The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1897-03-31
TILLMAN'S PLAIN TALK
-.@SAJ. He RECENTLY SslDOF SOME
GREAT FRAUDS.
:saowf tho Contractors Cheated the Govern
:; menszu Furnishing Armor Plste--serong
Wogds-&om q Strong Man.

SEoM.fhe Contractors Cheated the GeVern-
:; msnssu Furnishing Arror Plate--Strong
words srorn Strong Man.
The Senate having under considers
ton the bill (H. r. 10S36) making ap-
preparations for the naval service for
the fiscal year ending June 80, 1898,
and for other purposes, Mr.. Tllman
said:
MIR. President: From my brief ez-
perience in this body sympathize
very much with the feeling Of help
1essnsss and ignorsnce which the dis
tfsguished Senator from West Virgin
asli9r. Rlkins) has confessed; and,
sven though I am 8 member OF the
Naval Committee and have devoted
as much time as l could spare from
my other duties here to the business
.Sesamsliarizing myself with the sub
ject matter intrusted to my care, 90
notlfeelssble to give him all the llght:
tna4Ihs asks for, on this question CT
armor. But ! do feel able to give MN
enough light, and to give the Senate
s@ opgh Light, to show that there,ls
snothing connected with the recent
history of this government-no eX-
penGture- reeking with fraud and
so dissraceful to those who are re-
:sponsible for it
) live 90 back and trace the history
of this armor-plate manufacture we
find that during Mr.. Cleveland's first
term, when Secretary Whitney began
what is known as the construction OF
the new Navy, the manufacture OF ar.
NOR according to the most approved
methods was an unknown thing IN
this country, and that there was no
plant capable of performing that work.
The largest stesl plant IN the country
at that time, I believe, was st Bethle-
hem, and Congress wisely, perhaps
q shall not pretend to say 1t was not
wise) entered not into a contract, put
It authorized the Secretary OF the Ma
IVY TO enter into 8 contract with the
Bethlehem Iron Works by which they
were to construct a sufficient addition
to their already large steel works to
make this armor. The price liked was
away up yonoer. some $500 or S7OO, l
-amnot familiar with the exact amount
bat it was $500 or $500 per ton, and It
was generally understood In the de-
bates and In the newspapers that the
asnornous price was given by reason
of the fact that an enormous expendl-
fure of three, four or five million dol
lars was necessary, and the gcTern'
.ment proposed by this large price to
reimburse the Bethlehem Manufactu-
ring Company in the contract which
would then be let for its outlay. The
proof Is overwhelming IN these reports
"a lie testimony taken before the Ma
VII Committee In the Investigation
last winter, that the plant At Betn!e'
hem, which was constructed IN sool-
rion to what they already had, mas
been paid for twice over by this gov
ernment absolutely, and that they
have made a present Of it to the Beth
lehem Company.
In wear or Two sfter. the contract
was entered into ct Bethlehem the
new Secretary Of the Navy, MIR. Ira
cy, finding that the delivery OF arnor
from Bethlehem did not keep pace
with the needs OF the Navy, or for
some other -eason-that was the os-
tensible excuse-without authority
:; from; Congress, entered into contract
of his own with the Carnegie Works
at Plttsburg, by which they were TO
receive the same price for the armor
that Bethlehem was receiving, and ne
thereby hoped, as he explained, to
bring about competition IN the prlcss
: of armor, and have two plants instead
. of one, and thereby enable the gov.
ernment to obtain all the armor 1t
might want in the construction OF the
new Navy at reduced prices after 8
while.
The construction OF the new Navy
has gone on. It IS getting to be rather
respectable. It has cost US an enor-
NOUS sum. Last winter, when the
Venezuela war scare was on, the pro
position came from the house to IN
crease the Navy by four battleshlps.
:, There was a struggle here to reduce II
:. to two, but we com promised on three,
as 7 foretold would be the case, because
there are only three naTy-yaros IN
this country that can construct such
; ships. Each one Of them got snip,
and they, in collusion, agreed as to
the price they would bid on those
ships. and no doubt We are tooay pay
inc a million dollars bonus or mil
lion and half dollars clear pron'
over and above reasonable sum 10,
their construction.
But the question Of armor to put on
these ships was under lnvesngauon
BY the Naval Committee, and aIl We
could do in this body as to the reduc
rion that should be ns6 was TO put 4
off ard forbid any contract being lei
. out for armor plate until an lnvestl
cation by the Secretary OF the Navy
The Secretary of the Navy made tna'
Investigation. It is mere. 1t Is tul
and complete. The Naval COMMITTEES
has hsG this matter under considers
ton during the whole year; we have
psid more attention to 1t Than any
and all else before Us; and notWlth
standing our ignorance (and l con
fess we are stlll iguoranI,) we have
learned enoug h 10 know that thes'
Two companies, instead of competing
with each other in the manufacture
!. of armor, are to-day in collusion snt
have formed a trust; that they tx the
price absolutely, without any regarT
to Justice, without any regard to tn
liberal manner in which the Govern
nent has treated them in the past
without any regard to the fact tha
the price they have received, amount
sing to about SIS, 900, 900 for plate
they have already manufactured, ha
paid them back foprlold Tor the ex
penditure they paid out, and thatthe..
have had large dividends on accoun
of the investment besides.
The theory advanced in this bod,
as we heard 1t discussed here in regart
TO the monopolles in the DISTRICT o
Colur0hi9 in the matter nf electro