The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-02-21
TWO TINES BEATEN
OPPOSITION TO NAVAL INCREASE
DOUBLY DEFEATED.
House Passes the Naval Appropriation
lars for the Construction of Three Bat
tleships and Providing for the Building
Of Twelve Torpedo Bosts-Sayers OF the
Appropriations Committee Fights it to
the Last-No Action Taken on the Ha-
waiian Cable.

Appropriations Committee Fights it to
the Last-No Action Taken on the Ha-
waiian Cable.
Washington, Feb. 2o-The opponents
of the new battleships for the navy
/ suffered a crushing defeat today when
Mr. Sayers' motion to strike out the
| authorization for the war vessels was
lost, first in the committee of the whole
on vote Of 1914 and later in the
house by vote Of 67-l99. After Mr..
Sayers' motion had been defeated, Mr..
Cannon of Illinois attempted to have
an appropriation, first or s22,V0O,OOO,
and later of So 600, 900 inserted in the bill
for building the ships authorized, but
| both propositions failed.
| The naval bill as passed authorizes
the construction of three battleships,
| TO cost, exclusive OF armament. $4,000
| 600 each, and twelve torpedo boats to
| cost $4,000 each.
After the bill was passed some time
was spent in the discussion OF the SER
| ate amendment to the diplomatic and
| consular appropriation bill. appropriate
| ing so0O,000 for laying a submarine cable
| between the United States and Ha-
| wall, but no action was taken upon II.
When the paragraph providing for
| the authorization of the three new bat
| tleships and twelve torpedo boats was
| reached, Mr.. Dolliver Rep. Ia.), offer
! ed an amendment providing that two
| OF the Torpedo boats should be built
| on the Mississippi river. Mr.. Talbot, in
charge Of the bill, accepted the amend
ment.
AFRAID OF CRAMPS.
An amendment by Mr.. Sayers to
ha a.
| ton of three battleships at cost ex-
elusive Of armament Of s4,000,000 each,
| was lost after considerable debate.
Mr.. Sayers In closing for the opposi-
| ton frankly admitted that he did not
expect his amendment to carry. The
Cramps were here, he said. Last Sat
Urday Cramp had boosted that this
| bill would pass. The cramps had re-
| ceived So, 000,0 900 from the government
and Andrew Carnegie $4,000 eco; mil
lions had gone to the Pacific coast
These companies were powerful. Their
| friends were powerful and he did not
therefore expect to carry his amend
ment.
Two amendments by Cannon, one
appropriating 500, O0O, 900, and the sec
ond making the sum 100000 for the
purpose of carrying out the provisions
of the paragraph authorizing the in
crease of the navy, were lost.
Mr.. Savers offered an amendment to
the next paragraph appropriating S5,-
2S7,670 for armor and armament pro-
viding that no higher sum shall be paid
for armor or gun steel than is paid the
contracting firm for like armor or gun
steel by private parties or other gov
ernments. Agreed to.
MOVED TO RE-COMMIT.
When the committee rose and re-
ported the bill to the house, Mr.. Sayers
moved to re-cOmmit 1t to the commit
tee on naval affairs with instructions
to report it back after striking out the
provision for the three battle ships.
The motion to re-commit was then
feated-67 to 1879, and the bill was then
passed without division.
Mr.. McCreary speaking in opposition
to the motion, contended that it was
against the established policy of the
government to embark in the enterprise
of building sumarine cables. He be-
lieved it should be condemned and de-
feated. If entered upon, he stated,
this work would ultimately cost So 000,-
600. No country, he said, had caused
us more excitement and annoyance
than Hawaii. We had lost $50, 000, 900
through the treaty negotiated in 1876
permitting the free importation of
sugar and rice.
SUBMARINE DIPLOMACY.
Mr.. Boutelle challenged Mr.. McCrea-
rvs statement that we had not enough
commercial intercourse with Honolulu
to warrant a submarine cable. More
American tonnage entered and cleared
at the port of Honolulu than at any
port of the civilized world. Il prefer
a submarine cable" sal dMr. Boutelle,
to submarine diplomacy" U.aughter.)
Mr.. Hit deprecated partisanship in
the discussion of this question. The
provision for the cable had been placed
on the bill in the senate by the joint
votes of patriotic men, Democrats and
Republicans. He recalled the history
Of past projected cable companies
which contemplated the building OF
submarine cable to Honolulu. All had
failed because of the failure of the gov
eminent or the other TO subsidiZe them.
The people We're opposed to subsidies,
if il is at all by the government. He
called attention TO the recommendation
in President Cleveland's message of 1885
that there should be cable communica-
ton between the Hawaiian islands and
the United States and to his reiteration
of that recommendation in 1888. Today
battleships costing millions had been
authorized. To make ships effective in
case OF war cables were necessary.
At the conclusion of Mr.. Hits re-
marks, without action on his motion,
the house at SIS p. m. adjourned.