The National tribune., 1900-05-17
In CONGRESS.
Synopsis of the More important
Proceedings of Both Houses.

In the Senate on Tuesday the Nava
appropriation bill was considered. As pc
the Senate action cadets in the Nava
Academy must serve their six years before
receiving their commissions. a vigorous
fight was made TO cut down the term t.
four Years. but the effect was unsuccessful
the vote in favor of the six years term being
10 yeas TO - nays.
The discussion gave Mr.. I'illman al
opportunity for characteristic talk. Has
not the Senator realized long since" he
remarked TO Senator Foraker. who op
posed the striking out of the House pro
vision providing for the aholishment of the
two Years sea-course, that the social
functions OF this Capital and the influence
of the Navy over Senators and others are
paramount, and the man who will do his
duty as an officer is as scarce as hens
! teeth?"
But" replied Mr. Foraker, "the Admiral
OF the Bureau OF Navigation. the Superin =
tendcnt of the Academy and the Board OF
| Visitors have recommended the discon-
| tlnuance OF the two years course"
They recommend everything" answer
ed MIR. 1illman, scornfully. 81 am going
| down to the Academy myself, and if they
give me punch enough, l suppose | will
| recommend that the cadets go to sea as
| Captains without preliminary training"
| Again Senator Foraker called attention
to the recommendations of the naval off
GERS. Il was not aware of the fact, and
it would have made no difference if | had
been," warmly replied Mr.. IiIlman. "I
am not here to receive orders and sugges-
tons from the Navy Department as to
my duty. l investigate matters for my
self, and | generally have manhood and
intelligence enough, l think, to make up
my mind and defend my position. | do
not ask any Admiral or anybody else to
tell me how | shall vote here"
Senator Daniel referred to a statement
that had been made that there were 600
officers on shore duty, and asked what
they were doing. 'If you'll tell me, will
take great pleasure in telling you," quickly
replied Mr.. Tillman, amid laughter Il do
not think anybody can find out that they
are protitably or even reasonably EN-
ployed. If the Senator will offer a reso-
ton OF inquiry calling upon the Secretary
Of the Navy to inform us what these men
are doing, | think he will find out that
they are not doing anything except drawing
their salaries and sitting around Navy
Yards in handsome houses. They are
doing absolutely nothing. Half of the men
could not be on shore unless there is some
favoritism at the bottom of it,"
Il will ask the Senator if he has any conf
dence in any class of humanity" inquired
Mr.. Foraker.
81 have as much in naval officers as in
any pOus SLot, iSNttt1 lUlIn.-N. Il
have great deal more confidence in naval
officers" he added laughingly, than
have Il Senator'S"
Mr.. Tfllman's objection to the House
provision was also based on the immense
responsibility devolving upon officers in
care of great battleships and cruisers,
and he did not approve of sending to sea
"greenhorns" in charge of property worth
millions and millions of dollars.
In opposing the amendment. Senator
Foraker said that it was an injustice to
the cadets TO make them wait two years
after graduation before they received their
commissions. In answer to a question bv
Mr. Lindsay, he said the Navy now was
short OF officers. He believed that they
ought to be given their commissions when
they were sent to sea after graduation.
Mr.. Hale, in charge of the bill, said
there were enough officers to man the
vessels of the Navy, if SO many of them
clared that the amendment was the best
piece Of legislation he had seen in many
a year. 1t would absolutely prevent a !
hump in the naval list, and by gradual |
and steady flow increase the number of |
officers in the Navy, every one of whom
would have had full six years course of |
for his life work. The de- |
feat Of the amendment would, he feared, |
give the country a "land navy"
instead OF the provision stricken out. |
the Committee had reported the following.
whenever any naval cadet shall have |
finished four years Of his undergraduate
course of six years an additional appoint |
ment may be made from his Congressional
District or at large in accordance with |
with existing law"
This was now accepted.
In the House most of the day was de- |
voted to the consideration of private bills |
reported from the Committee on Claims.
Inch of
periments demonstrating that a certain |
projectiIe possessed a |
power OF penetration of arnor greater than
yet previously discovered, and the experi |
ments regarding which have been made by |
Navy officials.
Routine matters occupied the Senate on
Thursday In the House by the narrow
margin of two votes Mr.. Crawford, of North |
Carolina, Democrat, was unseated and his |
place given to Mr.. Pearson, who was a |
member Of the 54th and 55th Congresses.
The Senate on Friday considered the
naval appropriation bill.
Senator Lodge created a sensation by
declaring that the United States must |
be prepared to defend the Monroe Doctrine
at the cost Of war. Mr. Lodges speech
was delivered in the course of the debate upon
Lhc cost Of armor plate furnished the Gov
He said in part:
My reason for desiring more ships, and |
Tor desiring more ships quickly, is because
think the safety of the United States rests
upon It's naval strength. 1t is not the out
come of our new possessions that am led |
TO urge this; far from it. ] do not think
a single one of the new possessions we have
adds TO or diminishes the need OF a powerful |
navy.
"The danger to the United States lies
where it has always lain, in its own coasts. |
and in the interests which it must always
protect in this hemisphere. We have the |
largest coastline of any Nation in the |
world, and one Of the smallest fleets. Our
Atlantic coast is studded from New Or
leans TO the extreme boundary of Maine
with cities large and small. The whole of
that great Atlantic coast must be defended. |
and we have no adequate feet
"in the second place, We are about to
undertake the construction of an iSthrlian
canal. Whether il is well to fortify a canal, |
or whether it is better to leave it unfortified,
as the military and naval experts generally
agree, 1t Is not necessary for me to discuss |
To control that canal, to defend it, to hold it |
open for our commerce and the commerce
OF the world, even against an eneny's
feet, we must be masters OF the Caribbean
Sea. For that purpose alone we must have
a far more powerful feet than we have to-
day, because the safety Of the canal will rest
upon the American fleet.
Il hope and believe that there will be no
wars with any one. But we should be fool
iCh inJan5 f,f-a alo