Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-04-01
horrible. We have had nothing in bat

The Senator from Illinois asks me
what we are doing now in this bill.
We have adhered to the old way be-
| cause we have only one battle ship in
| the bill
Mr.. TELLER. There is only one bat
| tie ship provided for in this bill?
Mr. HALE. Only one.
| Mr.. CULLOM. Are we allowing the
| turretS to remain?
Mr.. HALE. 1 think it is proper that
| attention should be called TO this mat
| ter. 1t is not the Secretary; it is the
board of naval officers who decide these
| matters. OF course. they may be right :
it may be we are all right. But If we
are all right Great Britain is all wrong.
And If Great Britain is all right we
are all wrong. We have not had
enough discussion OF the naval pro-
gram heretofore.
Mr.. TELLER. How about Germany?
Mr.. HALE. / have looked also into
the other powers. Germany builds a
few. France a few. but generally the
ships that are building. those by Great
Britain entirely. are barbette ships. al
though some of the other nations are
! building turreted ships But Great
britain is building none of them.
Mr.. CARMACK. Mr.. President
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Does
the Senator from Maine yield TO the
Senator from Tennessee?
Mr.. HALE. Certainly.
Mr.. CARMACK. l understand tina;
Ill our battle ships now are turreted.
Mr. HALE. Every battle ship has
its big guns put into cylinder revolving
turrcts.
Mr.. CARMACK. How about the
cruisers?
Mr.. HALE. The cruisers do rot
have the big guns. The question does
not arise with the cruisers.
Mr.. CLAY. With the Senator's per
mission. | am frank to confess that |
10 not understand this matter. The
Senator. / am sure, can explain it. He
has nut on record the enormous ton
mage and gun power OF the United
States ships. by Mr.. Weaver. His
| statement is simply this: The total
! tonnage OF the ships now in the United
States is 53l.SS6 tons. TIE 81 vessels
now building have an aggregate ton
mage Of Si9.431 tons. This makes &
grand total of all ships in commission.
when these in process of construction
nrc completed. of SSl,sl7 tons, and
makes the United States the second
naval power OF the world.
Now, from the Navy Department
comes the information, which the Sen
tor has just read. that when the ships
now under process Of construction are
completed the United States will have
ar
erce OF over 200. 900 tons and making Us
the third naval power of the world.
Mr.. HALE. / have explained that.
| am sorry the Senator was not here or
that 1 was dull in explaining it.
What have taken as the actual
basis are the figures they have given
for ships over a thousand tons
what is called sea strength
Mr.. LODGE. The fighting force.
Mr. HALE. The fighting force. The
addition is made up not only in our
Navy. but in other navieS. of smaller
vessels which are valuable vessels. bur
are not of what is called the fighting
force" Therefore i have not consider
ed it Il fair comparison to take the
figures that are given there. which are
correct. as they include everything
Mir. CLAY. The table that the Sena-
tor has inserted in the Record embraces
all the ships.
Mr. HALE. All of the ships will
show in the table to be printed as a
public document. This includes Mr..
Viewers ia les.
Mr.. CLAY. And the report from the
Navy Department simply embraces
those of a certain size?
Mr. HALE. They will give you Just
what is in that report. Their attention
has been called to this matter. and "A
reply has been given. We have asked
them to give us what is called the 'sea
power" the lighting power" and these
late figures which l have in the table
all cover the fighting power. what is
called the sea power" and do not in
clude the fifty or sixty vessels. as |
suppose there are in our Navy, which
are below Il thousand tons.
Mr.. ALLISON. The same rule runs
through the entire table?
Mr. HALE. 1t runs through the en-
tire table, and also runs through the
tables of other powers.
Mr. ALLISON. OF all the ships of
Ill the countries?
Mr. HALE. All ships of all coun-
tries.
Mr.. PROCTOR. VIII the Senator
from Maine yield to me for a moment?
Mr.. HALE. Certainly.
Mr.. PROCTOR. Mr.. President, 7
have been very much interested Il,
what the Senator from Maine said
about guns being mounted en- barbette
instead of in revolving turrets, and
entirely agree with his expression Of
doubt.
Mr.. HALE 1t applies to the Army
just as to the Navy.
Mr. PROCTOR There is a parallel
case in the Army. 7 have argued here
against using the disappearing carriage
20 the great extent we have, in which
respect Ours is entirely different from
the policy of any other country. The
same is true in regard to turrets. The
reason is very much stronger in the
case Of the Army because the barbette
gun. being on an elevation. a fort IS
very much more protected than it
would be on board ship. We have
spent many millions for mounting guns
in forts. Some pf tbarn a