The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-04-02
URGED TO STRIKE FIRST.
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Continued from First Page,
anne ndment, but he pointed out that I'M
der the emergency appropriation tne ad-
ministration was buying AMI building
torpedo and other boats OF mosquito neet
for the protection OF our ugnG,ng shlps:
Mr., Dockery, Democrat OF Missouri,
STRONGLY opposed the Pearce amendment.
He said that Congress in the present
emergency should vote every dollar the
Department asked. The Pearce amend
ment was adopted-137 to 67.
MIR. Foote of New York offered an
amendment to add two armored cruisers
to cost exclusive Of armament not to ex-
coed S.. 900, 900 to the provision for new
| ships, While he was advocating the
amendment he became involved in a
wordy war with Chairman Cannon of
the appropriations committee during
the course OF which strong language was
used. 1t was lost, 60-9O.
Mr.. Steele Republican of Indiana,
moved to decrease the number of BATTLE
ships from three to two. Much bad
| temper was displayed as the debate pro-
ceeded. Mr.. Boutelle. after Mr.. Steele
had Withdrawn motion to close debate,
| said:
| az did not know but what the gentle
man had withdrawn my BILL" (Laugh-
ii think every member on this floor. ="
replied Mr.. Steele, "hss been i'm pressed
since the debate began with the idea that
the bill would have Jared better if it
had been withdrawn from the hands Of
the gentleman from Maine" daughter
and applause
| Mr.. Dearmond Democrat ofsMiSsourl,
at this juncture, got the floor for
speech that attracted much attention.
He called upon the administration to
take the aggressive. The Maine, he said,
to be friendly. There was danger now,
he declared in trusting to diplomacy
rather than to cur own strong arm. The
great question now, be said, was to stop
the hostile fleet approaching our shore.
II we were depend ng upon diplomacy
it would prove broken reed. The best
| rejection at such time, he urged, was
aggression, not to wait id " resting upon
hope that had not foundation. He
| declared that we should strike while we
had the advantage War between ma
tions was not like q contest between
equally matched gladiators. The victory
belonged in war to the country that was
hest prepared for it and eeing farthe t
into the future, struck fiji st where the
blow would prove most effective.
"Let us protect ourselves" continued
Mr.. Dearmond, ''by striking before we
are stricken.
.'Let us not wait. We have waited too
long. l hope that proper measures of
| energy are on foot and that what appre-
bend a danger will be avoided. I list
ened with interest to the remarks about
| that wonder of marine naval architecture,
the Holland boat, which I'm Ter water Of
bay or ocean may move silently, swiftly,
unseen, on it's errand of destruction.
| 1t has seemed to me that it is hardly
/ f0r io ,ay,t yI,oo %ho
for immediate action with reference to
the present emergency exists, to provide
| for a distant future Perhaps, that pro-
vision will be needless. II war should
occur, it will soon be demonstrated what
the value of the modern battleship is No
man doubts, no man can doubt the value
of the modern agent of destruction
known as the torpedo boat and the torpedo
| boat destroyer.
CHOW these little boats can be prepared
quickly, whether quickly enough l do
not know, but amendment and legisla-
tion in the direction of preparing that
which can be prepared quickly, and
above all active use of that which we
| have will go far to render those magnif-
cent hattleships useless in the future.
But above ali things let me again en-
deavor to impress upon the House that
the danger to be provided against is the
danger which menaces us now. Every
|
waters of the Atlantic is coming that
danger. Every hour and every minute
| it is closer to us and every hour and
every minute we are less secure in con-
sequence of it. I hope that those who
have influence, that those who have. the
ear of the agencies now directing and
controlling the government, largely to
the exclusion of the legislative branch
may exert that influence, so that If that
has not been done which ought TO be
done for our protection, 1t may be done
without further delay"
| After several hours Of wrangling, dur
ing which all sorts of amendments were
offered and voted down, and many
speeches were made. the vote was taken
upon the Cannon substitute to reduce
| the \ number of battleships to one and
to increase the torpedo boats and torpedo
boat destroyers to IL of each. 1t was de-
feated rs to 124
Mr.. Underwood. Democrat of Alabama,
offered an amendment appropriating
81, 600, 600 for the establishment of gov
eminent armor plate factory. He did not
think it proper with war cloud over
the country to orisioise the price fixed
in the bill for armor plate, hut mis- amend
ment looked to the future. Before the
battlesbips authorized in the bill were
completed, the government could save
the extortion to which it was not sub
jeoted. He went briefly into the results
| of the governments investigation of the
cost of armor plate to show that the
manufacturers had muIoted the govern
ment. The amendment was ruled out
on point of order
| An amendment to reduce the price of
armor plate to $500 per ton was defeated
This completed the bill and it was re-
ported to the House and passed. Then at
p. IN. the House adjourned until Mon
| day.
VERY FEW FAILURES.
| New York, April 1-R. g. Dun 81 Co.'s
LII Il,