The Portland daily press., 1897-07-14

was something to fight there was no need
to talk. NV,
Mr.. Chandler inquired of Mr.. Tillman
what had become Of the House resolution
adonted as n result of dhe Carnegie in
vestigation. 1t had come to d Democratic
Senate and had been referred to a Demo-
cratic naval committee. He asked MIR
Tillman if he WAS a j, tnocrat what the
Democrats had done WITH thls resolution
Mr.. gillnan responded |, hat he thought
his course had shown him t } be impartial
in pointing out the short con fngs'and the
rssscality.-if that word were lloWable-of
Democrats as we'll as others. The naval
COMMITTEES which the New Hampshire
Senator had referred to having a majority
of SO called Democrats had simh ~ pig con
holed that resolution. Mr.. Illlman
pointed out alleged irregularities IN fur-
nishing Srmor plate and referred. TO the
Fact that Secretary Herbert had imposed
q flne on the Carnegie company, which
line was RENTED by the President.
And was it a Democratic Prt 'sident
who RENTED the ine?' queried MI
Allen.
referring to that President. answe re
Mr.. TilIman amid laughter, las it hurts
my feelings to hear him referred to as q
Democratic President He went on 90
say he had never sought to fathom the
mystery of how the President had tried to
the fine. The Senator reviewed the evil
dence on the cost of making armor plate
and said that unless the Senate adopted
some remedy such as the one now pro-
posed there would be an absolute and
shameless surrender of public interest," TO
the arrnor plate factories.
Mr.. Hale opposed the Butler amend
nent and referred to the bund1ng up OF
the new navy and the incidental develop
ment in the United States of plants
IL. 81 hi Of
for equipping the finest ships atoat. This
was of vast advantage to the government
in its naval progress and it had at the
same time given employment to many
workmen. 1t was but natural in the de-
velopment of so great an enterprise, that
some evils should creep in, and he had
no sympathy or defense for such evils.
The Senator discussed the cost of armor,
saying that the $500 rate established by
the last Congress was due to en- expecta-
ton that the Illinois Steel comp any stood
ready to furnish armor for much less than
the old rates, but there had BEEN no
practical realization Of this expection. AS
to the establishment of q government
! armor plant Mr. Hale said the building
of the American navy had proceeded too
lar toward completion to warrant start
ing a government plant at this late day.
Some more torpedo boats and battleships
were needed, but probably no mora
cruisers, and as a whole the new navy
was too far advanced to make it exped1ent
to start a government arInor factory. IL
would cost forty to fifty per cent more to
furnish armor in a government factory
than in private. Moreover, the Senator
said, government work on warsh1ps had
not proved success and every ship built
in a public yard had proved pest to the
government of the United States Com
menting on the offer of the Illinois Steel
company to furnish armor under con-
tract covering twenty years, Mr.. Hale
said such proposition was totally i'm
practicable. Who knew anything about
the character and arrnor req ulrements OF
warships twenty years hence:
''Twenty years supply would cover fifty
battleships," suggested Mr.. Chandler.
eyes, said Mr.. Hale, "and no secre-
tary of the navy would undertake to bind
the government to build fifty battleships.
We don't need fifty battleships.'
In closing Mr.. Hale referred to the
national humiliation in case of an
emergency, we had three incomplete
less without it. With foreign complica-
lions pressing upon us, with spirit,
sometimes called jingoisIn, abroad in the
land, it was not time when we should
refuse to furnish armor for our battle
ships. Rather sacrifice much in the
pi ice of armor than to present to the
world that spectacle of having our war
ships hung up in the air, incomplete and
without armor. All our ships should be
ready from top to bottom, so that if an
emergency came they would be a defense
rather than laughing stock. There was
something mora in this question, Mr..
!ae said, than the Inere cost OF arnor.
W. had a national honor, a national
dig nifty to mainta and there could be no
halting. no turning back when once we
rad embarked on an active policy of up-
holding the national honor.
Mr.. Stewart of Nevada declared that
the recent threat of Great Britain in the
naval review of the Victorian jubilee
meant that nations must continue build
ing ships or else be subjugated. With
s. Gu hostile purposes and such a navy as
England possessed; it was idle to talk of
suspending the building of warships. The
Senator declared also that there should be
no dictation on the price of armor by
Carnegie "a candidate for the British
parliament ~~-~
Mr.. Chandler said that while he favored
a government arInor, plant, yet he felt
that it was not expedient to urge that
plan now and he favored compromise
on 800 per ton.
Mr.. Allen asked Mr. Chandler if he be-
lieved it was right to surrender to com
mon highwaymen.
There we have more of those horrible
nouns and adjactives that senators from
North Carolina (Butlerl and South Caro-
lima, (Tillman), and Nebraska, (Allen),
lnQu1g0 III, answered MT. Cndnul6T
amid laughter II don't like them. They
CRATE upon my ears"
In mock serious manner Mr.. Chandler
referred to the Populist senator's, saying
he found himself associating with them
SO much that he feared he was 'crank'
himself.
Mr.. Allen, Populist of Nebraska, criti-
cized the general policy of expanding the
navy, comparing the cumbersome battle.
ships with the effective monitors. The
building of these huge ships was scheme,
he asserted, to spend the public money
and to place advantageous contracts
With it was the scheme for charging the
army and building more forts. Comment
ing ON the use of The army at the Chicago
strike, Mr.. Allen asserted: "When Grover
Cleveland sent the army into Chicago he
committed the crime of treason against
the United States.
Mr. Jones of Arkansas made point Of
order against the committee amendment
on the ground that it was general legis.
lation. The point of order was with