Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-03-04
DISCUSS NAVAL BILL
Senator Hale Disposed to Criti-
cize the Plans of the
Naval Board
PROTECT OUR NEW POSSESSIONS
PROTECT OUR NEW POSSESSIONS
Hale Would Like to Get Ride of the
Philippines However--Lodee En-
phasizes the Need Of Good Navy
to Protect Our Trade and Uphold
the Monroe Doctrine.


four hours the senate while technically
engaged on the naval appropriation
| bill discussed Il wide range of sub
jects including the policy of the United
State in the Philippines and the Rus
so-Japanese war. The principal par
Elephants were Messrs. Hale, Bacon
Lodge, Depew Patterson. Perkins and
Money. Mr.. Hale. In charge OF the
| naval bill, criticized the plans of the
lishnent beyond the needs of the coun-
| try.
Mr.. Lodge, Mr.. Depew and Mr.. Per-
kins defended the naval officers. Mr.
Lodge declared a large navy essential
to the maintenance of peace. Mr.
Money said he did not consider the
total appropriation, s97000,000 carried
by the bill, as excessive under our pres
| emit policy in the orient. He, however,
criticized that policy. as did other
democratic speakers.
The senate set aside the special or
der for tbs day, the consideration OF
Alaskan legislation, in order to per-
nit the consideration of the naval APP
| propriati ton bill. The reading of the
committee amendments to the naval
appropriation bill was begun, but be-
| fore 1t had progressed very far, Mr..
| German asked for a statement in eX-
| PLANTATION of the bill from Mr.. Hale. In
charge of the measure. He said that
| while the increase in the navy IS the
! largest ever made. II must be under
stood that the proposed additions are
only a part of a general scheme for
| improvements.
| After general talk regarding the
naval rank of different powers In
which he classed the United States as
third Mr.. Hale spoke OF the constant
| progress in warships, adding:
| In our navy there Is talk of putting
! many Of our vessels, such as the Ore
gon Indiana and others of the same
class, on the retired list
| Il hope they won't retire the Ore
gon," sair Mr. Stewart.
| We'll. they ought not to-" said Mr.
Hale But she has not the state
room facilities that meet the fancy OF
| naval officers. She has the same mum
Der of 13-inch guns and the same
| fighting capacity. Nothing suits the
navy officers except the largest battle
ships.
He expressed the opinion that the
| present war in the Orient would show
| that other vessels are more valuable
than large battlessi,ips. but admitted
| that no definite conclusions could be
drawn until the smoke lifted.
Mr.. Hale said he had no censure for
| the officers of the American navy, "but
the naval officer is the naval officer
pure and simple. and the Anne, ican
navy bounds his complete horizon. To
him the navy is everything, and the
naval board has run too much in the
direction of enormous ships. In some
respects the naval officers are like the
! farmer who wants to raise the biggest
pumpkin They don't want Great
Britain or Germany to excel the
United States"
| The naval board program contem-
plated forty-eight battleships anG
twenty-four armored cruisers, .anG
when that stage was reached an APP
preparation of $200,000,000 a year would
be necessary for the navy He though,
! it probable that the appropriation re-
CURED next year would be $500, ooO. 900
If, however the scale should be kept
down to the present rate of increase
the appropriation would not be in
creased. I'VE should" he said, "get
along with $100,000,0O0 a year.
Defended Officers.
Mr.. Perkins defended the officers OF
the navy, saying they We're entitled te
great credit.
Mr.. Hale admitted that the American
officer was man of merit but con-
gress had its responsibilities anc
should know where the money was go
ing. Il am" he said, mot to be de-
tered by criticisms of want of patriot
ism. / want a powerful navy; it is
necessary on account Of the conditions
| We have got to have ships in the Phil
| ippines, for instance. it is different from
what it is with Japan, who will do hel
| lighting at home. In case of war we
should have to spend hundreds of mill
ions in the Philippines. But there is
danger of going further than neces-
sary'
Mr.. Hale admitted that the last ex-
tensive additions to the navy had been
the Philippines and said that he for
one would like to get rid of those
islands. Still so long as we have those
islands we must protect them. Like
wise, he said it now would be neces
sary to maintain a navy sufficient to
protect the Panama canal
MIR. Lodge spoke at some length on
the need of a good navy to protect our
trade and uphold the Monroe doctrine
He did not believe the torpedo boat
would supersede the battleship and
torpedo vessel had been a complete
failure. There had been one very sue
eessful attack by the Japanese tor
pedo boats. but this was due largely to
the poor gunnery Of the Russians and
he darkness.
Mr. Money said that If we were to
9ersist IN our policy of subjugation we
goDla find necessary greater navy
9an the people We're willing to sup
sart MIR. Money spoke of the progress
( the Japanese and quoted a high au-
hority predicting that In few months
the Russian fleet would be overcome
Then would soon follow the success OF
Japan on land. They would secure
Korea and possibly a part of Man
churia. Next they would go to the
philippines. it was not the European
nations that we We're to fear in the