Gainesville daily sun. (Gainesville, Fla.) 190?-1938, 1907-07-04

for which Congress appropriated
5000. 900 az til. ia II session. The tests
OF the submarines at Nenpcrt have
recently been concluded and while
one type Of boat seemed TO have all
the best OF the competition. there were
points OF excellence about both OF
them ard IL is possible that the con
tract may be split and part OF ~
go TO each firm
After Secretary Metcah gets
through with tn. President, Secretary
Root has arranged TO have a confer
ence with him. One OF the most i'm
portant points ~ will discuss will be
the contamination OF a commercial
arrangement wIth France. II will
be noted that This Is nothing 80
formal as treaty or even a conven'
ton. II is just an arrangement. The
President has become tired OF send
ing treaties ~ the S.na'. and having
them pigeonhoied and the result l..
that the most OF our commercial re-
lations with other powers are being
made by documents that do not have
to go 10 Congress for approval. This
Is executive usurpation OF the legisla'
tive function OF course. Eut II has
worked so far and the country has
been the better OF for II. The Sen.
ate celebrates until the crack OF
doom, or adjournment. which Is the
same thing
France has been very anxious to
conclude some commercial arrange
ment with this country that will be
as satisfactory as that recently en-.
tered into by the United States with
Germany. Ambassador Jusserand.
the French representative in Washing.
ton, has gone over the subject care.
fully with Secretary Root and the
plan that has been decided on be.
tween them Ia believed to be as good
q one as can be secured under present
tariff conditions.
Army and navy officers do not often
confess any interest in the perform.
anees OF a mere Snowman" but there
is q deal OF talk in both Departments
over the performance OF Lincoln
Reachy. the young aeronaut who last
week sailed in an airship over Fort
Wadsworth outside OF New York
City and dropped some paper bombs
among the big guns. enough. had they
been cans Of dynamite. to have blown
the whole fort out into the Narrows.
II was merely q show ascent from one
Of the summer amusement parks
near by. Beachey did not even take
the management into his confidence
a. to what ne intended to do. Rut
he carried along with him several big
paper balls weighted Just enough TO
fall straight. His course took him
over Fort Wadsworth and he tossed
the bombs" into the fort from q
safe elevation OF nearly 5000 feet, II
just showed what an airship could
do to Q fort or q feet under service
conditions and has set the whole Of
the War Department talking dirigible
balloons IN Q way that they have not
been talking since Santos Dumont
made his first successful fight. The
War Department has a balloon corps
and now has accumulated ten ordi.
nary spherical balloons that are
intended to be used for OBJ
servation. But the Aeld OF usefulness
Of the steerable balloon 10 such that
II 10 receiving considerable atten.
tio0.
While there IL always q possibility
OF ordinary fleets and forts being
rendered useless by the appearance
Of the practicable airship. the Navy
is going ahead with the
OF vessels that will put
this country we'll abreast of any other
naval power. The latest Is the
of the scout ship Chester.
which Is the hrst Of the naval scout
class constructed in this country.
She 10 the 1rst Of three ships Of the
same class that we're Appropriated
for by the last Congress. She cost
. little over 1900 900. She will have
q speed Of - knots and this Is greater
eheu ~nv <Ak~e shAn a eh~ navy az.