Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1895-03-04
THE LAST HOURS
CONTINUED from LIST page,


what other business should be transacted
tonight To this suggestions there was
SO many conditions sought to be attached
that German withdrew it, remarking that
debate on the naval bill would occupy the
time till morning.
German addressed che Senate in explana-
ton and defence of the amendment to
have two battleships constructed instead
of three. He said the item carried with
it an appropriation of $500, 600 to enable
the secretary of the navy to have the work
begun; the amount of contract for three
battleships Tin excess of the appropria-
tom to be about $l4, 900, 900 or 5,000,-
600, including armament. So the Item
would create debt to that extent; and
from time to time, appropriations would
have to be made to pay the contractors.
The provisions made for the navy as
reported from the committee on appro-
priations, was, he thought in the present
condition of the treasury, too liberal For
himself, he was in favor of only one bat
tleship-but the majority of the appro-
priations committee favored two. He
spoke of the national debt being increased
"fearfully, woefully and Che regretted to
say) Unnecessarily; because taxes should
have been provided to meet the expense
of the government without an issue of
bonds.
At this point, a message was received
from the House with the concurrent reso-
luton for the participation of both Houses
i'm the dedication of the Chickamauga and
Chattanooga national park; and it was
concurred in by the Senate. The third
conference report on the Indian apprOpria-
ton bill was laid before the Senate and
concurred in, leaving two amendments
undecided-these being as to the purchase
from the Ogden Land Company of New
York and as to the Indian contract schools.
A further conference was ordered.
Lodge (Rep.) of Massachusetts,. opposed
the committee amendment to the naval
bill, favoring the bill as it came from the
House. He spoke of "a battleship as being
'tthe backbone of the modern navy" and
mentioned, as an illustration of that, the
fact that Japan, which has shown such
great capacity in the naval battles in the
East. with her war cruisers, is still domi
mated by Russia because Russia had one
powerful battleship in those waters and
Japan had none. There was no surer, no
easier, no simpler mode of defence for a
coast than ships of war.
And it was not from England alone
that danger might come. 1t is well
enough not to forget that new power
has arisen in the East-Japan, whose late
naval victories have impressed greatly all
thinking minds Japan was the nearest
neighbor to the United States on the
Pacific ocean-with Hawaii lying half
way between. The Japanese were new
people. They have just whipped somebody
and were in a state of mind in which they
thought they could whip anybody.
Although he had very little doubt If
war should arise between Japan and Eng
land, France, Russia or the United States,
japan would be defeated, the surest way
to avoid such danger at Hawaii or on
the Pacific, was to have fleet, the mere
existence of which would be a guarantee
of peace.
Higgins (Rep) of Delaware, made an
elaborate review of pending international
questions that might possibly result in
conflicts between the great powers of the
world which conflicts the United States
might not be able to escape being drawn
into; nd from this he made an argument
as to the necessity of the United States
possessing strong navy. He declared
that he would not hesitate to borrow every
penny needed One hundred million dol
lars, he thought, would build suitable
fleet
Proctor (Rep of Vermont, expressed
preference for shore defences rather than
for defences of war vessels.
Villas Dem. of Wisconsin. said he was
amazed at the representations of senators,
yesterday and today, that England, with
her Gordon of fortresses on the Atlantic
and Pacific, might at last seize the Ha-
waiian Islands, and therefore the United
States should provide navy to defend
itself against those ghosts Of peril
cit was well known, y he said, that that
attempt to put an appropriation Of sl4,-
600, 900 to SIG, 900, 900 on the statute books
for battleships was stimulated
by the iron and steel interests
of the United States supported by every
sentiment of iingoism is reinforced by the
desire of naval officers to expand and
| giorify that branch Of the service y
At this point. the full conference report
on the sundry civil appropriation bill was
presented and explained by Cockrell. He
said the Senate conferees were compelled
| to recede from the amendment to the pur-
chase Of the Blaine property and as to the
] Tennessee Centennial The amendments