The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1897-07-14
VOL. o.: o .Ll..I.V. u. NO. 46.
PRICE OF; ARMOR PLATE
Senate Decides to Limit Il to Three Hun
dred Dollars a Ton.
GENERAL DEFlCIEACY BILL PASSED
defective Armour Plates Figure in
tho DisousRi0n Fighting ships
Condemned IN Gcncrnl Terms as
Worthless = Severe Arrnianmcnt
oftho RhpacitS CT she Combine.

oftho Rnpacisy CT she Combine.
Washington, July 13, 1897.
The price to be paid for arnior plate
for the three new battleahips now in
course Of Instruction was the theme OF
extended and, a.. times, lively debate In
the Senate to-day, Late in the day an
amendment to the deficiency appro-
piat.on bill vas agreed to restricting
the price Of armor plate to 5000 per ton,
or S125 less than the amendment re-
ported by the committee, and recon-
mended by the Navy Department as
& the minimum rate acceptable to the
armor contractors Another amendment
!, inserted in the bill directs the Secretary
OF the navy to investigate as to the
8 esta blishnent Of a government arnor
Factory, and to report 10 the next session
OF Congress
.S During the debate NJ. Hale urged
that the failure 10 equip the battleships
With aTnor would hum!liate The United
a states In the eyes Of the orld. and
& would lessen our naval power at a time
Of possible foreign complications After
lN5eFtinf the amor amendments the
Geflciency appropriation bill, the last OF
the gre2 supply MEASURES, was passed.
, CCnsidera ton Of the bill was resumed
/; tHlmeu'ascly after the Senate met The
question Ct arinor plate fQr the new !sl:-
; iieshiPs was consideSed The bill pro
sST!des q to.al appropriation Of St.l1Qb2o
80. amor for,the three hatls5hieS au-
{ thorzcd in 1895 and limited the cost
per ton TO S125. Mir. Butler Of North
Carolina offered an amendment redu-
cling the total 10 S.. .4O7, 500 limiting tho
cost TO $500 per ton, ana providing FOR
the cssabl!shlncIt Of d government ar
NOR factory If private concerns do not
DID within $500 per ion.
Nj. Pettia-cW, Of South Dakota spoke
or the evidence taken before Inc Com
nltttee on Naval Affairs. showing con-
clu9ively, ne aaid, that arnor plate
could be ma de for $3.50 per ton Not
WithstAndinG this, the ar-nor factories
being In col!usion refused to make ar
NOR Tor 5000 and demanded S425 In
stead OF opposing The trust, Mr.. Pe:ti-
grew said, the Naval Committee now
proposed TO accede 70 lis de!nanda II
was procedure too disgra ceful 10 be
tolerated, the Senator asserted.
Mr. butler spc Ike IN severe criticism
OF the course OF the armor facla-ics. ana
OF the disposition In official circles 10
Weld to them.
The Senator reviewed the investiea
lions made by Secretary Herbert as to
ne cost or a!mor plate, mad read fso1n
ne report Of the House Committee on
s;Saral Affairs rela tive 10 lrregularitie,
. IN tho manufacsure of such plate. He
Z Siid the report showed that by fraut
ara deception slanor plate had beef.
htiFled off on the government 80 dnfcr
il, that il could BE pierced like y. nina
.nar,i. The Senator asserted that men
hecn shot and put in dungeons for
tn&es OF far less magnitude
-, HALE questioned these statements
2: mat none OF The defective platr.
q PRESENT in actual service Cn war
Nilman, CT South Carolina. insist
'&t many OF the alleged defective.
E we're in use. and said their exact
~ or various warships was speci
ne report Of the House naval
tee. "
Mr.. Butler reiterated the state
: Q the extent Of the detective
~ use, tMr. Hale Interrupted with
Ing denial lie said that such
ion would be appalling il It ex-
~ IN reality, but there was no war.
-, the assertions by the North
na ;or. He utterly and ah-
Gy denied that any proportion of
tn!or plate Oh way ships was IN.
s.'} ictabie.
F:a,- F:a,- En!le. declared that lie knew of
r. isa:Ie dangerous kind OF high treason
.''.,si the equipping of war vessels With
,i,'tecti"e PLATES One Of those vessels,
the Oregon, with sl,nngv. i,npel.fa.,,
Inaduieat plates had been oraersa ia
The tl1"aiian Islands at a time when
jaf'an was threatening to take, possps.
SION or those Islands. IT wou;A he for
tunate If the first hostile sN5t fired az
hel did not hit one OF those defective
plates-,if indeed there were any ru,d
ones on hey. II we arc to toke uo.wati i
II we are to go into the land g7,abbin~
business, ullSh said Mr. Butler. va
must nave q fleet as good ana hettcr
than amy either country IN the world
II we are launching on that poiicy Of
ugsrandized,le then we must be able
nation. 80
When Mr.. Butler closed. AIr. Chandler
fecehously called nn Air irillman t,
take the ffcor The South Carolina
Senator responded that unless thcrs
was something to fight there was n5
need Of taik
Mr.. Chandler inquired OF Mr.. T,umon
wa,aIt had ''eoomc Of the House rasoll,'
tlon adopted as the result Of the Carne
sie tnveSt tigatinn 1t had t-on,. to .
heHocrntic Senate, had been raferr,.d
to a Denocnttic Naavul Co,nn,lttaa
He asked Mr.. Tillman if lie was u Dem.
ocrat, what the DeIlocrnts h,,d don,
with this resolution.
Ma. 11@lanan responded that he
tnought his course had shown him to be
impartial IN pointing our the shortoom.
lngs and the rasoallty--if that word
were alloWnble--of Democrats as wall
as others The Naval Committee. which
the New Hampshire Senator had refer
rei to. having q majority OF so.callcl
4 Democrats. had simply pigcon-holpd
that resolution. Mr.. 'tillman pointed
out alleged Irregularities In furnishing
al'nror plate. and referred to the fact
that Secretary Herbert had imposed a
tine on the Carnegie company, which
fine was remitted by the President E
And was Ut a Democratic President
who remitted the fine?" queried Mr.
Allen.
Please don't leave o1Lt SO called in
referring 10 that President" answered