The age-herald., 1900-06-09
THE ONLY DAILY NEWSPAPER IN ALABAMA
Armor Plate at Campaign Prices.

H.ItlUT tdlC al Odihput9h iiSSSs
 In the words of Senator Butler the 'loot' is about to begin. In all 37,o00 tons of ar nor plate are needed for vessels author ized. and at $545 a ton the profit in the manufacture of this immense amount is estimated at s7,0O0O0O. The Pennsylvania combine that bags S7OO0,00O in profits on a single contract will be expected to chip in single million of it to the good MT. Han- mas campaign fund. In round but un- doubted figures this is the bargain that has just been struck at the instance of and un- der the personal leadership of MT. Hanna by congress and the president The scape- goat in the case is to be Secretary of the Navy Long, for upon him rests the duty of buying the 37 ,OOO tons at what Pennsylvania Penrose's resolution calls "a reasonable and equitable" price. That price will be in all probability S545 a ton, and MT. Hanna will call for his million in advance. With the exception of Sugar McEnery of Louis jana the democrats of the senate voted solidly against the proposed footing of the treasury for the joint benefit of the Penn sylvania combine and the Hanna campaign fund.
 In the house MT. Underwood did all that democratic and minority representative could do to uncover and expose the scan- dal, although he had only fourteen minutes to do 1t in. But in that time he showed fbat ic the production of armor plate, as the re- pubcans would have the country believe there is. It is as plain and open as the production of rails for a railroad The cost known in each case accurately known. We compile from MT. Underwood's speech these items of cost in twenty-ton plate of 125,000 pounds: 50000 pounds of nickel scrap at $iO a ton; 6l,O0O pounds pig iron, muck bar and wash metal at s2o a tom and 22SO pounds of ferromanganese at $49 q ton. The total cost of materials that are put in a ton of plate amounts therefore to $3013; the materials used in its manipulation, such as fuel and the like, amount to $5675 a ton, and the labor cost is $43 65-making the actual cost of production s125 a ton. Inter- est, taxes and insurance might add 10 per cent. to this amount
 MT. Underwood was often interrupted by disputing Pennsylvania members, but he utilized these interruptions in showing that the cost figures presented by him were not his own figures, but that they are figures certified to by the secretary of the navy and officially sent to congress- He further showed that at a cost of $4, ,OO0, GOO the coun- try could be taken out of the hands of a grasping combine. For that sum it could build 6,000-ton armor plate plant accord ing to official statements and estimates. MT. Underwood urged that a 3,000-ton plant would be sufficient, and that it could be built at a cost of $3,OOoO0O.
 But the republican majority had deter mined to give the Carnegie concern the job without regard to cost of production or the peoples pockets, or of anything else in fact except the Hanna campaign fund MT. Underwood's figures were not refuted; they could not be: and the vote was taken, and Carnegie won. An appeal has been taken to the people, but the appeal will relate to contracts beyond the Carnegie or der for 37,OOO tons.