The record-union., 1896-04-28

drawn by Perkins.
Chandler (Rep9 of New Hamtshire
offered an amendment prohibiting re-
tired officers of the navy or marine
corps from taking employment with any
person or company furnishing naval
supplies or war material to the Govern
ment, the prohibition not to take effect
until July, 1897, and it was discussed at
length.
In the course of the discussion Mr.
Chandler stated that when the Com
mittee on Naval Affairs was inquiring
into the supplies furnished by the Car
negie Company and by the Bethlehem
works, the naval officers there were sent
for. and when they came before the
committee it turned out that they were
officers of the retired list, who were in
the employment of those contractors.
Mr.. Chandler added that he could make
statements which would tend to show
that the system was an unwise one, but
he refrained from doing SO.
Bacon (Dem.) of Georgia, a member of
the Naval Affairs Committee, supple
mented what Chandler had said as TO
the two officers employed at the Carne-
gle works and the Bethlehem works. He
said the Government paid 5000 a ton for
the armor for the battleships, and that
the committee desired to know the ac-
tual cost of its production. The COM
mFtee could not ascertain that fact
from these two officers
Had you any right to expect top
Gray asked.
No. Bacon replied. 1--WE had no
such right; but the point is that these
officers had no right to be in any en-
ployment where they could stand before
committe of Congress and refuse to
answer question:
Gray replied to the statements of
Senators Chandler, Hale and Bacon,
and made argument favoring the right
of retired naval officers to seek and
to accept employment for the mainten-
ance of their families-and to seek it
where their experience and education
would make their services valuable.
Bacon asserted that the contractors
for armor for battleships were making
most enormous profit.
If they are" Gray replied, "they are
not doing so by reason of their en-
| ployment of these retired naval Off
GERS. An army pensioner might as We'll
be prohibited from working in one of
these companies as a retired army Off
| Ger from taking employment with
them"
Tillman Dem) of South Carolina. a
member of the Naval Affairs Commit
tee, advocated the amendment which
was offered, he said, for the purpose of
stopping a scandal. The committee in
examining the question as to the cost
of the aTmor, had come to the conclu-
sion that the interests of the Govern
ment and Of the manufacturers were
opposed to each other. The Government
wanted to get armor of the best quality
at as low price as possible, while the
manufacturers wanted to get the last
dollar possible. These two companies
have formed a trust and propose 10
rob the Government because there is a
law requiring American arnor plate to
be used on these ships Therefore they
are in a position to charge the United
States 5000 a ton for the same arnlc~
that they supply to Russia at $500 a
ton.
Hale (Rep) of Maine, member Of
the Committee on Naval Affairs ad-
vocated the amendment. He woad have
the prohibition made SO that bureau
officer who now took part IL. ..sakin2s
such contracts would not fall into the
! temptation of looking forward to the
time when he would be on the retired
list and might enter into the service of
/ the contractors.
In answer to a question by Lodge,
/ Hale said the two inspecting officers of
+ the Government at the Carnegie and
/ Bethlehem works informed the commit
| tee that the cost of the armor to the
contractors was about 500 a ton.
/ German reviewed the history of the
contract with the Carnegies and said
( II was made on the Doth of November,
/ 1890, by the Secretary of the Navy
/ (Mr. Tracy on precisely the same terms
as the prior contract had been made by
Mr.. Whitney with the Bethlehem Com
pany. The terms Of these contracts,
( he said, had been considered as low and
! reasona bic and as much to the interest
! of the Government as any contracts
ever made, and Congress justified them.
( As to the statement that armor was
furnished to Russia at $500 a ton he
! stated that the Bethlehem Company,
/ finding it had not work enough to keep
i all the machinery in operation, had
/ made a contract with Russia at q loss.
and that the armor supplied to Russia
had proved to be so superior that a
/ further supply had been ordered at a
/ price about the same as the United
/ States was paying. By that one single
! act, German added, the United States
/ had been able TO ship large quantities
4 Of such arrnor and other products OF
American furnaces abroad, until now
/ il looked and for the first time in the
] history of the country, as though the
/ United States would compete with
1 England by sending steel TO London
and Liverpool.
After further discussion and without
| action on the pending amendment the
] Senate, at $40 p. m, adjourned until