The San Francisco call., 1896-05-03
Chandler's Torpedo Boat Amend.
ment Stirs Up a Lively
Discussion.
WOLCOTT's FIERCE OPPOSITION
Declares That Every Addition to the
Navy Instills Desire in the
People for War.

naval appropriation bill, which has been
under consideration in the Senate during
the entire week, was passed to-day, and
now it will be for a conference committee
to reconcile the disagreements between
the two houses. The chief of these is the
reduction of the number of battle-ships
provided for. The House fixes the num-
at four, the Senate at two. The ships are
each to cost S. 700, 900, exclusive of arma-
ment.
After routine morning business the bill
was taken up by the Senate, the pending
question being on Chandler's amendment
appropriating $4,000,000 for twenty tor
pedo-boats and torpedo-boat destroyers.
German (D.) of Maryland argued
against 1t.
Chandler (R.) of New Hampshire advo-
Gated the amendment and said the net
saving effected by it, in view of striking
out two battle-ships and some torpedo
boats. would be IS, 2S5, 900.
In the course OF the discussion some
supplementary things were said of the
Secretary of the Navy, and this led VOL
colt (R.) OF Colorado to make the COM
mentary that, with the Endorsement of the
Secretary of the Navy and of the Secre-
tary of the Treasury by Republican Sena-
tors, every gentleman of the existing Cabi-
net would be Endorsed by the Republican
side and not by the Senators on the
Democratic side. He went on to say with
great spirit and impetuosity:
''If it is true that the Government has
run behind in its expenditures; if it is
true land no Senator has ventured to dis
rufa jfl that tbis carntrv ;e yoarob;,o -,
to the issue of additional bonds, and that
no power under heaven can stop it, then 1
ask, in the name of what patriotism are
we putting on the necks of the people
interest-bearing securities in order that we
may build twenty additional torpedo-boats
to cruise around our harbors? If these
bonds are to be issued year after year,
what need will we have for torpedo-boats
Our country will present no glittering at
tractiveness for other countries.
"We will have enough to sustain the
life of. the people, overtaxed and over
burdened, who live within our borders,
but the love of display and the love of
competition will not justify these expendi-
lures for which the people must pay in
added burdens year after year.
eff any Senator will tell me that addi-
tional bonds are not sure to come, that
every dollar put into new ships does pot
mean an absolute necessity for new bonds
to be saddled on the people of the United
States, will be glad to sink my individ-
ual judgment and vote for additional
boats. But if that be fact, then l saw
that every instinct of patriotism as well
as every duty of statesmanship requires
US to forego something of our National
vanity, and let our ships, already credit
able, stand as sufficient navy until the
Government is put back on a paying
basis-where its receipts equal its expendi-
lures"
Wolcott declared that "every additional
warship, every additional cruiser, eyerv
additional battleship but inspires the nat
ural and inevitable competition in the
minds of free and progressive people,
and is sure to instill the desire that we en-
gage in some war of conquest, or other
wise, in order that we may show that our
ships are as strong and as able and our
seamen as brave as those of any other ma
tions whose ships sail the seas.'
Hawley (R.) of Connecticut replied to
Wolcott and supported ChandIer's amend
ment. He thought there was no danger
OF the Nation embarking in rolicy of ag-
gression and conquest. Long before these
torpedo-boats would have to be paid for
he hoped that the treasury would be on
paying basis. 1t was absolutely ludicrous
to talk of the United States undertaking a
war of aggression.
Lodge (R.) of Massachusetts also spoke
in favor of the Chandler amendment. He
sneered at the explosion of economy"
coming against the navy-against the de-
lenses OF the country.
German (D.) of Maryland spoke in q
tone OF ridicule OF the patriotic speeches
OF the Senators from Connecticut and
Massachusetts and said, as a matter of
course, appropriations were always behind
the wave of the flag on such occasions.
AT o'clock the consideration of the bill
under the five-minute rule was begun.
Short speeches were made by Senators
Chandler (R.) OF New Hampshire, Call I'd. }
of Florida, PETER (Pop.) of Kansas and
Sherman (R.) of Ohio.
Sherman advocated the limitation of
appropriations to an amount not in excess
of the current revenues. He did not fear
war, but he did believe in the moderate
strengthening of the navy as means of
OelanSe.
The discussion was continued by Hale
and Villas, the latter protesting against an
extension of the navy to such an extent
that it would want to go ''a-iingoing and
become National swashbuckler."
The amendment OF Chandler sought to
change the three torpedo-boats at not less
than thirty knots, and not to exceed ten
torpedo-boats, to have the highest prac-
ticable speed, as reported by the commit
tee to the Senate, so as to provide for tor
pedo gunboats and torpedo-boat destroy
ers, with minimum speed OF thirty
knots, and torpedo-boats with minimum
speed OF twenty-six knots, twenty in num-
Der, to cost in all, exclusive OF armament,
not exceeding $4,000 600.
When the vote was taken the amend
ment was defeated by vote of 80 to %.
The vote was as follows:
Ayes-Bacon, Brown, Call, Cannon, Carter,
Chandler. Davis Dnhois Ervn