The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1897-03-31
T[LLHAN'S PLAIN TALK.
fclNrIxuEo FROM PAGE one !

Four 90 the Montsry; t on the Mo-
nadnoc6: S on the New York; on
the Amphi.rite, 3 or the Terror; 3
on the Oregon, 3 "a TIE Olympia: s
on the Indiana; on the Massachu-
sets, and 50 On.
You were asked 10 cooperate with
the House and tc have those plates
taken eff and tested before the Gov
ernment paid for them, and you would
not do it. Why aid you not doit?
\ pause. Do not everybody answer
at once, laughter especially you peo-
pie who think ! am sIandering the
| Senate. Why did you not do it?
If we ges into a var vita Spain Or
anybody else ard those ships OF ours
90 out to meet al honestly construct
ed vessel Of equal strength shot from
one OF those vessels p!unging through
one of these sponey plates which have
been plugged up would send our
American vessel with 500 or 500 men
to the bottom Of the sea b. the frauds
| perpctrated By these pets OF the Sen
ate. Then what Will your response
bility bs2
Now, are you ready to continue
these monopolists 10 their grab game
of lootiug the Treasury at will2 You
can only help it by authorizing the
construction of a plant which will
make armor for the Government in
case these monopolists will not sub
nit to a decent price. Our committee
tells YOU that $500 will allow them 80
per cent profit, while the Secretary Of
the Navy, in order to reach S4OO, has
to give them 50 per cent profit and
SO ton bonus.
Why should you not reduce the
price to $500 and say, Now, you rob.
Der rascals, il you do not come here
and take this work at a reasonable
price, we will make it ourselves. even
if it costs $500 or $500 ton" We
would at least have then the satisfac,
ton that the money that is spent
would 60 to the common laoorers and
mechanics and the '.men IN blouses, F"
who are going into the ditch with my
friend from Pennsylvania (Mr.
Quay, or, I believe, he is to go into the
ditch with them. Gaughter) Now,
nv friend, if you do not vote to tx
the price at $500. we will know that
you do not mean to 60 with them.
The eight-hour law and the red tape
in connection with Government ad-
ministration in conducting its own af-
fairs IS such that 1t costs the Govern
ment more. But let US distribute the
benefit among the masses and not con-
centrate it upon these two pers, the
Carnegie Company and the people at
Bethlehem, who have had rich,
rich, rich reward for their patriotism"
ten years ago in going into the manu-
lecture OF armor SO that Americans
could have navy constructed by
Americans out of American material.
You are face to face with it, gentle
men; you can not dodge it. That's
the situation.
This committee comes here and says
that these frauds were perpetrated !,
and they proved it by the admissions
of Carnegie and you did nothing about
it, would not even investigate. Car
negie was fined but the fine was re-
nItted. The two plants were in col.
lusion, and the Secretary OF the navy
said so before the committee, and as
an humble member of that committee
directed all the inquiries l put to them
to bring out the fact that they to day
are practically one corporation. They
did not deny it. That is the situation.
You can not help yourselves from tax
ing whatever they offer, unless you
do now allow the government to mase
its own plant. I would not say buy
any plant, because there are only two
for sale-thsy are the only two N the
country-and we open the doors to
buy what we paid for to these people,
and we were asked to give them two
| dollars for every one the plant cost.
They have got it; they have got the
title; and now you say "We will buy
IT," would rather build new one.
And honest man who resents robbery
and rascality and stealing would rath-
er build new one than let these
thieves have their own way. would
sooner see them become useless If the
Government enters into the manufac-
ture. That is my position. I am not
afraid to get up here and say what L
think and what believe when you
give me facts like these to base my be-
lief on. Nobody from Connecticut
or anywhere else is going to terrorize
me. I an not thin skinned. l am
not afraid of being sccused OF stealing
Iif | did vote for the subsidy for the
Southern mail last night. You men
who have been here SO long, who are
so friendly, so loving and kind IN
your consideration toward the great
wealthy ccmbinations-you are the
men who have to face the alternative
of voting Tor decent reduction II the
price of armor and giving us way
out by allowing US to construct q plant
if these people will not come down to
a decent rate; you have got to vote one
way or the other.
You have voted for these people IN
the past without regard to public
J opinion, and I dare say you will vote
| that way tonight. The old guard
never surrenders. But there is
young man in the Senate from West
Virginia, weakling, sucking. like
myself, who feels his inability here
to get in touch with the business Of
the Senate, and sits here and sees
things ground out; and you get up and
quarrel like schoolooys or like geese
over some little pitiable $4,000 or
| s5, 900 or $4,000 proposition, and you
slide through these millions like
creased lightning laughter; you do
not even discuss them; you do not
even ventilate them. Here is one that
the Naval Committee brings to your
attention. We prove these charges;
we prove not only that they are rob,
bing the Government, but that they
are practicing fraud upon the Govern
ment in the manufacture OF armor,
and they have not been punished for
it. viii you stop 1t or will you not?
| VIII -o., q ,Iorv tho Gnvarn mont tn