The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-05-12
Efforts of Germany to Secure Danish
West Indies and Colonixe Brazil
Menace to This Country.
GREATER Ivy NECESSARY
IF WE ARE TO COMMAND GATEWAY
TO NICARAGUAN CANAL.
To Stop Building Ships Now Would
BE to Court Loss of Prestige
When the Crisis Comes.


priation bill by the Senate. but after an
all-day discussion an agreement was
reached to vote on the armor plate section
at 3 o'clock tomorrow afternoon. During
to-day's discussion a notable speech was
delivered by Mr.. Lodge, of Massachusetts,
on the necessity of building up the United
States navy without delay. The speech
was delivered with the vigor and earnest
ness characteristic of Mr.. Lodges discus
sion of public questions and attracted
much attention. Mr.. Daniel, Of Virginia,
presented an extended argument in sup
port of the immediate construction by the
government of an armor factory, while Mr..
Allison, of Iowa, opposed the project of
government armor factory on the score
of economy.
At the conclusion of routine business the
Senate proceeded to the consideration of
the naval appropriation bill. the pending
question being the amendment of Mr.. Till
man, of South Carolina. providing for a
straight price of $500 per ton for an armor
plate factory to be built by the govern
ment at cost not to exceed 100000.
Mr. Lodge, speaking In opposition to the
amendment said that for the past three
years the senator's from South Carolina
Chandler), had been endeavoring to get
armor at low price. The net result of
their work had been to put stop to the
construction of navy. The amendment of
Mr.. Tillman, he said, would absolutely stop
the building of ships He had no prejudice
against government armor plant Indeed,
he was not at all assured that il would not
have been better in the beginning of the
construction of our new navy TO erect an
armor plant To stop the building of all
ships until the armor plant could be
erected, would, he thought, be fatal mis-
take.
SAFETY LIES IN STRENGTH
my reasons for desiring more ships"
said he, land desiring them quickly. is my
belief that the safety of the United States
depends on the strength of our navy. We
do not need the navy for the protection of
our insular possessions. The danger lies
in our own great coast line and in the de-
Tense of the Monroe doctrine in this hemi-
sphere. Our Atlantic coast is studded with
cities from the north to the Gulf of Mexico.
For the defense of this great gulf line and
cities we have no adequate gulf fleet. To
enter upon the construction of an isthmian
canal, whether II will be better to fortify
that canal or not, is yet an open question.
But to control that canal, to defend it, to
hold it open for our commerce and the
commerce of the world even though Ii be
against an enemy's fleet we must be the
naval masters of the Caribbean sea. We
must have far more powerful fleet than
we have to-day The safety of the canal
depends on our fleet. All admit that the
canal ought TO be built and the time is near
when the work will be begun. If we are to
protect the canal as well own coast,
we must have navy proportionately
strong.
81 hope and believe" he continued, that
we shall have no war, but great fleet is
We would be foolish, indeed, If we should
close our eyes to the possibilities of the sit
uation. We could never allow the Danish
islands to pass into any other hand than
ours The European nation which should
undertake to take possession of those is
lands right on the road to the canal and to
make of them great naval stations would,
by that very act, become an enemy of ours.
We could submit TO no such thing as that
The Monroe doctrine is a great protection
to the United States. Men of all parties
Democrats, Republicans and Populists-
without distinction, adhere to that.
GERMANY A MENACE.
81 am by no means sure that some Eu-
ropean nation (perhaps one whose navy is
now receiving such rapid increase) may not
test the Monroe doctrine. We may be called
on to protect that doctrine in Brazil or in
some other South American country. l am
not coniuring up fancies. but II believe the
way to preserve peace is to have such
navy as no power in the world would care
to encounter
Mr.. Lodge did not think there was any
body who did not believe in the construc-
ton of navy powerful enough to defend
our coast line, and the Monroe doctrine.
That was one question on which the Amerf-
can people were agreed He wanted the
Navy Department to be able to proceed
with the building of authorized ships. Al
ready too much time had been lost. If the
Monroe doctrine should be endangered,
if our coast should be threatened, we
should be prepared. If we were not pre-
pared, he said, it would be weak excuse
that we had been engaged In throttling an
egregious monopoly. He urged that no
further obstacle should be placed in the
way of the navy's construction.
In a colloquy with Mr.. Lodge. Mr.. Till
man said that it was well known that the
navy of the United States was superior to
that of Germany. Mr.. Lodge, agreeing in
part with Mr.. Tillman's statements,
pointed to the great increase that was now
being made to the German navy. If the
senator thinks" said Mr.. Lodge. there is
no danger to be apprehended, fear he un-
derrates the Importance of the subject-a
subject to which I have given much
thought and consideration
Mr. Bacon advocated the construction OF
a government factory because he believed
IL would be protection of the interests of
the United States. He also strongly adj
v0cated the proposed increase III the navy.
MIR. DANIELS VIEWS.
Mr.. Daniel favored a government armor
plant but declared that armor was no
longer in the ascendant as a means of de-
Tense We have guns, he said. that shoot
through the best armor made. 1T is evil
dent in this condition of affairs he said.
that the armored battleship cannot be
regarded longer as the king of the ocean.
The gun has superseded the armor. 1t is
a question whether. in view of the wonder
full work of these soft-nosed shells. which
not only penetrate the armor. but go
through the ship and out on the other side,
We should build any more of these iron
candle boxes" Continuing. he said; No
fact is better known than that the United
States will fight for the Monroe doctrine.
and IL is we'll known, too, that fight with
the United States is a mighty serious bust
ness, in which any nation Is likely TO be
worsted." While he was In favor of a
great navy. he was not an alarmist to
war, because" said he. Il believe in the
seeking trouble with the United States. /
would not consent to buy another piece of
armor from the trust. We have no enemies
abroad so dangerous as those among our
selves. i would build. an armor plant now,
and / would let the battleships wait for
their armor until we could make it,"
Mr. Penrose offered an amendment au-
thorizing the secretary of the navy to pro-
cure the best quality of armor for the bat
tleships Maine. Ohio and Missouri at $50
a long ton, including ROYALTIES He de-
nounced what he termed the reckless and
unwarranted assertions made by senators
concerning the manufacturers OF armor