Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1899-04-13
Especial Correspondence.


Especial Correspondence
Philadelphia, April 1l.-President
Mckinley has acceeded to the re-
quest of Colonel Quay and announces
that one of the three new battleships
OF the first class, authorized by the
last congress shall be named Penn
sylvania. When he started out to Sc
cure this honor for his native state
Senator Quay found that for the last
of the unchristened ships of war the
name of Ohio had been determined
upon. To this, as it was the name OF
the presidents own state, Colonel
Quay could not well object. He Sc
cured promise from President Nc
Kinley that Pennsylvania should be
next favored, and the president has
carried out this pledge by his last Of
fetal annonn" ent The naval ap-
prop lem of the last congress
prov. - for three battleships, three
armOred cruisers and six unprotected
cruisers. New York, always eager for
full consideration, failed In an effort
to draw prize this time. The first of
the big battleships the president de-
cided shall be named Pennsylvania,
and the others shall be known as the
New Jersey and the Georgia. The three
armored cruisers shall be christened
West Virginia, Nebraska and Cali
fornia, and the smaller cruisers will be
known as Denver, Des Moines, Chatta-
nooga. Galveston, Tacoma and Cleve-
land. Considerable pressure was brought
to bear upon the president and Secre-
tary Long by the officials of different
states and cities, and q number have
been disappointed. The president and
secretary are endeavoring. however, to
equalize the distribution of the names
among the several sections of the
country. The armored cruisers have
been named after states for the reason
that they are believed to come within
the provision of the law requiring
vessels OF the first class" to be named
ster states OF the Union.
QUAY ON THE BATTLESHIP.
Commenting upon the action of the
president, Senator Quay said yester-
dss: Il am glad President Mckinney
has thus honored our state. When we
started out to get this battleship it
was with the view OF making 1t the
most formidable ship of war afioat, and
to have it represent in every way the
patriotism and the industrial great
ness of the Keystone state. The presi-
dent assured me when the subject was
first broached that he was in thorough
accord with the project and that I'VE
would not have to walt long before
our hopes would be realized. 1t is un-
derstood that the vessel shall be built
on the Delaware by the Cramps and
that her armor plate shall come from
the great steel and iron plants in
western and central Pennsylvania, and
that the great gunmakers at Bethe-
lehem shall furnish her batteries. As
far as possible, the furnishings and
equipments shall be obtained from
Pennsylvania manufacturing establish
ments. The launching of this splendid
craft should be made gala occasion
in the old Keystone state"
The state has been sadly neglected
in the naming of warships. Some years
ago, when we were beginning to build
this new navy of ours, cruiser was
named after Philadelphia. She was
then considered fine ship, although
or the unprotected class, but with the
present day monsters she bears no
comparison, and yet this one little
cruiser now at Samoa alone has rep
resented Pennsylvania. The state of
New York is recognized by SIMPSONS
and Schley's fiagships---the New York
and Brooklyn-and the cruisers Buf-
falo and Albany. Massachusetts has a
magnificent battleship, splendid crni-
sers in the Boston and Hiarblehead,
and gunboats named aft .r Nantucket
and Gloucester. There is the battleship
Illinois and the cruiser Chicago, while
Alabama has battleship and cruiser
called the Montgomery. And so 1t
goes.
The time has come when Pennsyl-
vania should be given full recognition.
The finest of ships are built here on
the Delaware, and the armor plates are
made here In Pennsylvania. This state
turns out everything that goes to
make up ship of war, including en-
gines and guns. 1t is but fitting. there
fore. that ,nnsylvania, the great
center OF snip building, should be
awarded battleship, and it is not too
much TO ask that Pittsburg, the center
OF the iron and steel industry, shall
have cruiser named after it in ad-
dition.
We have waited long time for a
but when the Pennsylvania
goes INTO commission we shall have the
of knowing that there Is
nothing finer afloat and the keystone
state will owe another debt to Senator
Quay.
MARTIN TURNED DOWN.
There has been little of political in
terest here during the last week further
than the action of the new mayor, Mr..
Ashbridge, in making sweeping
changes In the police department.
These are mostly demotions of men
who were promoted by Mayor Warwick
Just before his retirement from office.
at the dictatiOn of David Martin.
Ashbridge. by his first official acts.
has demonstrated that it is his pur-
pose to be mayor of Philadelphia,
without having to submit his appoint
ments to David Martin or any other
political boss He will not permit as