Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-04-01

the Philippines three months. We hay
got to have ships there; we have got :.
have navy commensurate for thu
purpose; and it is different from wha
1t would be If we were at home as tn,
japanese are, and did our fighting here
| If we ever get into war, the first thin:
we will have to do will be to spend hun
idreds of millions of dollars in protect
fling the Philippines
I. Therefore l am in favor of keepins
up large navy. But England has onl,
tthirty-four battleships in commission
and with fifty times the colonial pos.
Isessions we have, over all the gIob,
teNerywhcrc, and taking into account
the necessity of SO large a naval forct
always in the Oriental waters. still
believe that we do not need to keep vi
such an enormous program as we car
rled out last year or as we are doing
this year.
! Mr.. PATTERSON. l should like to
ask the Senator from Maine this uucs-
ton: Did he understand from tho
gentleman to whom he referred why it
was that if our Navy We're not MAIN
tanned i'm the Philippines we would not
hold that country three months?
| Mr.. HALE. No. l only referred to
that incidentally. l saw it in some
newspaper. l do not quote it Us
authority. and quite likely it will be
| denied, although there is great force in
the statement
Mr. CAHMACk. do not understand
that remark. I did not hear the
Senators; statement.
| ~ y
| some newspaper item that l saw, that
Il distinguished military officer
whether in the Army or Navy, had said
that without our Navy there we could
| not hold the Philippines for three
| months. Now, l do not know who it
| was, and that is not of the slightest
| consequence.
Mr.. CLAY. 1 desire to ask the
Senator if it is not true that Admiral
Dewey, in his testimony before the
House committee, testified that with
out our Navy we could not support the
army i'll the Philippines three months !:
Mr.. HALE. | do not know whether
he went in that testimony so far as
that, but he did say pretty nearly that,
applying it TO Il condition of war. Of
course everybody understands that we
need and must have, while we hold the
Philippines, a large fleet there for any
emergency.
Mr.. BACON. I should like to get the
opinion of the Senator ON one point.
He is chairman of the committee, and
doubtless has given it very consider
| able thought. / ask it for information,
| which 1 am sure the Senator will be
| lad IN DIV blt &c ha of
| the Senator as to the magnitude of the
fleet which he has just alluded to,
| which the retention of the Philippine
| Islands will make necessary? l am
speaking about the part of it that will
| be necessary for the retention of the
Philippine Islands.
Mr.. HALE. Now, that I do not
| know. because I have no expert
knowledge as to the adaptation of the
| naval force to q colonial possession. l
sent to the Department this morning
and asked them what is the size of our
| fleet in and about the Philippines and
in the Chinese and Japanese seas, and
the answer is: "Twentyfour ships in
| Eastern waters"
| Mr.. BACON. Without any special
| information as to their size or
| character?
Mr. HALE No. that is not given;
but that can be easily obtained.
MI ALLISON. l should like to ask
| the Senator from Maine another ques-
ton before he sits down. When we
have this large number of ships,
whether on the present plan under our
| appropriations or under Il more en-
larged plan, will rot the ships in time
of peace be largely laid up in fresh
water somewhere, or will they be re
qured. practically all of them, to be in
| commission?
| Mr.. HALE. I am glad the Senator
asked that question. 1t is one con-
sideration that slipped my mind whcli
| | WAS talking. We have. owned by the
Government, and only needing to he
properly dredged and walled, the best
place for Il fresh-watcr naval lake in
which to lay up ships that the world
| has ever seen, and that is at League
Island. When we took that property,
| We luckily took a very large extent
five or six hundred acres. 1t is not li.l.
the other Old yards in New York
Norfolk. and Boston, consisting of a
comparatively small tract, but it is Il
great tract. I went there the other day
| with the Secretary and some of the
Pennsylvania delegation, the junior
senator from Pennsylvania (Mr. Pen
rOs"). and there is the best place in the
world. But the hearings that Were
taken on the bill for this year showed
as the naval officers said. that they did
not want ships put in there; they
thought they ought to be kept out, and
ought to be around in different parts OF
the word: that they ought to be pro-
Itccting our commerce.
If l were thc Secretary of the Navy.
will say to the Senator, | should
certainly put. just as soon as that place
is made available, n considerable por-
ton of the battle ships il, there, and
they would be where in Il few weeks OF
morths thcy could be put into fighting
condition if war backencd. on oul
horizon. But nothing of that kind is
contemplated at present. How much
the Secretary of the Navy will do il
overrulng the desire to keep all these
ships out | do not know. OF course he
can do it.
Mr.. ALLISON. The Senator stated
1