The Portland daily press., 1896-06-08
NEW BATTLE SHIPS.
Figured in War of Words in the Upper
Branch.

Figured in a War of Words in the Upper
Branch.
| Washington, Juno Elm the Senate
today. Mr.. Allison, Republican of Iowa,
chairman of the committee on appropri-
a5ions, presented partial conference
report on the sundry civil appropriation
Dill and made an explanation as to the
points on which an agreement had not
peen reached. A motion that the Senate
lhsist upon its amendments for all pub
TIC buildings named in the bill was agreed
TO unanimously and new conference
was ordered.
Inc conference report on this Indian ap-
preparation bill was presented and agreed
| to.
| The conference on the naval appropri-
alton bill was presented and read. The
amendment reducing the number of new
| battleships from four to TWO was modi
| fled by making the number throe and
the price for armour plate, instead Of
being limited to $3.50 ton is limited
to $425 with instructions to the secre-
tary of the navy to in quire what fair
next session Of Congress.
Mr. Chandler, Republican of New
Hampshire, expressed his dissent to both
those modifcatiors OF the Senate amend
| ments. He thought not more than two
hattleships year should be built, and
that two should be the limit every year
for the next ten years and that the price
fixed in the Senate for armor plate, 1926
ton, was quite high enough.
Mr.. Hawley, Republican of Connecti-
cut. expressed his surprise at the tone of
Mr.. Chandler's remarks as to the price
of armor plate He (Mr. Hawley) WIS
informed at the navy department that
tho price fixed in the last contract with
the Bethlehem works, s525 ton, was
fair average price. Suill, he WAS will
ing to vote for the conference report.
Referring to statement made in the
debate that some of the plate furnished
by the bethlehem and Carnegie works
to foreign governments was defective
and full Of elbow holes Mr. White,
Democrat Of California, suggested jocu-
| lantly that it was "a good thing to fur
nish our enimies with armor plate which
We can penetrate
Mr.. Chandler said he could not blame
the Senator from Pennsylvania, (Mr.
Quay for advocating high price for
the arrnor plate made by two great es
Establishments in his state, nor did he
blame the Senator from Maine, Mr..
Hale), who was naturally DESTROYS to
have the bill disposed OF and final ad-
journment reached, but he commended that
the price fxed in the Senate amendments
would give fair, liberal and ample pro-
fit to the man ufacturers of armor plate.
MIR. Hale of Maine, in charge of the con-
ference report, closed the debate with
what he called business statement.
The conferees. he said, had met on equal
terms and the battleship question had
been settled by q compromise, as was al
most invariably the case in conference
committees. Three new battIeshlps, he
thought, were enough, but none too
much. He would not say two would
have suited him better or that four
would have suited him better. He was
content to take the three. AS to the
limitation of the price of armor plate,
1T was hard, he said, to resent the con-
tention of the House confeeres against
the proposed reduction, particularly
ono of tho Senate conferees, (Mr. Quay
had probably second one. (Mr. Cor
| many, did not favor the Limitation. The
result which the conferees had come to
was the best thet could be done.
The report was disagreed to "a to 90
and an new conference ordered. The
Senate adjourned.