The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-03-06
United States Does Not Favor
 Either Power
HALE AND NELSON MEET
Debate Was on Advisabillty of lnereas. ing the Navy of the United States to Protect Our Terri
 torial Interests.

Washington. March 5.-There was an in- teresting exchange of views in the senate today between MT. Nelson and MT. Hale. The Minensota senator in the course of brief coloquy with Mir Patterson concern ing features of the naval appropriation bill, expressed the opinion that there Is such comonalIty of interest on the part of the United tsates. Great Britain and Japan as to protect China against dis memberment.
 To this statement MT. Hale, In charge of the bill, objected sharply, saying that the position of the United States in the pres ent oriental war is that of neutrality and that he could not allow to go unchallenged any statement in the senate indicating national interest in either Russia or Ja- pan. MT. Nelson responded by saying MT. Hale had indicated as great partiality for Russia. as he had expressed for Japan.
 Naval Bill Comes Up.
 The naval bill again occupied practical ly of the time of the senate, but while the amendment concerning navy train- ing station on the great lakes was tech- nically the pending question, 1t was scarcely mentioned. The discussion today was entirely on political lines and was participated in by Messrs Hale. Depew and Nelson on the republican side. and by Messrs. German. Clay, Martin, Pat terson and Bacon on the democratic side.
 MT Martin supported the bill, and MT. German, while criticizing the too rapid growth of the navy, said that If he could do so, he would not at this time on the aU Of a pnn faf ferf hat the situation because of the bad effect of taking the navy in to politics.
 Consideration Of the naval bill was not completed when the senate adjourned
 Mir Cullom presented the report of the conference committee on the legislative, executive and judicial appropriation bill and was agret. to. The naval appropria- ton bill was then taken up and the dis cussion immediately took on q political aspect. MT. Clay took issue with the con tentions of Messrs. Lodge and Depew as to the necessity for . s4 unl .ghting sea force to keep the United States out of war. He did not criticize the additions So far made to the navy nor the carrying out of the plans of the pending bill, but he could not agree that there was to be no relaxations.
 No One Questioned Doctrine.
 No country, he said, was challenging ns or questioning our position on the Monroe doctrine. Our rights were secure, he con tended, if we properly observed the rights of other nations. He did not believe there was any danger of war with Germany. but nothing was so likely to make troubla with other powers as an immense navy composed of many ambitious men. He claimed that exSecretary Root now held the same views concerning the retention of the Philippines as were maintained by the democrats.
 MT. Clay also contended that there shuold be a congressional committee to in- vestigate expenditures in the departments saying that no business man would let business involving millions drift along as congress was doing. He criticized the policy that leads to the expenditure of SPOT, 900 annually for war and refuses to erect public buildings in Washington that would save $300,0 900 per year.
 MT. Martin, democrat, member or the committee on naval affairs, defended the bill and called attention to the fact that no one had found fault with the increase of the navy as proposed by the bill. We must have a strong navy he said, ana he instaneed the recent expansion or the United States as furnishing the reason for this necessity. He referred to the pos- alhiIitv of France and Great Britain being drawn into the oriental war because or their respective alliances with Russia ana Japan. and while he did not believe the Tinted States would become involved In the imbroRlio he did not consider 1t the part of wisdom to be unprepared,
 MT. Depew Replies.
 Mr. Depew replied to MT. Clay. He said that the Georgia senator could not senarate the ex-secretary from the re- nubI,oan party on the Philippine question as would be found when Mir. Roots fuil views were known. The American people were not quitters he said, but they hoid on He did not believe any one living would see our relations with the Philip hines diminished MT. Depew also com tended that there is ample supervision of government expenditures by the appro- priations committee of the two houses of congress But If further inquiry had been necessary 1t had been made by the President, who had instituted rigid tn- quest when the result might have been injurious to his party.
 He said that fin accordance with the principles he had always pursued of fndingsout the rascals and of punishing them when caught" the President had had the postoffice irregularities probed to the bottom with the result of securing the conviction In the courts of four men who had had the confidence of all admin istrations.
 MT. Depew spoke of the policy of ex- pansion and MT. Patterson inquired whether he meant that further aggran- dizement through conquest or purchase of foreign territory would be the pro- gramme of this government.
 Need No More Territory.
 "I do not think we will ever see the time when we will need more territory. said MT. Depew. but do think we will get merchant marine some time and mean that we will want navy big enough to protect it. l mean that l hope Secretary Hays programme for an open door in China will continue to be policy of this government and that we should have a navy big enough to enforce it.
 Mir Depew predicted that in the end Mir. Chamberlain would succeed In the programme laid out by him in Great Brit ain Other European nations would he found taking steps to protect themselves against us and a navy would be needed. He said that whichever side was victor