Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1897-07-14

1uSlucfdtion OF the uSHclency APP
preparation bill was resumed in thu
Senate. today. The question of
armor plate for new battle
ships led to considerable discussion.
The bin provided total appropriation
of S3,il0.72i for armor for the three
battlehips. authorized in 1896, and linn
tied the cost of production to $i25 per
ton.
Butler, ~ c., offered an amendment
reducing the total TO s., i07, 900, limiting
The cost to $500 per ton. and providing
for the establishment of a government
armor factory if private concerns
should not bid within $500 per ton.
Pettigrew. $. D., spoke OF the evil
denee taken before the committee on
naval affairs, showing conclusively, he
said, that armor plate could be made
from $3.50 per ton. Instead of opposing
the trust. Pettigrew said, the naval
committee now proposed to accede to
Its demand of Si25. II was a procedure
too disgraceful to be tolerated, the
senator asserted
Butler spoke in severe criticism of
The course of the arrnor factories and
Of the disposition in official circles to
yield to them.
The senator reviewed the investiga-
tons made by Secretary Herbert as ia
the cost Of armCr plate, and read from
the report of the House COMMITTEES IN
naval affairs relative 10 irregularities,
in the manufacture of arnor plate.
He said the report showed that by
fraud and deception armor plate ha /
h.. off
defective that it could he pierced like
a pine board.
The senator asserted that men had
been shot and put in dungeons for Of
lenses OF far less magnitude.
Hale questioned these statements.
saying that none of the defective plates
were at present in actual service on
warships. Tillman, s. c.. insisted that
many of the alleged defective plates
We're i'll use and said their exact loca-
ton on various warships was specified
in the report of the House naval COM
mission.
When Butler reiterated the statement
as to the extent of the defective armor
in use, Hale interrupted with sweep
ing denial. He said that such a condi-
reality but there was no warrant for
the assertions by the North Carolina
senator. He absolutely denied that any
proportion of the armor plate on our
warshipS was unserviceable.
Butler declared that he knew of no
more dangerous kind of high treason
than the equipping of war vessels with
defective plates. one of those vessels
the Oregon, with spongy, imperfect,
fraudulent plates. had been order to
the Hawaiian islands at the time when
Japan was threatening to take posses
sion of those islands. 1t would be for
tunate if the first hostile shot fired at
her did not hit one of those defective
plates, if indeed there were any good
ones on her. If we are to take Hawaii,
If we are to go into the land grabbing
business, then, said Butler, we must
have a fleet as good as and better than
any other country in the world. If we
are launching on that policy of
ACKNOWLEDGMENT then we must be able
to compete with England or any other
nation.
When Butler closed Chandler face
tiously called on Tillman to take the
spondcd that unless there was some
thing to fight there was no need totalk.
Chandler inquired of Tillman what
had become of the House resolution
adopted as result of the Carnegie in
vestigation. 1t had come to a Demo-
cratic Senate and had been referred to
a Democratic naval committee. He
asked Tillman if he was Democrat,
what the Democrats had done with this
resolution.
Tillman responded that he thought
his course had shown him to be impair
tial in pointing out the shortcomings
and the rascalty-if that word We're
allowable-of Democrats as we'll us
others. The naval committee which
the New Hampshire senator had re-
ferred to having majority Of So
called Democrats had simply pigeon
holed that resolution. Tillman pointed
out alleged irregularities in furnishing
armor plate and referred to the fact
that Secretary Herbert had imposed A
fine on the Carnegie Co. which fine
was romitted by the President
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