The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1904-01-24
Robinson Objects 10 Expert
meRts on Airships
TOO MANY FIR Inch NOVELS
Hemenway Claims Department Libra
ries Are Full of "YelIow Books"
of No Vaue-United States
Soldiers Well Paid.

voted the entire day to consideration OF
the army appropriation in committee OF
the whole.
Mr. Robinson, democrat, of Indiana took
occasion to criticize the war department
for expenditures made by the bureau of
ordnance and Notifications in the Langley
airship, declaring that such expenditures
were without the sanction of congress,
and that the airship was without utility
Only twelve of the forty-one pages of the
bill had been read for amendment when
the house adjourned. The provision in
the bill for the construction of a canal
from Sitka to Fort Liscum, Alaska, went
out on point of order.
The paragraph providing for the con-
tingent expenses of the army, on motion
OF Mr.. Hemenway of Indiana, amend
ed so as to restrict the sum appropriated
for the office of the chief of staff to pure
ly military purposes. Mr.. Hemenway
precipitated a breezy period of general
discussion in which the Dreyfus case and
French novels received attention by pro-
posing to limit to 500 the amount avail
able for the purchase of periodicals and
newspapers.
In offering his amendment Mr.. Hemen-
way made the general statement that the
department libraries were full of yellow"
novels and books of no value, as well as
good novels.
Mr.. Hemenway was closely questioned
for a specific statement by members of
the military committee.
Difficulty In Getting information.
Mr.. Parker of New Jersey called at
tention to the difficulty of getting mill
tary information abroad and he main
tained that no restriction should be mace
This matter of secret Information, he
said was one of the charges asaisst
Dreyfus
Mr. Hay of Virginia asked Mr.. Hemen-
way who was responsible in the war de-
partment for the purchase of French
novels.
The answer was that it had gone on for
years under the various secretaries Of
war.
Mr.. Williams of Mississippi suggested
that the house committee on agriculture
had eradicated this same abuse in the
department of agriculture library by let
ing the appropriation to the purchase of
technical works pertaining to the work
of the department.
Mr.. Slayden of Texas offered an amend
ment to this effect. which Mr. Hemen-
way accepted ana WllnureW MS own.
Mr.. Robinson of Indiana said that the
appropriation bill should be made specific
and limit the uses to which the sums
appropriated may be put, and took oc-
casion to criticise the expenditure Of
money by the war department in the
Langley airship experiments. He declared
that the expenditure made for that pur-
pose lacked the sanction of congress and
characterized the airshp as lacking in
utility.
Changes System of Enlargement.
Il will charge directly to the office of
the government, to it's officials, and its
departments Mr.. Robinson said, "a sys-
tenn of enlargement running wild In that
charge | see the war department.; yes,
and that the head of the war department
has permitted expenditure for scien-
tic purposes of over 100000 in a vain
attempt to breath life into an airship
project which collapsed and which was
Known, 1t seems TO me by every sensible
man, had no utility about it, and this
they did without the sanction of congress
by a miscontruction of an act
SO that 1t has become a scandal that
Iangley's airship. the result of congress
sional action in general terms. has cost
the government over s2O0,000 when IL
never had grain of utility about 1t; and
that was under the direct charge of the
secretary of war, and under the charge
of war and navy officers a board sane
toned by this congress- which gave them
at that time over $3.000000 with which to
operate. and by the fortifications bill of
last year gave them 100000 of the peo-
pies money to be wasted this scien-
til.c aerial navigation experiment"
Concluding, he said
Airships Don Quixotic Scheme.
II take it that nobody upon this side of
the house would expend even where the
law has sanctioned 1T, this money brought
out OF the pockets of the people. to be
sunk in this Don Quixotic scheme of Mr..
Langley"
Mr.. Slayden's amendment prevailed.
The paragraph providing 1921, $50 for a
submarine cable from Sitka to Fort Lis
cum. Alaska. went out on a point of or
der
Mr.. Hitchcock, Nebraska, asked Mr..
Hull why 1t was that the United States
army requires a greater annual appropri-
alton than that of any other nation.
Because the United States pays its SOL
diers more than is paid by any other ma
ton in the world replied Mr.. Hull He
added that when the American troops
went to China they were the best paid.
best clothed and best fed of any of the
foreign troops that assembled on China S
shores.
The provision for 300 acting quartermas-
ters at 500 per annum in addition. while
so acting to reduce their pay, was stricken
out on point of order.
At $3.50 o'clock the house adjourned until
Monday.