Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1897-07-14
SSH CONGRESS-.
CONTINUED from page ~


Please don't leave out 'so-called' in
Tillman, amid laughter as it hurts
my feelings to hear him referred to as
a Democratic President
He went on to say he had never
sought to fathom the mystery of how
the President had tried to override
law and decency by RENTING the fine.
The senator reviewed the evidence OH
the cost of making armor plate and
said that unless the Senate adopted
some remedy such as the one now
proposed there would be an absolute
and Shameless surrender of public in
terest to the armor plate factories.
+ Hale opposed the Butler amendment
and referred to the building up of the
new navy and the incidental develop
ment in the United States of plants
capable of producing everything needed
for equipping the finest ships afloat.
This was of vast advantage to the
government in it's naval progress and it
had at the same time given employ
ment to many workmen. 1t was but
natural in the development 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 estab-
lished by the last Congress was due 20
All expectation that the Illinois Steel
Co. stood ready to furnish armor for
much less than the old rates, but there
had been no practical realization of
this expectation.
AS to the establishment of a govern
ment armor plant, Hale said the build
ing of the American navy had pro-
ceeded too far toward completion to
warrant starting government plant
at this late day. Some more torpedo
boats and battleships were needed, but
probably no more cruisers, and as a
whole the new navy was too far adj
vanced to make it eXpedient TO start
government armor factory.
1t would cost 40 to 40 per cent more
to furnish armor in government fac
tory than in q private factory. More
yer. the senator said, government WORK
on war ships had not proved a success
and every ship built in a public yard
had proved a pest to the government
of the United States.
Commenting upon the offer of the
Illinois Steel Co. to furnish armor I'M
der contract covering 20 years, Hale
said such a proposition was totally i'm
practicable. Who knew anything abou,
the character and armor requirements
of warshps 20 years hence
Twenty years supply would cover
80 battleships," suggested Chandler.
Yes said Hale. land no secretary
of the navy would undertake to bind
the government to build so battleships.
We don't need so battleships.'
In closing Hale referred to the ma
tional humiliation in case of an emer-
gency, we had three incomplete battle
ships ready for their armor and useless
without it. With foreign complications
pressing upon us, with a spirit some
times called jingoism, aboard in the
land it was not time when we should
refuse to furnish armor for our battle
ships. Rather sacrifice much in the
price 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 defence rather
than "a laughing stock. There was
somthing more in this question, Hale
said than the mere cost of armor. We
had national honor, a national dig
nifty to maintain and there could be no
hating, no turning back when once
we had embarked on an active policy
of upholding the national honor.
Stewart, New, declared that the re-
cent threat of Great Britain in the
naval review of the Victorian jubilee
meant that nations must continue
building ships or else be subjugated.
With such hostile purposes and such
navy as England possessed, it was
idle 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 can
didatc for the British Parliament"
Chandler said that while he favored
a government armor plant. yet he felt
that it was not eXpedicnt to urge that
plan now and he favored u compromise
on $500 per ton.
Allen asked Chandler If lie believed
it was right to surrender to Common
hghwaymen."
There, we have more of those lIorri-
BILE nouns and adjectives that senator's
from North Carolina (Butler) and
South Carolina (Tillman) and Neb
raska (Allen) indulge in answered
Chandler, amid laughter. Il don't like
them. They CRATE upon my ears.
In mock serious manner Chandler re-
ferred to the Populist senators, saying
he found himself associating with them
so much that he feared he was "a
crank himself.
Allen. Pop. Neb., criticized the gem
ei'al policy of expanding the navy. COM
pairing the cumbersome battleShips
with the effective monitors. The build
ing of these huge ships was a scheme,
he asserted, to spend the public money
and to place advantageous contracts.
With ii was the scheme for charging
the army and building more forts.
Commenting on the use Of the army
at the Chicago strike. Allen asserted:
When Grover Cleveland sent the
army into Chicago he committed the
| crime of treason against the United
States"
Jones, Ark, made point of rider
against the committee amendment on
| the ground that it was general legs-
| lation. The point of order was with
l u in nr1pr N a direct