Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1908-04-29
For Two Battleships.
{ Washisgton Cor. Bangor Commercially

The capitol is hummIng with com ment
appropriation bill. The air was full of
rumors about what the President was go
ing to do. There must be more than two
new battleships. He was going to appeal
to senators, then there would be something
doing. 1t was all well enough for the
House to refuse to auth orize four fighting
leviathans, but watch out for the Senate
OF course Sen. Hale, chairman OF the
naval affairs committee, had already ex-
pressed it as his opinion that two new
ships were enough to authorize for the
present. But while people we're talking
about the President starting his fighting
forces, into motion, Mr.. Hale's committee
assembled and at one session reported the
bill out, not only favorably, but unani-
mously. There was not peep in the COM
mittee about more than two new battle
ships. The senators, democrats and re-
publicans, were unanimously OF the
opinion that two ships were enough in
these times when 81, 000, 900, the cost OF
one OF the big monsters, can i'll be spared
from the treasury, to say nothing about
the annual cost o: 100000 for main
tenance.
Sen. Perkins, OF California, was one OF
the republicans who followed Sen. Hale
for the two battleship programme. He is
a Maine man, but it was supposed that as
long as the California members OF the
House had been insistent upon four bat
tleships because OF some alleged yellow
peril, Sen. Perkins, who Is q candidate
this year for reelection, would join with
them. He did nothing OF the kind, how
ever, refusing to be moved BY the annual
war scare which il raised about the time
Congress begins to consider the naval
appropriation bill.
n there is one man in all Congress who
insists that Sc majors and representatives
have a right to legislate according to their
individual judgments and without inter-
ference from outside, it is Sen. Hale. He
does not think for minute that his
course and the course OF his committee in
sticking to the two battleship plan or in
unanimously agreeing upon proposition
that stan officers OF the navy shall have
titles but shall not exercise command over
hospital ships or other ships OF the navy, is
in opposition to the President.
Mr.. Hale simply takes the ground that
he and his committee are following their
Judgment as to what Is best, and that the
President has no function in the matter
beyond advising in his annual message
what he would like to have Congress do
on various matters Of legislation and in
vetoing or approving the Oils that Con-
gress sends to him.
However, IL Sen. Hale's amendments
touching the command of navy ships is
accepted by the House, as is probable, the
President will be put in an embarrassing
position. 1t is quite probable that in such
an event he might permit the navy appro-
priation bill to become a law without his
signature. For il he should sign the bill
he would virtually be signing his approval
OF a policy toward staff officers OF the navy
which he denounced in vigorous language
some tour months ago.
Before the incident is closed it is likely
to emphasize very strongly how dangerous
it is for anybody to trench upon the legis-
lative prerogatives Of the Senate in way
that Mr.. Hale regards as unwarranted.
He makes little fuss about such matters,
but he bides his time, goes ahead in the
discharge of his duties as he sees them, and
organizes his work in way that generally
cannot be successfully resisted.
No man has been more ready than he to
legislate for fine and powerful navy.
Much Of the present naval establishment
is due to the Maine senator's legislative
foresight. he has the interest OF the
naval service close at heart. Time and
again he has co-operated with the Presi-
dent toward improving its efficiency, but
he and his senatorial colleagues, many OF
whom have been devoted to the navy
quite as long as the President, have their
own ideas how much money can be spent
on the service, and how it should be spent,
and, when the occasion comes, they do
not hesitate about expressing themselves.