The times., 1899-03-03
cRIPPLING THE NAVY.
General Disgust Over the Attempted
! Arrest of Our Sen Power.

Officials of the Navy Department, from
Secretary Long down. are indignant at the
action of the Senate Committee on Naval
Affairs in cutting down the estimates In
the Naval appropriation bill, which was
passed by the Senate Wednesday and is
now i'll conference. The Secretary of the
Navy is eXerting himself in every way TO
have the estimates restored in part al
least and he has the support of all who
are interested in the future Of the navy.
He has addressed communications to the
Naval Committee of both the Senate and
House. calling attention to the disastrous
effect the reduction will have on the plans
of the department, and yesterday he spent
over an hour with President Mckinley at
the White House talking over the meas
ure.
According to the views of naval officials,
the bill as passed will necessitate prac-
tically the abandonment of the North At
lantic Squadron. The estimates which the
Secretary of the Navy submitted to Con-
gress provided for 10000 sailors. and that
estimate was cut down to 1900. There
are now $4,000 sailors In the navy, and.
according to the terms of the bill. 5000 of
those will have to be discharged. This will
compel the department to put number of
the ships in the North Atlantic Squadron
out Of commission.
In view of the conditions in Asiatc
waters it is regarded as out Of the ques-
tion to reduce the fleet under Admiral
Dewey. He not only needs all the vessels
which he now has. but the department
would like to send him more If it were
possible. The Pacific station now has only
one ship, the Philadelphia. and the South
Atlantic and European stations have been
abandoned. Reduction is only possible in
the North Atlantic squadron under the
circumstances. and unless the Naval appro-
priation bill is materially changed before
| 1t is passed finally that squadron will have
! to suffer.
The reduction in the number of ships
and men will interfere seriously with naval
maneuvers during the year, and this is
regretted by department officials. The
| value of such drills was demonstrated dur
ing the war with Spain. where the train
ing and discipline of the sailors stood the
| country in such good stead and it is
! thought that they should be kept MP.
Another difficulty which cannot be over
| come without further legislation is the
| lack of men to man new ships as they are
| turned over to the Government by the
| builders. Those additions to the navy
which will be completed this year will be
/ practically of no value because there will
not be any sailors for them.
! The matter of ships armor, 100, under
the provisions of the bill as passed by the
| Senate, Will cause complications. The
bill provides that no ships shall be built
until the armor is contracted for, and il
also fixes the price TO be paid for ;rmor
plate at 5000 ton. Naval officials declare
that armor cannot be purchased for such
| a price, and that the bill precludes the
further construction of war vessels by the
department.
The provision for a Government armor
plant, to be constructed in the event OF
the failure of the department to secure
armor at the price stated does not help
matters. The plant could not be erected
within two years, and the maximum cost
of the plant as fixed by the bill is said
! to be less than half what naval experts
have declared would be absolutely neces-
sary.
1t is believed, however. that the bill
will be put in a more satisfactory shape
by the conference committees of the two
houses. The Secretary of the Navy has
been vehement in his declarations. bott
TO the President and the Naval Affair:
Committees. and it is thought that the in.
fluence of the Administration will bs
brought to bear on the matter and thai
a more favorable bill will result.