Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1908-03-17

made misleading and inadvertently
false statements in the defense of the
navy and virtually repeated theestate
ments of Reuterdahl as to the rejec-
ton of criticism, the lowness of the
armor belt, and so on. In the course
of his statement Sims asserted that the
craftsmanship of the American gun
ners in the Spanish war was "the most
disgraceful exhibition of inefficiency
that ever took place." At the battle Of
Santiago the percentage of hits was
less than four. He insisted that the
armor belt on all our battleships is too
low and that European constructors al
low for full coal bunkers and long
voyage conditions in fixing the height
of their belts. The logs of the Pacific
fleet would show that when the ships
arrived at Rio their belts were a foot
and a half under water Admiral
Capps, who was allowed to cross ex-
anime Sims, doubted the truth of this
statement.
Pleas For Woman Suffrage.
Before the senate committee on wo-
man suffrage and the house committee
on the judiciary representatives of the
National Woman Suffrage association
made their annual pleas. The Rev.
Anna Shaw, president of the associa-
ton; Mrs. Belva Lockwood, who once
ran for president, and Mrs. Fannie Fer
nails addressed the senate committee. In
the house committee, besides Mrs. Gait,
Mrs. Upton and other we'll known wo-
men orators, Senator Owen of Okla
homa Joined in the speaking. This
was an unusual feature of the hearing,
the senator advocating universal suf-
frage and saying that only the saloon
element kept the suffrage clause out of
the new Oklahoma constitution. He
drew attention to the fact that In suf-
frage states the percentage Of women
convicts Is very small, Wyoming hav-
ing not one woman so confined. Most
Of the speakers laid great stress on the
opposition of the liquor interests, I'M
plying that the woman vote would be
for temperance reform.
AIdrich Losing Ground.
Following the report of the Fowler
currency bill from the committee to
the house last week, interest in that
measure as rallying point of the I'D
versaries of the Aldrich bill greatly
increased. Senator McCumber of North
Dakota Joined the Republican process
sion CT disatfection by saying that he
did not like the Aldrich measure, al
though he would probably have to vote
for it as the only thing offered by his
party in the senate. Both Senator
Smith Of Michigan and Senator Bever-
idge had criticised the bond feature Of
the bill. Aldrich said he could not fix
a date for the vote until Senator La
Toilette should have an opportunity to
be heard. 1t was said that seventeen
Republican senators had showed signs
of joining the minority against the al.
drich bill Andrew Carnegie wrote
Fowler In support of his bill.
House Gag Rules AssaiIed.
Representative Murdoch of Kansas
member of the postoffice committee
In advocating provision for making
general the new system of weighing
the mails which had been tried with
success by order of the postmaster
general, bitterly attacked the system
of legislation In the house. Under il
he said that the vitality of the indi
yiduals initiative was sapped. A re
form must come making the rules com
mittee elective and all committee pro
ceedings public.
Inquiry Into Bank Loans.
Senator Tillman moved a resolution
designed to stop loans by national
banks to spectators, although its i'm.
mediate purpose is to get information
from the treasury about all the loans
made by New York banks during the
six months prior to Dec. last. Till.
man said, "Stock gambling is the most
pernicious, dangerous and -devilish of
all the pernicious, dangerous and, dey.
ilish things done in New York" Sena.
tor Aldrich opposed the resolution on
the ground that it should include all
other cities where stock gambling takes
place. 1t was referred to his commit.
tee.