West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1906-04-05
OUR Washington LETTER
The Rate Bill Still Hangs Fire In
Congress
ONE HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS
Appropriated for the Navy Gen. Luke
Wright Declares the Moro Massacre
the Only Way to Handle Them.
From our regular correspondent.


volve the rate bill. The measure
has reached the point where the
whole question is involved in the
right of judicial revisw and IN this
provision il anywhere will be con-
cealed the joker that is to make the
railroads. For the benefit of the
uninitiated, It may be said that the
prospect now is for an agreement
to an amended bill that will provide
for more or less broad court re.
view. The object of the friends
OF the measure will be TO frame this
review provision so :hat it will not
interfere with the obvious intent of
the law and make the delays posi-
BILE under the bill more than offset
any benefits that the measure might
oonfer. The debate seems certain
to run some weeks longer. The OBJ
Ject OF the floor manager, Mr.. Till
man will be to get the bill through
with as plain an amendment as pos
sible. That the bill will be amend.
ed seems a foregone conclusion.
The President has not opened his
mouth on the aubject of any of the
propos ed amendments to the bill
and it Is not thought that the White
House will be heard from till the
measure as it passes is sent to the
President to sign. Then il at all
the President will express his opin-
ion, and whether it be favorable or
the reverse, there will be little room
to speculate. The comment on the
measure is sure to be both enter
tanning and enlightening.
Naval officers as a whole are
pleased over the sanction of the Ma
val appropriation bill by the com
mittee, not only because it gives
little short of SIoo, 900. 900 for tn e
execution OF the various plans tha
the Department has on hand but
becau5e ii also provides for at least
one battleship that will rival the
English Dreadnaught in size and
effectiveness. There is a provision
in the bill for one battleship of not
over $40, 900, 900 that will be all
that even the Navy Department
could desire. For this amount, the
experts calculate, the Department
can build batlleship Of over 70,
900 tons displacement that will
carry an armament heavier than the
English levIathan and that without
any question will be the most for
midable fighting machine ahoat.
The appropriation for the hull alone
is SO, 900, 900 which is 81, 600, 900
more than has ever before been ap-
propriated for a battleship In the
American Navy. The Bureau Of
Construction and Repair will have
to draw entirely new plans for the
ship as the plans OF the "a, 900 ton
AID the I6, 900 ton batlleships will
be departed from in almost every
particular.
The remainder OF the naval pro-
gram is liberal. Provision is made
for three destroyers at $50, 900 and
the Secretary Of the Navy is given
81, 900 900 to expend in submarines
recently accomplished in their prac.
tice cruises, it is quite possible that
the whole Of this amount may be
used, Submarine work has not vet
been removed from the domain OF
the extra hazardous, but there are
an abundance Of young officers VIII o
Yearn for appointment on this dan
gerous duty and il is likely that
number Of them be given a chance
to,gratify their desire for dangerous
service even in peace time.
While the work OF defensive
naval construction is going on, there
is an appropriation made also for a
new dry dock that will equal the
Dewey in SIZE and will be retained
in American waters. The proposed
headquarters Of this dock, will be
Solomon's Island in the Chesapeake
but though this spot affords unusual
facilities IN the way Of deep water
and good channel the dock, once
il is completed, will be available
for use anywhere on the Atlantic
Coast where there is water deep
enough to submerge il and where
the exigencies Of the occasion call
for It's presence.
II is stated that an agreement on
the Statehood bill is in sight. This
is more or less cheering news. not
that il makes any vital difference
whether or not the territories that
have been waiting years for admit.