrats knows his master, and how
anxious he is at times to propitiate him
1t is astonishing also how little his master
seems to know the facts of history. Why,
they actually applauded on the other side
just now at the repetition of the most alb
surd speech, if l may say SO without be-
ing unparliamentary, presented by
gentleman from New York in this cham
ber four years ago. This that he uttered
| today is nothing but hash, very fine
| minced hash, of the attack he made up
| on me at time when it was not pos
| sible for me to make reply. 1t was
not only not possible, bat not necessary
| for my colleague (Mr. Boutelle) shortly
afterwards gave him such thorough ex-
| position of the matter that the gentle.
mans speech was laughed at py all the
| Democratic papers of the country. 1t is
a little amazing, Mr.. Chairman, that the
gentleman from New York should have
so little idea of the figure he cut upon
| that occasion that he should want te
! revive it III the memory of those who
| were here and saw it. 1t is very painful
the way in which the gentleman from
New York endeavors to bring himself
into considerable notoriety by these
continued performances. But suppose
he has to do it. I suppose his genera
| knowledge of the subject is such that he
has to wander into the by-paths that BIZ
can fill, instead of keeping in the broad
way where he would not be noticed
it is very natural for him to do it, but
it has got to be somewhat monotonou:
for him to keep repeating things in thi.
way. I congratulate him on the fac1
that he has an audience on his side O.
the House almost all the time, tha,
does not know the facts upon which b,
| is commenting, and consequently il
seems to him from their applause as il
| he had made a success whereas he il
only receiving the commendatlOn of th,
| injudicious. I hope the next time b,
revives these various subjects, he will
| bear in mind that oft-repeated
FAILURES NEvERg MAKE sue
CESS"
| daughter
| Mr.. Cummings-"I admit was little
easy with the gentleman. l left out tn,
Biddeford naturalization frauds.
| Democratic applause).
Mr., Reed-"Oh. he left out the Bidde.
ford naturalization frauds, did he? Well
he exploited them before and got the re-
suit. The fact is never have a larger
majority in my district than when tht
| Democrats have possession of the snav,
| yard. Ii was willing to sacrifice my
country for myself, l would want them
to have control all the time. Laugh-
ter.) A gentleman said to me not Ions
ago:that the Democratic party would
last forever, it would be here at the enc
of hundred years. That is SO. Their,
has always got to be a hind end o
things. daughter and applause on tn,
l ReDu bllCan Slde).