The Portland daily press., 1899-03-02

trfhtmen and rulings. MIR. Allen reviewed
tie work of Congress during his term in
ed as the mistakes OF roth Democrats and
Republicans The following measures
were passed:
Joint resolution constituting the act ap-
proved June "a, 1890, entitled, IAN aot
| granted pensions to soldiers and sailors
who are incapaciated for the performance
| OF manual labor and providing for PEN
sions to widows, minor children and de-
pendent parents;" for the allowance OF
certain claims reported by the accounting
Offices OF the treasury department, the
claims being known as the Fourth OF
July claims
Mr.. 1ilIman secured the adoption Of
resolution authorizing the secretary OF
war to loan to the executive COMMITTEES
Of the united Confederate veterans for
! their reunion to be held In Charleston
3. O.. on May 10, 1899, ten thousand cots.
ten thousand mattresses and two thou.
sand tents
Consideration of the naval appropri-
alton bill was then begun, the amend
| ments Of the committee being acted upon
as the measure WAS read.
The bill as passed by the House carried
$fs, 65s, which the Senate Increased
by u, 34s, 3Si.
MIR. Gray Of Delaware, called attention
TO provision of the bill appropriatlng
H,000,OO0 for the purchase ana manu-
facture of smokeless powder. de deemed
| IL n policy of our people not TO bring the
government into competition with pri-
vate industry. He offered an amendment
providing that not more than 81 100, QUO
Of the sum should be expended In man
ufacture. Mir. Hale said the committee
had been assured by the department that
the government had no Intention OF US.
| ing the full apl reputation for tine manu-
facutre OF powder, but probably not more
| than sl50,000. However, be accepted the
amendment and IL was agreed to.
Senator'S Frye, klKins and White were
appointed as oonferees on the river and
harbor bill.
Amendments to the naval bill were
agreed to as follows: Authorizing the
secretary OF the navy TO contract for two
submarine boats of the Holland type at
q cost not to exceed 81 50, 600 each; appro-
pristing S26, ,0O0 for the purchase OF ad-
iitional land for the Port Royal naval
station. MIR. Hanna offered an amend
ment authorizing the secretary OF the
navy to purchase from the Gathman Tor
pedo Gun company OF Chicago, the gun
equipment for one OF more OF the harbor
defense monitors, subject to the usual in
spection of the bureau OF ordnance at a
cost not exceeding s250,OO0
Mr.. Hanna said the invention to be
tilized under the amendment was the
| first that had ever been conceived for the
safe explosion of wet gun cotton. he
said the fuse had been declared by the
ordnance bureau OF the navy and army TO
De absolutely perfect and safe. He
thought the Invention would revolutionize
the contest now in progress between
hi1h explosives and the best known arma-
ment The amendment was agreed to.
Ihe secretary of the navy was autho-
rized to appoint commission TO report
on location for ooaling station on
. ha ugfN 10 lf nf -
to appoint board to consider the con
struction of dry dock in the Columbia
river; and to appoint a similar board to
consider the desirability of constructing
u dry dock at Key West or nearby waters.
The controversy over the price OF nrmor
plate was then precipitated by MIR. TIL
man, who offered an amendment reducing
the price fixed By the bill from s445 per
ton TO $500. MIR. Iillman declared that
millions of dollars were being squandered
by the government IN feathering the
nests OF the armor trust and he felt tina
the Senate and country ought TO know
what kind of a steal was going on.
He said that he proposed an alternative
proposition to establish government
armor plant, SO that the United States
could say to the armor trust that II II
did not supply armor at proper price
the government would manufacture its
own armor. He said 1t was perfectly
SNlutnU UIhb JHb LWu tnIbglNhblA
plants had "pull' whatever that might
mean in the other House of Congress and
were able 30 hold up the price of armor.
MIR. Tilman became involved in sharp
colloquy with Mr.. Gallinger over the sub
ject OF doing government work In private
or In government factories The Inter
maintained the navy department had
held that its work could be done cheaper
by private concerns than by the govern.
ment and that accounted for the fact that
private shipyards were busy and govern.
nent shipyards idle.
MIR. lillman favored the doing of the
work by the government, even at an in
creased price. for then labor ana not capi-
tai would receive the benefits
why" he demanded, ''are we to yield
tn these armor thieves, these robbers?
Are we to permit these people to order
us to stand and Leliverp'
Mr.. Chandler 0: New Hampshire, in
support Of the amendment, said the
Carnegie and Bethlehem factories were
In combination and together in combina-
tion with European manufacturers. They
were making desperate effort to hold
up the price of armor and the device had
been resorted to Of bringing forward a
new armor which they maintained could
not be manufactured for less than $40
a ton. be dii not propose, he said, to be
led away from his opinions by any such
statement. He did not believe tnat 1t
would cost 500 ton more TO nuke the
krnpp armor than to make the Harvey
ized armor. He would rather wait, be-
fore purchasing more armor, for another
careful investigation of the whole armor
plate question.
Mr. Iillm ans amendment was adopted
"a to 25, as follows:
Yeas-Messrs Allen, Bacon, Bate. Ber-
ry, Butler. Gallery. Chandler, Chiffon,
Clay, Cookrell Daniel. Hansbrough,
Harris. Kenney Kyle, Lindsay, Mallory,
Martin, Money, Pascoe, Pettigrew, Pet
tus Rawlins, koach. Ross, Stewart Sui
Ivan, Tillman. 1hurston, Iurley, Turn
er, Vest, Wellington, Wnite-34.
Nays-Messrs. Allison. Burrows, Car
ter, Clark Deboe Fairbanks, Faulkner,
Foraker, Gray, Hale, Hanna, Hawley,
Hoar, Mcbride, McEnery, Mcmillan.
Mantle. Penrose, Perkins, Platt of Con.
necticut, Proctor. Sewall, Shoup, Spoon
er. Teller. Marren.-26.
Mr. Butler of North Carolina then off
cred an amendment providing that If the
companies refused to accept $500 ton
the secretary OF the navy should proceed
to erect an armor factory at a cost of