Evening journal., 1898-03-28

men-ot-W4r by American skill and !
american genius.
We are therefore ready to go on and I
TO A. ourselves for the duty chat we I
owe TO this country, to It's people and I
10 It's interests. The great British ship Z
Of IA 600 tons was launched In a year
from the time she was laid down. but /
ann told by our naval authorities
here, by Mr.. Cramp himself, that the
Cramps cannot complete a battleship
OF the greatest speed throughout in
less than two and half years Two
and q half years would give ample
time TO destroy American commerce.
devastate American cities, humiliate
American honor, and do irreparable in
jury to every interest for which we
stand guard
Against all this is put the plea of
economy urged only by the COMMITTEES
on Appropriations against the Judg-
ment OF the president, against the Judg-
ment of the secretary or navy, against
the Judgment OF the House OF Repre-
sentatives, against the Judgment Of the
Naval Committee of this body, against
the deep aspirations and wishes OF the
people OF the United States, who have
some interest In This matter. We do
not know when war will come, but 10
l behooves us to be prepared for III, and
/ n not who will tell the tale OF money
which We shall have to put out because
of It?
We do not hesitate the president
has not hesitated, 10 pay $1,000 ,00O-'
| S1OS. GOO, 600, I believe, we have to spend
4 in that regard when the secretary Of
the Treasury sent In his account a few
days ago. We have spent $3.50, 600
a year for pensions for a war concluded
| thirty wears ago. do not object 10
| that: / only speak OF the burdens we
bear when the exigency Is put upon us.
4 That is what we paid for the last war.
| Shall we stop by any miserable econ
omy in the wise foresight 10 get ready
forwhat struggles theremay be ahead Of
us9 ] would not hesitate to borrow
every penny that is needed AZ 800 600. :
600 will build up an adequate fleet, for
what is 800 600 600 to this country
when we paid Off its great debt at
800. .0O0,0O0 a year? VIII the people
hesitate at that? I believe not.
Mr. WolcOtt. / ask the senator from
I, Delaware when we have paid OF our
debt at the rate OF siOO.O0O0OO year,
Mr. Higgins. From the date when
/, fts payment was begun, under the ad-
/ minlstradon of Grant, TO the time
when we ended it, under the admins
tratlon OF Harrison.
| Mr.. WOlcott. The senator from Del
aware does not intend TO say II was sC
I paid off under tho present adminlstra-
! tion2
n Mr. Higgins. Oh, not at all. dc
I not mean TO say that. The best Judg
I, | ment. I believe, Of the naval authori
| ties on this question has been that W.
Z | require on the Pacific coast a fleet o
J.. ten hattleships and on the Atlantis
4 | fifteen.
II should like to see the amount o
i this appropriation increased so as b
II 1 provide five instead Of the number bo
r ing reduced TO two. / should like b
: | see the work carried on just as rapid
N as the great plants we now have, o
I'll Cramp and other shipbuilders VIII
ri would engage in II and the Bethlehem
+, works and Carnegie In the constructio
: Of armor and material. would enabl
n us to go I would build ont docks q
a | Puget Sound, and on the gulf, and O
= the Atlantic coast / would have coal
a | ing and naval stations at Pearl Han
a Dor in Hawaii, and Pango-PangO
I, | the Samoan Islands. In every way
n would have this nation equipped TO d
nl fend its interests. Just as the Dem,
a cratic party did equip 10 during tt
period before the war, by building a
4 around our coasts adequate fortifcs
i 1 tions according to the then conditio
OF armament and Of warfare by whic
"a they had so adequately and entirel
prepared for the then condition {
/ things.
> II costs more money to-day, but W
! have more money. We have NOR
people. We have wider and waste
interests We have create
duties. II not higher. We have be
come a great power on the earth. Tim
and distance are annihihated by ele,
tricity and by steam. We can n
longer sit down in negligent indiffel
4 ence to the world outside OF ourselve.
y We can no longer resist the impuls
and desire of the American people
y this behalf
y No better evidence Of It do we wan
= than this very debate brought on upO
: this bill in the closing hours OF thl
= Congress. Nothing else or less tina
/! the discussion that II has evoked woul
have been equal to the popular inter
est that there is in the subject. n
= ! such debate has occurred during IN
: time OF my service in Congress. W
y cannot ignore II.
y do trust that the Senate will sc
= That Il Is within the range OF wisdom
: OF sound judgment. and wise forecas
" not 10 assent to the suggestion an
y ! amendment Of the Committee on AT
y propriations as to these battleships
agree with my friend from Massi
| chusetts. I would build the six gur
y boats that they have put In by way ,
: amendment and the nine torpedo boat
We had better build ninety. They d
" | not cost much. Their potency wa
shown in the account that was rea
In the papers only last night wheI
| they destroyed the Chinese fleet We
= Hai-Wei. tt takes long enough
y build them to justify us in commen,
ing the work now, so that they be al
y ready constructed and we may be read
y If we get into any difficulty.
D UNDER SHERIFFs HAMMER.
= Sheriff Finn Saturday afternoo