The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1899-03-02
PRICE OF ARMOR
PLATE REDUCED
Senate Refuses to Pay Over $500 Per
Ton.
PLANT WILL BE ERECTED
II Manufacturers Refuse to Accept This
Figure Tor the Product.
SENATOR TILLMAN LEAD FIGHT
Declared That the Government is Be-
ing Robbed, and Charged the
House With Being an Ac-
complete in Crime.
SENATOR TILLMAN LEAD FIGHT

Washington, March 1.-The senate is rap
Idly clearing its decks for final adjourn
ment. The naval appropriation bill which
ordinarily consumes the time of the senate
for several days was passed this afternoon
after less than five hours of debate. In
that time, however, it was amended radi-
cally in one respect. The price to be paid
by the government for armor plate was
| fixed in the bill at $500 a ton, reduction
of the amount fixed by the house of $l45
ton. In addition the secretary of the
navy was authorized in the event of re-
fusal of the armor plate companies to sup
ply. armor at $500 a ton, to proceed to the
construction OF an armor factory to cost
81 800 900 and placing in the secretary's con-
troll $1,000. 600 with which to operate the
government plant The fight for these
amendments was led by Mr.. Tillman of
South Carolina, who made Characters
tically sensational speech.
The senate adopted resolutions of regret
at the death of Lord Herschell and con-
cluded the days session by pronouncing
eulogies upon the late Representative Ding
ley.
Pay for the Phil. ppines
One of the first acts today was the con-
sideration of the bill carrying s20,OOO.OoO
with which to pay Spain for relinquish-
ment of the Philippines in the treaty of
Paris.
Mr.. Allison, of Iowa, reported the meas
ure from the committee on appropriations
and asked for its immediate consideration.
The bill was laid before the senate and in
half a minute was passed without word
of debate.
A bill was also passed granting to the
Mussel Shoals Power company right to
erect and construct canal and power sta
tions at Mussel Shoals, Ala.
A bill authorizing the Fort Smith and
Western Railroad company to construct
and operate railway through the Choctaw
and Creek nations in the Indian Territory
was passed.
Mr.. Allen, of Nebraska, called up the
resolution of Mr.. Vest in relation to the ac-
QUESTION of foreign territory by the United
States, and delivered upon it his vaedic-
tory. Six years ago, he said, he had en-
tered the senate chamber as the single
member in this body of a new political
party. ITO be pioneer of new national
party" said he, was by no means an easy
task" But he would retire from the senate
with the consciousness of having done his
duty as best he could and of not having
committed an act or said a word that he
would not repeat In like circumstances
A Product of the West
He had lived, he said, for forty years in
the west, and was essentially a product of
that region. He would return to it with
gladness and take up his work among his
friends of a life time. He acknowledged a
debt of gratitude to many of his colleagues
and to Vice Presidents Stevenson and Ho-
bart for their uniform and courteous treat
ment and rulings.
Mr.. Tillman secured the adoption of
- thn atort Of
war to loan the confederates at their reun-
ion in Charleston 10000 cots, 10000 mat
tresses and 1000 tents.
Consideration of the naval appropriation
bill was then begun, the amendments of
the committee being acted upon as the
meaSure was read
The reading of the bill was concluded at
1850 D. M, all the committee having agreed
to the course of the reading.
After some formal amendments were Of
fered by the committee and agreed to Mr..
Ray Delaware, called attention to pro-
vision of the bill appropriating $10O0,00O for
the purchase and manufacture of smokeless
powder He deemed 1t a policy of our peo-
pie not to bring the government into COM
petition with private industry. He there
fore offered an amendment providing that
not more than $150,O00 of the sum should be
expended in manufacture.
The Amendment Accepted
Mr.. Hale accepted the amendment ana IL
was agreed to.
ing the secretary of the navy to contract
for two submarine boats Of the Holland
type at a cost not to exceed $685. 600 each.
The secretary of the navy was authorized
to appoint a board to consider the desira-
bility of constructing dry dock at Key
West or near by waters.
The controversy over the price or armor
plate was then precipitated by Mr., Tlllman,
who offered an amendment reducing the
price fixed by the bill from $445 per ton to
$780, -
Speaking to his amendment, Mr. Tillman
declared that millions of dollars were peing
souandered by the government In feather
Inc the nests of the armor trust and he
felt that the senate and country ought to
know what kind of steal was going on
He said in the course of his speech that
he proposed an alternative proposition 10
establish a government armor plant so that
tho United States could say to the armor
trust that If II did not supply armor at
proper price the government would manu-
facture its own armor. He said 1t was
narfectlv evident that the two Pennsyl-
va MIA armor plants had pull, Whatever
that might mean" in the other mouse OF
congress and were able to hold up the price
of armor.
Colloquy with Gallinger
Mr. Tilman became involved IN a SHARP
colloauy with Mr.. Gallinger over the SUD-
ject of doing government work IN private
or in government factories. The latter
maintained the navy department had held
that its work could be done cheaper by
private concerns than by the government
and that accounted for the fact that pri-
yate ship yards were busy and government
ship yards idle
Mr.. Tillman favored the doing of the
work by the government, even at an in
creased price, for then labor and not CAPT.
tai would receive the benefits.
why" he demanded, "are we to yield
to these armor thieves, these robbers? Are
we to permit these people to order us to
stand and deliver? have deemed 1t my
duty 70 nrofact the country AGAINST these