The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-02-16
Governments Policy Dis
 cuSSed in House.
DEFENSE OF PHILIPPINES
Topic Played an Important
 Part in Debate.
Lower Body of Congress Met Esrilea Than Usual, Dispensed win Prayer, and Considered sea-
 Fighting ApprsprIataens.

FE&SEIe HH8 OoNA4afGhEH S%~1-
 Fighting Appropriatsens.
 Washington. Feb. 16.--The question of what the policy of the Government should be with respect to the uphuiIdfng of the navy was again threshed out fn the House today during the censideras ton of the. naval appropriation biil, the debate developing much opposition to the proposed addition of two battle- ships to the naval establishment As on yesterday the defense of the Philip pines played an important part in the discussion. The House met an hour earlier than usual and with the exceps ton of a brief period the entire tima was consumed with the naval bill.
 When the House met at II o'clock today the naval appropriation pill had the right of way. For the first time in many years the proceedings were opened without prayer. Before taking up the naval bill a discussion was adopted requesting the Secretary of the Department of Commerce and Labor to investigate the cause of the low price of crude oil or petroleum in the United states. especially In the Kansas nelds and also the unusually large margin between the price of crude oil or pe- troleum and the selling price of refined oil and it's by-products.
 Bills were passed to amend the act to prohibit the passage of such civil or local laws In the territories to limit territorial indebtedness, to legaIize .ha indebtedness of school district No. in Pawnee County, Oklahoma. and amending the revised statutes so as to classify the inspectors of the steam boat inspection service. This last biA was one of the number which was drafted to meet conditions by the Gen- eral Slocum disaster
 Nation Gone Mad.
 Upon resuming the naval appropria- tion. Mfr. Beale (Texas). in ordering large appropriations for the army and navy declared the United States had gone mad over the spirit of miiitarism. which was sapping the substance Of the people.
 The Government was paying as much Attentssn to 'cercmonles. poran Fl a po.wer' as aHyf G0Nernment on earth and he said 1t was the most extrava~ gant Government In the world. He | compared the heavy army and navy Gxs pendltures of this country with those of other nations and in referring 10 Russia said that she spent more 'hut Russia is a despotisms a Government hated by it's own people and despise6 by the people of the world" and that she maintained her existence by the power of her arms.
 Mfr. Beall referred to the Presidents speech in New York on Monday night In which 1t was maintained that while the United States should at all times cultivate friendly relations with other people and talk pleasantly to them, the upbuilding of the navy must go on. There never was a nation that played the bully amongst other nations of the world, Mir. Beall remarked in that connection, that there was not some other nation ready to engage in a death struggle with 1t. and he predicted ''his- tory will repeat itself with us"
 The apprehensions of Mir. Littleheld regarding an enormous prospective de- fciency were not shared by Mfr. Gaines w. Val. who produced statistics. fur-S nished him by the Secretary of the Treasury. to show that the revenue would be ample to meet the require- ments.
 The principle of uphoIdfng the Mon- roe doctrine through battleships waa declared by Mir. Thayer (Mass) to be unnecessary. since" he said. we are protecting 1t by the dictum of the gen- tlemen at the other end of the avenue. who don't require any battleships or law whatever to back him up
 Plea for Economy.
 A plea for economy In the appropria- ton was made by Mir. Sparkman (Fla.) who prophesized that in the next gem eration, nor possibly in the next cen- tury, could this country become in- volved with another world power
 Entertaining a similar sentiment, MT. Perkins (N. Y.) ventured the assertion that no gun on any ship now in cona- he fvVn posed by the bill. if they were author Ized. would ever fire hostile shot He provoked sharp discussion by declaring that warships disintegrated inside of twenty years.
 MT Brick Ind) took issue with him and cited the Texas. while Mr. Rixey (Va.) maintained the correctness oe MT Perkinss position by stating that high navy officials had declared most of the ships now in service to be obso- lete and no account. Tn defending tho bill reported by the Naval Committee. of which he is a member. Mfr. Brick said the United States was a world power of lrrepressib1e expansion. if Russia had the battleships, and the sea power. she would still be in Port Arthur today
 MT. Butler (Pa.) upheld the proposed increase in the number of battleships,
  peared. men would strike and countries would strike. The Spaniards. he said. did not dream such men as Captain Clark and Engineer Milligan of the Oregon lived. He said that in the hur- ry Of business. Congress had forgotten a duty 1t owed to those two men.
 Should watch Japan.
 Mir. Butler elicited Democratic ap- pIause when he said he hoped there would be found some honorable way @ get rid of the Philippines. He advised this Government to keep watch Of Ja- pan. He said that while we were nov friendly and loving each other and agreeing." the war with Russia would be over some day and then it would he discovered that the fighting men of the earth live in the island of Japan. five days from the Philippines and thir- tv-fve days from the United States.
 MT. Lucking (Miss.), while believing in maintaining the effectiveness of the navy. was opposed to the idea of un- limited expenditures for ships His confidence in the present naval estab- ssre fs, a.