Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1898-03-17
MORE BATTLESHIPS.
Three New Ones of the Stancheet
Type to Be Built.
OLD war CLAIMS UP IN THE HOUSE.
Senator Proctor IL Expected to MAKE .
Complete Report tn the President
About Cuba--Another Plan TO
Solve the Cuban Problem.

WASHINGTON, March 12,-Three new
battleships Of the stanchest type afioat
were authorized by the house commit
tee on naval affairs yesterday and
provision for their construction insert.
ed in the naval appropriation bill. At
the same time the committee agreed
on maximum price Of $500 per ton for
armor plate for our vessels, increased
the force Of naval marines 47S men,
and put matters in fair shape for q de-
cision to-day on the construction Of
dry docks, probably four in number,
capable Of accommodating the largest
size war vessels The new warships
provided for will be Of the finest pat
tern. 1t will be two years, doubtless,
before they can be placed in commits
sion. One Of them, the committee
decided, should bear the name Of the
Inflated Maine. The appropria-
ton for their construction was
not fixed, being referred to
the subcommittee on appropriations,
which will report to the full commit
tee to-day. The cost, it is expected,
will be about $5,OOO,OOO each, though
for the fiscal year covered in the bill
the amount of expenditure may not
exceed 81, 900, 900 each. An important
question was raised as to whether the
expenditures for the new ships should
be betrayed out OF the $50, 600, 900 emer.
gency bill, but this subject was passed
over. With the amounts to be paid
for dry docks and for armor plate in
the aggregate not yet determined, the
bill as it stands carries in all some
thing like 1886, 900, 900, which, however,
will be largely augmented by the other
items. Rapid progress has been made
with the bill, and it is likely it will be
In shape to report to the house Mon.
day or Tuesday
OLD WAR CLAIMS UP IN THE HOUSE.
WASHINGTON, March lathe bill to
pay the Bowman act claims, aggregat-
ing Sl,sO 100000, for stores and supplies
furnished the union army during the
war, was before the house yesterday,
but beyond completing the general de.
bate little progress was made. OF the
500 odd claims in the bill, oil but a few
come from the south, and dilatory tao
tics were resorted to to prevent prog
ress with the bill. During the filibus-
tering the house was in an uproar.
At five o'clock, after completing two
pages of the bill, the house recessed
until eight o'clock for an evening SEES
sion to be devoted to pension legisla-
ton. After The evening session the
house adjourned over until Monday.
Mr.. Dingley. the republican floor
leader. opposed the Bowman act in an
earnest speech. He insisted that mem
bers who imagined that the findings
of the court Of claims in these cases
constituted liability against the
government were mistaken. The court
simply found certain facts. He was
perfectly willing, he said, to take up
these claims separately and pass upon
their merits.
Mr.. Richardson, democrat, of Ten
nessee, in advocating the passage
of the bill, called attention to the fact
that 90 per cent. of the claims submit
ted to it were rejected. That was suf-
ticent evidence of the vigorous charac.
ter of the examination made by that
court. OF the original claimants re-
lieved by this bill, he said, IS per cent.
were dead
The chairman of the house military
affairs committee reported complete
agreement by the conferees on the
army appropriation bill and the house
agreed to the report without debate.
THE CUBAN PROBLEM.
WASHINGTON, March IL. The posi-
bility of any message from the presi-
dent going to congress this week has
been dispelled by the adjournment of
both houses to Monday. When they
reassemble the president will be pre-.
pared for action. Meanwhile Senator
Proctor, former secretary of war, who
went to Cuba, the semi-official char
acter of whose mission is now admitted,
will have arrived. He will before
Monday have an opportunity to make
a complete report to the president.
Another plan which has been presented
to the president, and which has re-
ceived the approval in a general way
OF leading men whose counsefs nave
weight with the administration, con.
templates giving to Cuba all Of the
rights, privileges and immunities en-
joyed by Canada, Spain reserv wing to
herself only such rights as England
exercises over her colonies.