New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-03-04
PROVISIONS FOR DEFENCE DELAYED.

President Mckinley has frankly expressed MS
strong desire TO place the country iminenla'eH
In n state Of full preparation FOR pupilc deiehce
in case of any need. Without prejudging the
case of the Maine. and while waiting WITH
honorable patience for the finding or the court
Of Inquiry the President holds that nc posSloie'
contingency should find the Nation unprepared.
Tho acts Of the Administration, more Loudly
than any words have declared That CONVICTION
and purpose and the loyal people. whether or
one partv or another, have honored the Presl-
dents attitude, following his example or Dig
nifed and patient waiting. because able to rest
assured that needful preparations for pubic
defence were not and would not be neglected.
Ii seems strange to a patient people though,
m find that this most honorable course OF the
President does not meet with the vigorous and
nrompt support which might be expected from
the House of Representatives. Measures needed
for the protection Of the country even in ordl-
nary times and obviously most needed now,
are DELAYED in the House as if there were some
disposition TO thwart the Presidents wishes.
Everybody knows that there has been no diff
Guilty whatever In obtaining prompt action In
that body on measures Of importance. and even
when President Cleveland appealed to Congress
on patriotic grounds the Republican House
showed how promptly 1t could respond. 1t Is
therefore perplexing to find a most important
bill. which has already passed without delay in
the Senate, where delays are the rule, held up
without action in the House by the objection of
a few Democrats who wish to be patriotic only
when patriotism means the support Of Demo
cratic administration
The bill to provide men to man the fortihca-
lions and work the guns which Congress author
lied years ago cannot he called an emergency
measure. 1t ought to have been passed long
ago, so that the men could have been trained
to handle the new modern guns as soon as they
were ready and to care for the Notifications
provided by acts Of Congress The proposal 10
enlist a small number Of men for that purpose
has been urged upon Congress by the Army
authorities for years. and met practically no
objection in the Senate, passing February %
with brief debate. 81 to a. many Democrats
voting for It. Its delay in the House, men begin
TO reason. cannot well be explained unless
Speaker Reed, Chairman Dingley and Chair
man Boutee. all from Maine, are inclined to
prevent its passage for reasons which the pub
lie does not understand. Rarely has there been
difficulty in getting reported quickly measure
deemed important by the President or by loyal
people and never has the Republican majority
permitted partisan opposition by Democrats to
delay such Il measure.
The leaders from Maine have deserved high
Lonor and il is not conceivable that the disas-
ter TO the Maine has deprived them of vigor
or Of patriotic spirit Suggestions in Democratic
papers that they wish 10 embarrass the Presi-
dent are unjust 10 men who have given him
in other matters hearty support. Even the sug-
gestlOn that increased expenditures may be re-
sisted through desire to prove that the Dlngley
law provided sufficient revenue has just been
put aside by the actual surplus realized In Feb
iuary. Measures needful for the public defence,
calling for expenditures from the ample re-
serve already lying idle in the Treasury, cannot
be reasonably opposed on such ground. The
country heartily supports the Speaker and Chair
man Dingley in their efforts for greater economy
wherever recent extravaganza makes economy
desirable But 1t has every reason to expect
that they will not hesitate to provide without
DELAY or overstrict limitation all the money
needed for the public safety In any emergency.