Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-04-19
ANIMATED DEBATE IN HOUSE
Providing for Officials in Porto
Rico.
ON THE ALASKA n BILL

when the House resumed the considera-
ton of the naval appropriation bill today
a point of order, raised by Mr. Cannon,
chairman of the appropriations committee,
was pending against the appropriation OF
J0ua for the Naval Academy at Annap-
oils Decision upon it was waived tenn
porarily and the section relating to ocean
and lake surveys. which was passed over
yesterday. was taken up under an arrange
nleut for an hours debate on each side.
Mr. Cannon offered as an amendment to
:ha section (which appropriated $lo,o1 for
surveys of the Island of Guam, Hawaii,
Philippines. Porto Rico and Cuba and chart
ing the Instructions of the great lakes@
simple provision appropriating Slo.HD for
continuing ocean surveys
Mr. Moody (MasS.D advocated the amend
nent He pointed out that the proposition
In the bill was designed to create rival OF
th. coast and geodetic survey in therNaNy
Department. The navy had sought many
times to control it. Commissions had been
appointed. but all of them had reported
against it. To place a portion of the work
snder the control of the military. he said
would be the first step in the wrong direc-
tipn. and should be resisted to the end To
yield would be to ircur the first danger of
milItariSm. SO much dreaded. Coast survey
work properly belonged to the sphere Of
civil life. He cited the case of the naval
observatory to prove that there was not
proper administration OF SCientifiC W0Fk I'M
der na=al officers. He contrasted the cost
of the work at the Greenwich and Harvard
obse<-vatnries with that at the naval obser-
yatory in Washington.
The work Of the naval observatory was,
he said. the laughing stock of the scientific
world. Every man to his own trade.
Survey of the Ocean.
Mr.. Foss replied that it was not the pur-
pose of the committee to abolish the coast
and seodetic survey, but simply to contine
it To the jurisdiction originally given it I'M
der the Revised Statutes. He contended that
the navy. from the days of John Paul
Jones. had always conducted the ocean sur
Neys- The right of the navy to make ocean
surveys and surveys of the islands of the
set had never been disputed hitherto. The
survey Of the harbor at Guam had already
been made under the direction of the Navy
Ieir'rtment. A vessel had been at work
along the coast of Porto Rico Several
small vessels were engaged in the work in
the Philippines Why should not the ships
on these stations do the work?
Mr. Corliss (Mich-) interrupted to say that
the navy for ten years had been duplicating
the WORK Of the War Department on the
great lakes.
Mr. FosS said he was not so much con-
cerHed with the great lakes as he was with
the w3lHrs of the islands of the seas where
our nfflcers were compelled to take our big
otIlle SIIS and be responsible for their
safely Was it fair to hold officers respon-
ciEillIns3 Every foreign navy in the world
made its OWN surveys
lively debate followed. Mr. McRaa
tArk) supported the amendment
Nj littletield tAieD opposed ii in A yieor
Gus speech, in which he eulogiZed the navy
and rebuked Mr.. Moody for ridicuIine Tho
WORK of naval officers at the naval obserya-
tory
MT Cummings On. " also opposed the
amendment. arguing that the PROPOSED sur
Neya should be made by the navy not bv
a seml-pciitical bureau like the coast and
geodeuc survey He poked fun at the SUI
Ieriuten"ent OF the survey, who, he said,
ofilcer Of the navy. He read a letter from
Il man now in the survey who had served
twenty years at sea The letter described
the work as pie"
Nobody knows anything but me-" 1t
SAM; Il am commanding officer. 1 was
only a boatswain in the navy"
Mr.. Cannon concluded the debate in favor
OF the amendment. The officers of the navy
were educated to fight, he said. not to per-
form civil duties.
Naval Officers in Civil Life.
'In the performance of civil duties" said
he. with great emphasis. they are the
most incompetent and the most expensive"
In the burst Of applause that followed this
utterance some one cried out something
about Dewey"
oh. | am not talking politics. respond
ed Mr.. Cannon. Il am talking dollars and
cents and an efficient survey. | am a great
adUlirer of Admiral Dewey and all the. other
officers and men who served in the Spanish
war l love them so well that when | see
men trying to set them to work at some
thing at which they cannot sustain them
selves / call halt daughter and ap-