The morning times., 1896-04-29
ATTACKS 1HI HlvlL BILL
German Vigorously Opposes the
Number of BattIeships.
RIDIoULED Mr.. HERBERT
He Declared That Congress Had Been
Frightened Into Its LIberaitty by
the Recent War Scare-Unwise to
Further BuFden the Already De-
pieted Treasury.

Tie whole of yesterdays session in the
senate was occupied in the consideration
of the Naval appropriation bill.
| Inc ilfSt two hours passed i'll the dis
| cussion OF the amendment offered on Mon
| day from the Committee ON Naval Affairs
prohibiting Officers OF the Navy or Marine
Corps On the retired list from taking EN-
pioymeht in the service of persons or cor
porations having contracts with the gov
| efhhieht Tor The supply of material.
The amendment was finally agreed to
| yeas 40, nays L. The remainder OF the
uay session was occupied by a speech Of
| MI. uorHlan S, on an amendment offered by
! him TO reduce the number of battleships
| provided Tor i'll the bill from four to TWO.
The speech was almost entirely on po-
| llttcal lines-althoagh Mr.. German did not
spare members of his own party-especialiy
the Secretary OF the Navy. whom he ridi-
culeu Tor his preteHsions to become great
ailnlral. Senators Sherman and Hale took
part in the discussion. which assumed quite
an animated character.
FAILED TO GET VOTE.
The amendment went over without action.
and the Senate, at $50 O'Clock adjourned
| until today.
In his remarks Mr.. German spoke OF the
excitement created in Congress as to the
relations of the United States with other
nations. great fright had seemed to
take possession of Congress and of the
| country. and Congress had rushed along in
haste to put the nation on a war footing
for the purpoSe OF meeting supposed con-
tingencies. or of being in a position where
more active measures might he taken as to
''thc affairs OF our ncighbors."
Under this great war scare larger appro-
priations had been asked for vessels of war
than ever had been asked before, except
in time Of actual war. TIE Secretary of the
Navy had reversed the recommendations
contained in his annual report, and had sug-
gestcd to Congress that he would be glad
| to have four or six of those vessels.
HE CRITICIZES HERBERT.
When the Secretary of the Navy was asked
| i'll committee whether the condition of the
| Treasury was such as to warrant such an
outlay lie gave it as his opinion that il was.
! And so an appropriation for four battle
| ships was made by the House, in face OF
| the fact known to every ySenatorandneniber
| that there was not revenue enough derived
| from tie tariff and internal revenue laws
! aud miscellaneous sources 10 Pay the Ordi-
| nary expenses oftbe government.
There had been, he said, there waSnOw and
there would be IN the next year u deficit
| in the Treasury.
| The Senator from Ohio, Mr.. Sherman,
| bad called attention sharply to the fact
| that under the present revenue laws there
| was not Sufficient to meet the wants OF the
| government. That was true. said Mr..
| German.
| 'srhere has not been for four years a
| sufficient amount raised from the revenue
| laws to meet the appropriations made by
! Congress. OF the large amounts paid IN
| the last four years for pensions. oonstruc-
| tion Of ships and other expenses Of the gov
| ernnent, S1G2 400, 900 have come from
| the sale of bonds. ,,-
| POLITICS CREPT IN.
And the question presents itself to this
| Senate, whether in a time of peace with
no great emergency it is wise 10 make
! these appropriations on such scale when
! you know that that means the issue OF
/ from to IL peF cent government ionds.
| For, take it, there is no probability OF
increasing the revenues OF the government
! by any legislation proposed Oh the other
| side
/ On this point long Colloquy occurred
| between MIR German and Mr.. Sherman in
| reference to the reorganization of the Sen
! ate by the Republicans, and IN reference
! to the responsibility of the two great
| parties for uon-action on TIE revenue Ques-
lion-thc Republican Senator casting the
| blame on the Democrats and the Democratic
! Senator casting il on the Republicans
| III The course OF it, Mr.. Sherman said:
1T is "a disgrace TO the Congress OF the
| United States. and especially to the Senate
! OF the United States that when they know
| full well that the receipts OF the govern
| rnent would not supply its ordinary wants
| tiev refused to act on that bill the DiDgley
| bnD''
1T NEVER HAD A SHOW.
Mr.. German remarked that there never
had been a possibility of passing the
| DIngley bill in the Senate. Democratic
| Senators never could agree to the rates in
| that bill. increased almost to prohibition.
| The Senator from Ohio, Mr. Sherman,
| knew when that bill was reported back
from the Finance Committee that no DEM
| ocratic Senator could afford To reverse
| action on the wool schedule.
Mr.. Sherman said that it was one Of the
| rema rkable incidents Of this Congre SIS
| control of the organization of the Senate.
the control of the Finance Committee
(which had charge of the revenue mattersl
was in the hands OF the Democratic Sem
| ators There were as many Der ocrats uu
that committee as there were Republica rs,
| and acting with the Democrats was q
Senator from the middle party or tdis-
dainfuEIyl the Populist party, or whatever
you call it,
You know" said Mr.. German. in the
course Of another speech addressing Re-
publican Seuators) that you have the
| power to frame revenue measures, but
| YOU have not framed them on lines that
| can favor their passage through the Sen
| ate."
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