Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-04-26
5sTh CONGRESS-,
Continued from page ~

battleship, which is but a great fortifi-
cation, is that when she is hurt she can
fight no longer. Other structures NAV
be hurt, may be splintered, may be
damaged, but they keep on fighting.
| But if an explosion takes place
| through. hurried firing in a turret IT is
more than likely to ignite the magazine
| and the whole ship is blown into the
| air and everybody on board is killed
Aside from the occurrences in the East
| where the large Russian battleships
have been disabled and put out OF SER
| vice we have had three explosions on
our own battleships within a year. On
the Iowa. the Massachusetts and later
| on the Missouri and it is only the
breadth of band that prevented the
! battleship Missouri, the latest OF our
battleships and the best in that design
| from being entirely destroyed. If the
magazine had been communicated with
by the fire of the explosion the whole
ship would have gone. Just sucl an
accident as that is likely to occur in
| any turret at any time during any
battles.
Mr.. Stewart expressed the opinion
that the battleship will soon be an
| engine of the past and that submarine
craft will take their place. Continuing
Mr.. Hale said he would not be sur
prised If it turned out that we have
a bad investment in the $50 900 900 We
have paid for the larger battleships.
He thought that the incidents of the
Japanese-Russian war, such as the de-
struction of big ships would have their
effect In fastening naval experts to
such conclusion. He said he had not
failed to find with the board which de-
termined the character of vessels for
| other countries have made the same
| mistakes. Though the conbress should
| legislate on the character of battle
ships for navy and not leave it to the
| department.
Allison said the discretion given to
| the president to defer action for year
| was wise one because of the fact that
| a test of battleships was going on in
| a pretty lively way in the far east.
German said he wanted to repeat
| what he had said ~ 4 former occasion
that an appropriation was too great.
| He said we were going too fast due to
the pressure brought to bear by the
| administration.
| II hope the president will refrain
from signing the appropriation now in
the interest of the country" he said.
but that is not the way to legislate,
Congress should say what the eNpendi-
lures should he and should specify
| what battlcships should be built
| The conference report was agreed to.
| Penrose submitted conference re-
port on the post office appropriation
1 l. 10,
| McCumber called up his resolution
for the revision of the bill and said
| that Il revision was now under way
by commission OF competent persons
| and another revision was would re-
Quire unnecessary work.
why is it necessary for congress to
do any labor on pension affairs?" asked
bailey. why not leave it all to the
| secretary of the interior and let him
run it by executive order in the future
as he has in the past?'
The resolution went to the calendar
| without action.
Bacon spoke on the Doliver resolu-
ton on the question of the capital i'll
vested in trusts combinations in COM
parison with Investments by individu-
ais or co-partnerships independent of
| trusts.
He took issue with Dolliver in the
statements as Bacon construed it that
evidence of "agood trust" was the fact
that trust was still alive"
In speaking of the fate of his resolu-
ton calling on the secretary of COM
merce and labor for certain trust and
antitrust information, Mr.. Bacon said
it was sufficient notice to him that the
resolution would not be adopted and
when Aldrich asked to have them go to
the committee on finance. he said
For l know that the senator from
Rhode Island. is the mouthpiece of his
lparty in the Senate on all matters of
TARIFF
Aldrch said he had made the motion
for the purpose Of putting the resolu-
ton in some sort of shape.
| Bacon then read letter from Charles
NJ. Schwab to II. c. Prick. giving the
cost of manufacturing steel rails, which
Bacon said showed that the trust"
needed no protection against English
manufacturers. The letter said rails
could be sold at profit at SIG per ton.
1T will be very difficult to convince
pig iron producers of Alabama and sur
rounding states who have been receiv-
ing S1S and $40 for their iron,' said AL
drich. "that the statement is correct"
Mr. Aldrich declared Mr.. Schwab's let
ter to be merely n part of n stock job
bling affair. to which Mr. Bailey replied
that Mr.. Schwab is as reputable and
truthful as any man who ever fiched
money from the pockets of the people
Through a protective tariff
The bill providing for an American reg
lister for the steamer Beaumont was
ipassed.
The general deficiency appropriation bill
was sent to conference with Messrs. Hale
Allison and Teller as cOhfereeS.
The military academy appropriation bill
was taken up and Mr.. Hale made n point
of order against the amendment of tn,
reorganization of the medical and ordi
nance departments of the army. lie sait
that the putting of the provision on the
: academy bill was an extraordinary pro
ceeding.
| The Senate at this point paid tribute t.