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

| Mr.. PERKINS. No: the board
Mr.. PROCTOR. That is what I
supposed.
Mr.. PERKINS. They are in favor OF
disappearing carriages.
Mr.. PROCTOR. / wish merely to call
the attention Of the Senate to the fact
that we are in that matter differing
from the policy of every other nation.
the same as we are in the use of the
revolving turret. l think we are max
ling a mistake, surely fin the case of the
| Army.
| Mr.. TELLER. Mr.. President
The PRESIDENT pro teinpore.: Does
the Senator from Maine yield to the
Senator from Colorado?
| Mr.. HALE. Yes. sir.
| Mr.. TELLER. / should like to say
that think the Senator from Vermont
is mistaken. The disappearing
carriage is used in some countries be-
sides the United States. ''- ~..-
MIR. LODGE. OF course it is.
| Mr., PROCTOR. Only to a very
| limited extent, and our disappearing
| carriage is not used amy where.
| Mr.. TELLER. / should like to say
| further that the disappearing carriage
is an American invention.
| Mr.. PROCTOR. So is the turret.
Mr.. HALE. Let these army experts
| fight it out on the army bill. l am
dealing with the Navy.
Mr.. FORAKER. i should like to IN
quire if there has been any trouble
| with the turret of any battle ship? L
ask only for information.
Mr.. HALE. The fortunate fact is
| that we have not gotten into war yet.
They have not been tried yet. Nobody
| knows. The British officers and
| authorities 60 on the assumption that
when YOU get into conflict the unfore-
seen things will happen. the turreted
ship is subject to a much larger per-
centage Of accidents. We. fortunately,
never have tried it in battle. / do not
know, and do not claim j:
| Mr.. FORAKER. The theory Is that
/ the turrets are more liable to accident?
Mr.. HALE One can see. that where
| the
| Mr.. FORAKER. As a matter of fact,
| there has not been any?
MIR. HALE. None in war.
Mr.. FORAKER. They were used in
the Spanish-Ainerican war at Santiago.
Mr.. HALE. Yes.
Mr.. LODGE. The Indiana and the
| Oregon were turreted ships.
| Mr.. HALE. The ships that showed
| in that fight. the two ships that did
most Of the fighting, were the Oregon
and the Brooklyn.
Mr.. FORAKER. Yes.
Mr.. HALE. The Oregon is turrcted
| ship, but there was no ship that she
was contcndng with. She had nothing
| to contend with in the way of a battle
ship.
Mr.. LODGE. Was not the. Iowa a
| turreted ship? f
Mr.. HALE. All our battle ships are
turreted.
Mr.. LODGE. The Iowa certainly
engaged in it.
Mr. HALE. Yes: but the most
prominent We're the Oregon and the
Brooklyn.
Mr.. LODGE. The Massachusetts
was not there.
Mr.. HALE The Massachusetts was
| not there; the Texas was
| Mr.. FORAKER, ] am asking only
| for informa ton. May ask the
| Senator from Maine how does the
question arise now? Does the bill
provide for ships without, turretso
Mr.. HALE. No. We have left that
| to the Department.
Mr.. FORAKER. Oh,
Mr.. HALE. I first tried to enlishten
| myself and then to enlighten the
Senate and the country as to what the
conditions are and how we are going
| on as compared to other great naval
powers.
Mr.. FORAKER. It is not only Ill
terestng, but very important.
Mr.. HALE. I think it is important
as matter of administration.
Mr.. CARMACk. Will the Senator
permit me Just moment?
Mr.. HALE. Certainly
Mr. CARMACk. / understand tfe
drift OF the Senator's remarks and
those OF the Senator from Vermont to
mean that there is a very serious
doubt as to whether the vast sums Of
money which we have been expending
for military and naval purposes have
been inteligently expended. -
Mr.. HALE. I should not go so far IDS
that. There has been great intelli-
Sence. Whether there has also been
Observation-Disclosures and wisdom are
not the same .f.''-
Mr.. CAI,MACk. Wisdom, l meant.
Mr.. HALE. Whether everything has
been done in the wisest way is a qucs-
ton. ! do not mean to censure the
naval officers. | do not think any navy
in the world has finer complement Of
naval officers than we have for intelli-
gence. for courage, of course for
patriotism. and for every quality that
goes to make up usefulness in time Of
war or to make great sailors, great
officers, great captains. But the naval
officer Is naval officer pure and
simple. The one thing that bounds hts
horizon is the United States Navy 1t
!s the sea. If he is. as nearly all the
officers are. graduates of Annapolis, st
is the scene of every incident in his
eventful life from boyhood until he
retircs. TO him the building of the
Navy is the one essential thing over
and above all other things. III
When ne is confronted with the uues-
ton whether VIC will appropriate money
for navy or for the dwindling
merchant nIarine, he is for the Navy
That is his rrofcssion that is his bust
ness. And the naval boards. / think.