The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1908-04-24

sisted that he
was man of peace and that he was
not advocating permanent navies, but
was pointing out the shortest path to
the disarmament of all nations. When
asked by Randall of Texas how long
1t would take to bankrupt the world at
the proposed rate of naval expenditure
Hobson said America had seventeen
billions of capital and the rest of the
world about as much and that ''the
other nations would go broke about
1000 years before the United States
is without ornaments"
Burton Rep., o. followed Hobson
with a quiet depreciation of this war
talk, saying that lit is our chiefest
achievement that we are in the fore
front Of modern civilization; that we
give respect and reverence to the
teachings of Christianity"
Roosevelt For, More Warships.
The need of four new battleships in.
stead Of the two provided for in the
naval bill as reported from the COM
mittee was emphasized by President
Roosevelt in special message to con-
gress, its arrival in the house being
timed so as to be just ahead of the bat
tleship clause in the bill then under
consideration. The reading of the
message was greeted with applause on
the Republican side, in which some of
the Democrats joined When the ap-
plause had died away Tawney Rep.,
Minn.). who is opposed to building any
more battleships just now, sent to the
desk to be read a memorial against the
four battleship plan signed by Andrew
Carnegie, Robert Ogden and 300 other
prominent New Workers. This brought
forth clappinG on the Democratic side.
The president refers to the failure
of The Hague conference to reach an
agreement on the limitation of arma-
ments and to the coincident change in
the size of battleships which all the
nations are building and points out
that to limit our increase in this class
Of warships to one or two a year will
mean relatively going backward. In
asking for the four battleships the
president says that he is advocating q
measure Of peace. inasmuch as it is
"mischievous folly for any statesman
to assume" that the world has reached
a stage when nation "can be content
to rely for peace upon the forbearance
of other powers" He admits that we
are not a military nation, as the small
ness Of our army testifies. but thinks
that undefended wealth invites ag-
gression and points to the helpless con-
dition of China as an example of the
peace at any price policy. If we de-
sire to avoid insult. he says, we must
be able to repel It, and If we want
peace we must be ''at all times ready
for war"
Lake Denies Rice Charges.
President Simon Lake of the Lake
Torpedo Boat company testified before
the house committee on the submarine
scandal April IL and denied point
blank the statements previously made
by Isaac L. Rice. president of the
Electric Boat company. to the effect
that the Lake people had tried to sell
put to the Electric. On the contrary.
Mr.. Lake swore that the Electric COM
pany had made offers of purchase to
him and that he had refused these Of
fers. Later counsel for Lake admitted
having prepared the whole case for
Lilley.
IN Defense of Negro Soldiers.
Senator Foraker of Ohio addressed
the senate, making what he called a
plea for Justice to the negro soldiers
who were dismissed without honor for
alleged connection with the shooting
ARRAY at Brownsville, Tex. The public
galleries were thronged with negroes,
who began to applaud at the end Of
the speech, but they were checked by
the presiding officer. After reviewing
The evidence in the case the senator
sssailed the Warner reenlistment bill
because 1t gives the president discre-