The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-04-02


cruisers to cost. exclusive of armament,
not to exceed s.. 0c0 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, dur
ing the course of which strong lam
guage was used. 1t was lost-60-90.
Mr.. Steele (Rep. Ind) moved to de-
crease the number of battleships from
| three to two.
| Much bad temper was displayed as
| the debate proceeded. Mr. Boutelle,
after Mr.. Steele had withdrawn a mo-
/ ton to close the debate said: Il did
not know but that the gentleman had
withdrawn my BILL" Gaughter.)
Il think every member upon this
/ floor" replied Mr.. Steele. has 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/ better if it had been withdrawn from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.)
VAIN DIPLOMACY.
Mr.. De Almond Dem, MOI at this
| juncture got the floor with a speech
that attracted much attention. He called
UPON the administration to take the ag-
| gressive. The Maine, he said, had been
| blown w in a harbor supposed to be
friendly. There was great danger now.
he declared. in trusting to diplomacy
rather than to our own strong arm. The
great question now, he said, was to stop
the hostile fleet approaching our shores.
If we were depending upon diplomacy.
it would prove a broken rod. The best
protection, he said, was aggression, not
to wait idly resting uDon hopes that
had no foundation. He declared that
we should strike while we had the ad-
vantage. War between nations was not
fnfa
gladiators. The victory belonged in
war to the country that best and first
prepared for it, and, seeing further in
the future, struck first where the blow
would prove most effective. Let us
protect ourselves" continued Mr.. De
Almond, "by striking before we are
stricken. (Applause.) Let us not wait.
We have waited too long. l hope that
proper measures of energy are on foot
and that what l apprehend as danger
will be avoided.
VALUE OF TORPEDO BOAT.
Il listened with interest to the re-
marks about the wonder of marine
naval architecture, the Holland boat,
which. under the water of bay or ocean,
may move silently, swiftly, unseen on
its errand of destruction. If war should
occur, It will soon be demonstrated
what the value of the modern battle
ship 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
These little boats can be prepared
quickly, whether quickly enough l do
not know, but amendment and legisla-
ton in the direction of preparing that
which can be prepared quickly. and,
above all, use of that which we have,
will go far to render these magnificent
battleships useless in the future.
DANGER Is CLOSE.
But, above all things, let me again
endeavor to impress upon the house
that the danger to be provided against
is the danger which menaces US now.
Every hour and every moment across
the waters of the Atlantic is coming
that danger. Every hour and every mo-
ment II is closer to us, and every hour
and every moment we are less secure
in consequence of it. / hope that those
who have influence, that those who
have the ear of the agency now direct
ing and controlling the government,
largely to the exclusion of the legisla-
tive branch, may exert that influence,
that what has been done ought to be
done for our protection, that it may
be done without further delay" ZAP
plause)
After several hours of wrangling,
during 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 tor
pedo boat destroyers 20 u each. 1t was
defeated-7S-124
ARMoR PLATE.
Mr.. Underwood Dem, Ala) offered
an amendment appropriating 100000
for the establishment of a government
armor plate factory. He did not think
1t proper, with war cloud over the
country, to criticise the price fixed in
the bill for arnor plate. but his amend
ment looked to the future.
Before the battleships authorized in
the bill were completed, the government
could save the extortion TO " hich il was
now subjected. He went briefly into the
results o. the government lnvestiga- /
ton of the cost of armor plate, to show
that the manufacturers had mulcted the |
government. The amendment was ruled /
out on point of order.
An amendment to reduce the cost of T,
armOr plate to $500 per ton was de- |
feated. This COMPLETED the bill. and |
il was reported TO the house and passed. !
Then, at 6 y. m, the house adjourned |
until Monday.