Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1906-06-06
BILL is PASSED.
Senate Authorizes Construction OF
Mammoth War Ship.

WASHINGTON lime 5.-Whcn the :. IT.
ate today entered upon the consider
alton of the naval Appropriation blii
senator EUliue who had stood win
Senator TIlIm1n III his effort to secure
the adnnrion Of the latterS motion To
send the rate bill back to conference,
insisted that me bin be read at length
He said he had TOLD The senator from
Maine that the latter Wonld h"t eAl'-
dite business IN insisting upun pro
ceedin" with the naval Dill ana 'hat ne
would insist upon the formal reading
of the measure The reading had not
proceeded far. however, when he with
drew from his position ana allowed ,i'
committee amendments 10 D" taken uP
after the usual manner There was ITO
discuss ion until a provision Tor a new
monster Warship was reached. Senator
Hale said that this provision was df
fer"ut from most legislation for ne"
Shins i'll Ihut it makes no limitation III
am respect He said the provision was
loosely drawn and it would take slX
months to make the plans for The yes
sci. He also said that the final cost "l
the vessel armor and armament m
cluded, would he about $ll .o00.O 900, or
twice rs much as the ore Son had cost
He moved AN amendment requiring the
secretary of the navy to report to Con
grcss giving the dimensions, diSplace-
mCnt, etc. of the vessel before isulnS
propoais for it construction and the
amendment was accepted.
Senator Bacon expressed apprehen-
sion that this would be only one YES
sci of many of the same dimensions to
be made. lie predicted that the next
advance would be to a $4,000, 600 ship
Senator Hale admitted the point TO
be an important one, saying that there
was danger that if we embark upon
this plan of ship construction we may
make useless the vessels now in ser
vice.
He called attention to the fact that
under the amendment just adopted
nothing can be done before next SEES
sion. He also said that the proposed
vessel was to have a displacement of 81,
600 tons.
Senator Tillman thought it time to
call a halt in the increase Of the cost
and size of vessels.
We are getting bigger and bigger,
like the frog that tried to emulate the
OK he said, land if we don't lookout
We'll pop"
| He spoke Of the possibility Of danger
and said that our naval officers were
50 careless OF SO unfortunate in hand
| ling our ships, that we don't want to
make them too expensive.
Mr.. Hale said that with present plans
realized our navy would b. the second
| best in the world, more effective than.
| if not SO large as the French navy. and
| he did not believe that hereafter more
! than one ship Il year would be neces-
| s;ry.
| Senator Iudgr said the United States
! had fewer obsolete ships than any 9th
| CT country in the world ana added that
| All that WAS necessary was to kttl
| the navy at its present level of etficien-
cy. 10 do that. he believed il neccS-
S,ry to make an experiment with the
large type ships. He also defended
our naval officers.
| ON motion of senator Dick the pay
| ana allowances of chaplainS was made
| the same as those Of officers of the
| medical and pay corps ANA on motion
Of Senator Gallingtr engineers We're
| placed on the same footing rs neVaI
| constructors
The bill was then passed.