The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-01-24

priations. there was an urgent deficiency
Dill which carried over four million dol
lars, and second deficiency bill which
carried S35G.Gu9 and then a third which
carried S645,000; so that the bill of last
| year was not thirteen million dollars
larger than the whole sum appropriated
| for the navy for the current year. but was
S7,S64,O0O larger.
Now, what | want to emphasize. Mr..
| Chairman, is the fact that year by year.
and every year IL seems there is this in
| crease in these bills for the benefit of the
| ravy. an increase this year Of $l2.00O0oO
| in round numbers. al increase of last year
of nearly sS,oo0,000 after the amounts ap-
| propriated in the deficiency bills arc taken
| into account.
1T is for gentlemen on the other side.
| il they desire to do it. to explain why and
| how these great increases have arisen.
have not taken the flocr for the purpose of
entering into details in these approprla-
| tioDs. / am content to call attention to
| the fact that this is the largest Apprc-
| priation bill ever brought into this Con-
gress for the benefit OF the navy. BY s1..-
| O00.n00 The bill that 1t surpasses by Sl2,-
000.000 was s13,eO0. 900 larger than the ap-
proprlations for the year preceding; so
| that this bill has grown more than $25. .O0O,-
| 600 beyond the bill OF two years ago. These
| hgures are enough to challenge the at
| tention of the country. My only object in
| getting the floor is to call attention to
| the enormous increase of the appropria-
tion of money from the Treasury Of the
! United States. II we were engaged in
war We might expect this increase.
"Since this Administration came into
power the appropriations for the navy
| have increased more than three-fold. IL |
am not mistaken, although | have not the
exact amounts before me. It is all right.
| II gentlemen on the other side want to
convince the country that it is right and
proper to make these appropriations. but
call attention to them, and leave the
! fact with them and their constituents. |
now yield back the remainder OF my time
| to the gentleman from Louisiana"
4 National Epoch.
| Mr. Wheeler vas recognized and ad-
dressed the Chair in support of TIE bill.
lie said ia part:
Mr.. Chairman, there are sometimes
epochs in the lives of nations. as there
are in the lives Of men. that change and
give color to their future history and
I destiny. AS to whether or not such an
epoch now confronts the American people
is question about which gentlemen will
differ. But since some of my colleagues
on both sides of the Chamber have seen
proper to criticise the attitude OF the
committee in the upbuilding of the
American Navy, l feel compelled to state
my position upon the question. extreme
as I regret to find myself considered by
those familiar with my attitude. | am
an advocate of the construction of a
great American Navy. l am persuaded
that | am correct in this view for l am
fortified in my judgment by the wisdom
and the teachings Of many OF the Demo-
cratic fathers. Ii has ever been the policy
of The Democratic party of America to
oppose standing armies. but to advocate
the construction of great nayies.
1T is. in my judgment. the sheerest
folly for gentlemen to contend that they
favor moderate navy or reasonable
navy. We must be able to meet the great
est enemy that the country will ever be
confronted with. or We must take our
place among those peoples whose volup-
tuouS decadence renders them unable to
meet their foes in arms. We must be pre-
pared to meet all comers, or we must per-
force content ourselves With accepting
such humilating terms as may be die
tated by our mere powerful or wariike
opponents.
Had the American people been pre-
pared with a navy we should never have
been compelled to submit to the humlliat-
ing and disgracefu spectacle of having
the National Cepitol pundered and burned
above our heaes. Had We been prepared
with proper navy We should never have
presented tho spectacle 10 the nations of
the world Of one Of the mightiest people
the sun mas ever seenN being plundered
and pilaged on the high seas by a few
pirates in Europe, bidding defiance to the
American people for years and years. and
actually exactiEg tribute from us Had
We been prepared with a proper navy
when the declaration was made to Spain
that the President CT the United States
was directed to intervene With force. il
need be. in the affairs Of the unhappy ISL
and of Cuba. there would not have been a
shot fired or q battle fought | am In favor
OF first-class navy, because every battle
ship is a floating fortress which can be
moved from place to place, saving the mil
lions of dollars that we dump into the
sand banks along the harbors OF our coun-
try.
Sir, without attempting to occupy the
time OF the committee at any length. |
wish TO read q statement that think will
commend itself to some of the Democrats
in this House. il not to gentlemen on the
other side. Mr.. Calhoun should be rea-
sonGbly good authority to any Democrat,
and as far back as 1916. in the discussion
of this very question. he defined the posi-
tion of himself and his colleagues en- the
subject of the construction of q navy. and
those of us who are charged with being
extremists. because. forsooth we desire
to see the American flag powerful enough
on every sea to guarantee protection to
its citizens, wherever they may be
found, may well consider his utterances
And so. Mr.. Chairman. those of us who
believe in an efficient navy and not an
efficient navy in any restrictive sense but
navy that will carry respect. and, if
need be, terror, to any enemy that may
meet US on the ocean. are in line with the
policy of our party. There Is not man
in the american Republic today who has
a greater respect than | for the distfn-
gushed Democrat who about a decade ago
la id the plan for the reconstruction of the
American Navy along present lines
But, sir 1t is not to the amount but
the character of the appropriations to
which gentlemen should bring their at
ten~bn. 1t matters not how much money
q supply bill carries if the money is wise
ly and judiciously expended II is a IN re
healthful appropriation than a nigeardly
one, measured up in such a way as not
to supply the needs Of the service. | th,nd
there should be no restriction upon the
subject Of the navy. l do not mean to
say that / agree fully with every item in
this bill. | have not had the opportunity
to familiarize myself with all its rrOvis-
ions. In the main, | believe il to be COR
rect. There may be some items that are
too large. Doubtless there are. But taxi
ing it as a whole that portion of II de-
voted to the reconstruction Of our navy
yards and to the rebuilding and repairing
of ships, and toward the construction OF
new ships, am satisfied that every dollar
of It, il wisely appro onrlate1 and honestly
expended, viii be for rehabilitation of
the American Navy.