The evening times., 1896-04-29
60RMAN FOUGHT THE bill
Opposed to an Increased Appro.
priaiion for Naval Ammunition.
HIS OPPOSITION UNAVAILING
Senate Has Authorized an ExpendI.
ture of an Additional 81 $4,000 for
This Purpose, Most of Which VIII
Be Spent at the Navy Yard Here.
Can Now Arm Subsidized Cruisers.

The Senate has added 81 so 600 to the
appropriation to be spent for guns and
ammunition, the larger part If not all of it
at the Washington Navy Yard. This was
ill the face of the opposit on of Mr.. Cor
man, which has been sufficient hereto
fore to prevent the giving of this work to
the navy yard here.
1t is said his opposition arsses from the
fact that he is no longer able to control
large number of appointments II the Navy
Yard, as he has done for years past.
II is stated that since Secretary Herbert
came into office appointments and promo
tions at the Navy Yard have been made
strictly on the basis Of merit. The result
has been very satisfactory TO a large class
of men in the Navy and in the department.
Ithas been equally displeasing to those who
have depended upon favor for advance
ment, and to Mr.. German and others who
have been accustomed to gain political
power by the use of patronage.
GoRMAN ANTAGoNIZES HERBERT.
Mr.. German, it is said, has never lost an
opportunity TO strike the Secretary of the
Navy, and especially TO cut off the money
supply of the Washington Navy Yard.
Mr.. Germans feeling, it is alleged, came
to the surface yesterday in his statement
that the Washington Navy Yard is not able
TO turn out the guns and projectiles for
which provision was made.
He supports this statement by the fact
that there was great delay at the navy
yard last summer and many men were fur
loughed from work because certain forg.
ings were not supplied by the contractors.
The fact was that Mr.. Gorman's opposition
to the very appropriation passed yester
day had heretofore sufficed TO defeat it and
there was not money To pay for this work,
which should have gone on while the forg-
ings for the thirteen-inch guns were being
finished and forwarded.
NOTHING TO ARM VESSELS WITH
For three years the chief of ordnance,
Capt. Sampson. has urged that if the sub
sidized vessels now plying on the Atlantic
were to be equipped promptly in time of
war for service in destroying the commerce
of the enemy, there should be guns and
cannonballs ready for use upon them a a
moments notice. AS stated by Mr.. Chand-
Ter yesterday an ample supply of these
munitions would leive the government inn
mediateiy 81 O 500 900 worth ofnavalarma-
ment for an expense of $500 900. 1t was
for the sake of this advantage that the SUBJ
sidy to the Atlantic steamer lines was voted.
But instead of Congress giving this appro-
priation. il refused, under the guidance OF
Mr.. German. to make any appropriation
whatever for the manufacture of smaller
guns and and projectiles at the Washington
yard. AS result, not only is there an en-
tire lack of arms and ammunition for these
swift cruisers to be taken from the private
lines. but if a six-inch or other small gun
on one of the government ships should be-
come disabled there is not another tc re-
place it. II war should come the first con-
siderable naval engagement would clean
out the supply of proiectiles and there is
now no store on hand with which to re-
plenish the ships.
The action of the Senate yesterday upon
Mr.. Quay's amendment will remedy this de-
ficiency and will enable the government to
avail itself of the subsidized steamers In
time of need.