Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-04-11
Representative Hobson Speaks
on the Naval Bill.
HE STIRS UP THE HOUSE
Warmly Congratulated on His
Maiden Effort.
MIR. BURTON PLEADS FOR PEACE
An Attractive Picture Of the Coming
Brotherhood Of Nations
Painted.

Wear and peace fought to draw in the
House of Representatives today. Under
the existing rules no decision was posi-
BILE. but the gentle dove is generally con-
ceded to have got the worst of it. When
It was all over 1t was noticed that she
had lost most of her tail feathers and
was a most disheveled and bilious looking
bird.
But, to switch gracefully from sawdust
SMILES to the rarified atmosphere OF
esoterlc art, this was word-painters' day
In tho House.
Representative Richmond Pearson Hob
son of Merrimac fame. Representative
Theodore Burton. the peaceful student OF
Cleveland, and Representative George LII
ley Of Connecticut. the well-known sub
marine expert welded the brushes the
subject being appropriations for the navy.
Mr. Hobson pleaded for four battle
ships instead Of two. When an agrees
sive nation, he declared. investigated the
question Of whether war was to be un'
dertaken or not. that nation did not ask
about administration. maintenance or
auxiliaries. but it asked "How MANY bat
tleships has the other nation?' Even q
margin of superiority in fighting ships
he said. would tend to conserve the peace.
With only three more battleships IN 1888
Mr.. Hobson said. the margin OF superior
ity between the American and spanish
fleets would have been such as to have
made possible the settlement of the case
by diplomacy. So important was this mat
ter Of superiority. he said. that when
Congress haggled over two battleshlps
the safety Of the nation was being trlheo
with.
lance between Japan and England. and
limited at a possible union of the forces
of those two nations in Canadian waters.
Stirred Up the House.
Mr.. Hobson made a crackerjack Of
speech. In spots 1t was Of the. rip
snorting variety. calculated to make Inc
average listener swell up with patriotism.
breathe heavily and rush out OF the Capt.
toll into the white sunshine of this beau
teous April day. bent upon ASA ssinatin 1
a Chinaman, a Jap, or some other mem
Der of the yellow-peril race At other
times Mr. Hobson became impressive ana
unviolent
His voice, a moment before. loud with
the crash of cannon and stirred WIN e; ;a,e
became thrifty and nervous and 5umpy.
He pictured. all too well for comfort the
rending wounds of shot and SMELL tne
EurgIings of an involuntary drowning res
tival and the wailing OF WIDOWS anu VI
phans. ~.
various scenes which he described Wnen
he got through the House-and most OF
the members were IN the'r co seaesI sone
members Of the House wouldn't know
stick of eloquence II they met 1t on Penn
sylvania avenue. and believe that because
a man is oratorically well equipped ne
must be mentally deficient. In the course
Of Mr.. Hobson's hour speech several OF
these gentle legislative barnacles climbed
to their feet prepared to extinguish the
former naval constructor with single
question. Sad to relate, they themselves
were extinguished. Mr.. Hobson mao MS
subject at his fingers end.
Plea for Peace.
when Mr.. Hobson had finished and his
democratic colleagues had quit croWding
around him, offering congratulations. MI.
Burton secured the door and delivered
his annual speech on peace and good
will. Mr.. Burtons effort was as different
from Mr. Hobson's as daylight Is from
ment of cold. hard facts and cleverly
draped figures, Mr.. Burton's remarks
called I'D pictures of the whole world at
peace; Of the yellow man and the white
man in one close embrace, with nelther
feeling for knife: OF ola kind-tae &c
dows, and Of the United States and every
other nation Of the world as sections OF
one grand international pastoral.
Mr.. Liliey followed Mr.. Burton. When
he rose to speak the House attendance
dwinaled remarkably. This may have
been due to the fact that Mr.. Liliey read
his speech In voice that could be heard
about two feet in front of him. Or II
may have been due to the fact that just
now he is not as popular as he might be
with his colleagues. At any rate. after
he had been talking ten minutes. there
were only about seventeen members Of
both parties left on the floor. and of these
about sixteen seemed to be In comforta IDLE
positions and unwilling to move. Mr.: LII.
ley urged the abolition Of three-fourths OF