The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-05-04
SPANISHSH STARS
DON JuiAN D,AUsTRIA AND AL
 1CIRANTE ooUENDo.
TIT. wiley Speaks on Bill to Donate Nasts and to Reimburse State for Transporting Same From
 Navy Yard.

Tn the House of Representatives when the bill to donate the Spanish ma mas's ,,e ,o Wiley spoke on the bill, and It was passed by the House and will surely pass | the Senate.
 This extract is from the Congressional | Mir. wiley-I ask unanimous consent for \ the pres ent consideration of tne bill which | 1 send to the desk.
 | The bill (H. R. 10l4D to donate to the | State of Alabama the spars of the cap tured battleships Don Juan Il Austria ana Almirante Oquendo, was read as follows: | Be 1t enacted. etc. That the lower mast | taken by Capt. Richmond r. Hobson. or | the United States Navy. from the cap tured Spanish battleship Don Juan d Aus l trfa at Manila, and the topmast from | the Almirante Oquendo. at Santiago dc Cuba. be. and the same are hereby. do- l mated by the United States to the State of Alabama. to be used in the erection of l flagstaff on the capital grounds of said State as a perpetual mem Drial to the value of the American Navy.
 Sec. ?. That the State of Alabama be reimbursed the expense of transporting said n1asts from the navy-yard at Brook | lyn and Norfolk. respectively, to Mont | gomery, Ala. out of any money in the Treasury of the United States not other wise appropriated.
 The amendments reported by the Com mittec on Naval Affairs were read. as follows:
 .by Capt. Richard P. Hobson of the | United States Navy"
 l Strike out all of Section ?.
 There being no objection, the House pro- ceeded to the consideration of the bill. Mir. Wiley-Mr. Speaker, this bill was l introduced by me at an early day of the present session, authorizing the Secretary or the Navy to donate to the State of Alabama the Spanish masts taken from | the slnken ships Oquendo at Santiago and the Don Juan d'Austria at Manila. and brought to the United States through the trstrumentality of Naval Constructor Capt. Richmond Pearson Hoobson, the l hero of the Merrimac, and by him pre- sented to the people of Alabama. to be | erected on the grounds of the State Cap- itol at Montgomery. from which to dis play the first American flag hoisted in nrn wuna.said masts and flag to be the property of the State. and to be kept on exhibition as perpetual memorial of l the valor Of the American Navy in the | two greatest sea battles of the world, and romght more than 5000 miles apart.
 rms matter was first brought to my attention last October, at which time was requested by prominent ciuzens of | montgomery, my home town to take the matter in hand as the Representative in | congress from that District promptly wrote to the honorable the Secretary of the Navy, stating. in substance, that these masts had been brought to the .mted states through the efforts of Cap the State of Alabama; that Gen. .Josenh wheeler. hero in two wars and under l two nags. had given to the State the anove-mendoned flag; that sad relics
 na oi no military value; that several ot the other cities of the State possessed va rlous kinds of mementos of the war. in l wn1ch both the North and South parttc ipated, and in which they 5raveiv vied win one another in generous rivalry in upnoiding the honor of the old flag.
 Under date of October IA, 1901. 1 re- selved reply from Hon. John D. Long. secretary of the Navy, In which he stated osat he had authorized the commandants folk, to loan to the fnunicipa, author,ties or the city of Montgomery the articles in question, upon application therefor by the Mayor of Montgomery. Under date Mter Utc.ooer A, 1901, the authorities at montgomery received a letter from Cant. " w: Reisinger, commandant of the NaVy fard at Pensacola Fla. in which ne stated that he had been ordered by .ne honorable Secretary of the Navy 10 furnish three seamen, with a warrant omcer in charge, to report to the Mayor or Montgomery for temporary duty in connection with the erection of the above i spars.
 After some difficulty in the matter of transportation of said masts, on account k ally transported to Montgomery.
 The history of the donation of these masts to Alabama by Captain Hobson IS familiar to the reading public. He ad Msed the Governor of the State that he had shipped the same to America and had arranged to donate them to the State. Upon their arrival in this country 1t was thought that they. technically speaking: were the property of the Government and could not be donated for any purpose to any particular State or section of the country without a special act Of con gress authorizing the same. Finally the could be shipped to Alabama and bill afterwards passed by Congress confirm ing title in the State to the same,
 These masts are now at Montgomery, The Navy Department does nor wan, them. They have absolutely no military 1 value. and to put the matter hnaiy ana forever at rest ask that this bill may become law.
 The report of the Committee on Naval l Affairs, accompanying the bill to the House contains the following words:
 These masts of the vessels heretofore mentioned are of no military value. ana | are now loaned by the Navy Department | to the city of Montgomery which desires to use said masts on the grounds of the 1 State Capitol at Montgomery for nag poles to display the first American ha hoisted In Cuba during the Spanish' | American war and presented by Gen Joseph Wheeler to the State of Alabama; The masts are of historic value only, and this bill simply vests the title to the same in the State of Alabama.
 have complied with my promise in in troducing this bill That it meets the approval of the Navy Department Is made further manifest by the following communication from Secretary Long Y the Speaker of the House, which he has kindly submitted to me and which l will |, read: Navy Department.
 Washington, April 16 1902 Sir-Your letter of the 10th instant. in closing a copy of the bill CH. R. l0l44 to donate to the State of Alabama the spars of the captured battle ships Dor Juan dAustria and Almirante Oquendo has been received and in reply to youi request for an expression of the Depart ment's views on the subject l have tht honor to state that no objection is per ceived to the donation to the State o
 Alabama of the spars of said vessels, as provided in the bill.
 In compliance with the request con. tained in your communication above men toned, return herewith the bill In ques' tion with the report thereon.
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