Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-01-25

veDtion. Senator. I asked, when General
Grant could havs been nominated?'
Yes, / think So" was the reply. Had
sooner nothing could have prevented it.
What those things were, I do not wish to
say. as the men most closely connected
with them are still living, and it would not
How about Blaine's chances Of nomina-
ton, Senator? You were at the Cincinnati
convention of 1915, where he came so near
getting the nomination that afterward went
to Hayes"
Why Blaine Was Not Nominated.
blaine would have been the choice OF
that convention" said Senator Cameron
had bis friends trusted the Pennsylvania
delegation. When We met in state conven-
ton the unit rule was adopted and the dele
cation was instructed to vote for Hartranft
When we got to Cincinnati, however,
through the influence of Mr.. Mcpherson and
Blaine's friends. this instruction was set
aside and the different delegates were per-
mtted to vote as they pleased. Blaine had
majority OF the members of the delega-
ton and had this not been done the vote of
the state as a whole would have gone to
him after the first few ballots. As 1t was
however, the unit rule was set aside and
the friends of Blaine rather Extensively gave
the Pennsylvania delegation to understand
that they could nominate their candidate
without Its aid. This angered some Of the
delegates and 1t was on this account that.
in announcing the change Of vote I gave
out the number of the Hayes votes first.
The announcement waS made at q time
when 1t required only hair to turn the tide
In the favor OF Blaine or Hayes. A rush
followed the announcement and Hayes be-
came the candidate. There were more
Blaine delegates than Hayes in our delega-
ton, and had I announced the Blaine votes
first have not much doubt but that the
rush would have been for him and he would
have been the candidate"
Have you ever had any ambition to be
President SENATOR" asked
NO, was the reply, Il have not It Ia
great office, but the duties are arduous and
the responsibilities are great"
Business Brains in Congress.
Senator Cameron. you have been In the
Senate nearly twenty years. You have had
good chance to judge of it's efficiency. Do
you think Congress Is a good medium of
legislation? Do the people get what they
want out Of it,"
IT think so," replied Senator Cameron. "It
is little slow. perhaps. but 1t gets there
after time. Congress Is better than people
suppose 1t to be. Some Of the best work
done by the body does not get into the news
papers. The business of Congress is not
done on the floor of the House and Senate,
but in the committee rooms. We are more
and more nearing the day when the best of
our government work must be done by bus
mess brains-by thinking rather than by
speechmaking. The great men Of Congress,
in the eyes of the people, are those who can
ebly discuss points Of order, who can spend
hours in telling why bill should be brought
in through the right wing Of the Capitol,
rather than through the left wing, and not
as to the value of the bill itself. The ques-
lions of the day are practical questions
and they require thought rather than speech
es. We want to know how our commerce
may be ir creased and how Our financial and
,{o1 hA hcff nrn1 rot I,ar
than to show how loud the American eagle
screams or to boast of the vast extent Of
country covered by his pinions."
American Ships and How to Get Them
Speaking of American commerce. Sem
ator, what do you think would be the best
way to increase it?'' ---.-...
81 favor the French system" replied Sem
ator Cameron. 81 would have the govern
ment pay bounty, both for the Hiding
and the running of American vessels. so
much ton for their construction and so
much a mile for every ton transported. All
vessels favored would have to be built
in America and manned by American sea-
men. They would be subject to the control
Of the navy in time of war, and they would
be built after such plans that they would
be of great assistance to our naval forces"
But would this plan largely increase our
shipping?'
Certainly, 1t would was the reply. 'It
would cause the investment of millions of
dollars worth Of capital in American ships.
Our ships so favored could underbid the
ships Of Great Britain and other countries
as to our carrying trade, and the result
would be a fleet of American merchant
ships equal to that possessed by any ma
ton of the world. Such ships would fur
n!sh cheaper transportation for all parts
Of the country. Ships would be built on
the Pacific coast to engage in trade with
the Gulf of Mexico, and the millions of dol
lars which we pay in freight charges to the
English would go Into the pockets Of the
American people" 30 'Fsi|T3'"t.
81, " How m much do we pay England in freight
chargesE l asked.
Il think the amount is nearly 500, 900, 900
a year." iy'-;
"Do the English pay much in subsidies
Yes England was paying some time ago
nearly s4,0OO,OO0 a year in bounties. to It's
merchant marine. Italy pays about S. OOO-
600 year. France has been paying more
than S,OOO,OO a year to French ships sail
Ing under the French flag, and according
to figures which made when 1 investigat-
ed the subject not long ago. the nations Of
Europe pay the enormous sum of sos 600 600
every year In subsidies to their shipping"
How Our First Fast Cruisers We're
Built.
Speaking Of the navy. Senator. 1t was
through your bill that the first fast
cruisers were built?"
Yes" replied Senator Cameron. IT in
troduced that bill during the first term Of
President Cleveland. saw that the only
way to get the people to take an interest
In the navy was to show them we could
have the fastest and the best warships
In the world. We are, you know naturally
very proud. We want the fastest horses.
the fastest yachts and the biggest things
OF all kinds in the world. I was talking one
day with Mr.. Cramp the owner of the shin
yards at Philadelphia, and asked him If
he could build q faster cruiser than any
yet constructed. He replied that he could
He said he had just built for Jay Gould Of
New York and Mr.. Hardness Of Cleveland
the two fastest steam yachts of the world
These were the Atalanta and the Peerless
He had done this because Gould and Hark-
ness were willing to pay for them, and he
seid that II our government would offer the
proper inducements he could make war
ships which would outsteam ANYTHING
af1oat. The fastest warship then was the
Esmeralda. 1t had been built in England
for the Spaniards and it could make eieh
teen knots an hour. I asked him II he
could beat this. He replied that he could
and that he would contract to make a shin
which would go at least twenty knots an
hour. OH
Mr.. Whitney was then Secretary of the
Navy. The matter was presented to him
ana bill was gotten up with the advice Of
the Navy Department, through which The
Cruica