Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1908-04-08
Senator Hale and the Ex-
pelts on the Navy.
The CIIques Which Are Al
ways Seeking Trouble.
Maine Senator Believes In Publicity
on Naval Affairs.

| washing Ou, ~ H., April e.
| (SpeciaD. -Senator Hale is going to
have reckoning one of these days
with few Of the governments sailor
| men, who have been playing fast and
| loose with him since the hearings on
the alleged defects in the construction
| Of battleships were brought to close.
| For the present, like Brer Rabbit, in
the tale, he is ''layin' low The
officers on fancy duty in Washington.
| the agitators who want to discredit
| the bureau chiefs if they can for the
purpose of getting said bureau chiefs
| jobs, either for themselves or for
friends of their own clique, got the
worst of it decidedly at the hearings
but since then they have been schem-
ing for favorable publicity and have
been putting out all sorts of yarns.
They are behind the stories, which
have recently appeared, that testimony
about Admiral Evans view of the
height of the armor belt on battle
ships was suppressed by Senator Hale
and his committee.
There has been no apparent refuta-
ton of these statements about Admiral
Evans. The officers, who have been
trying to raise Cain in the navy de-
partment and who would raise Cain in
Senator Hale's committee on naval
affairs, if they could have produced
the testimony to back up their con-
tentions, have inspired statements,
which have been spread broadcast
over the land, that if Admiral Evans
views had been admitted before the
committee they (the officers) would
not have Jared SO badly at the hear
ings. They would have one very emil
n2nt authority on their side.
1t happens that all the testimony be-
fore Senator Hale's committee was
taken down in shorthand. The type
written pages were sent down to the
government printing Office every
evening, or as soon as they could be
completed. and in the course of a few
days after each hearing, the verbatim
testimony came back in the form of
printed pamphlets. These have been
piled up in one of the deep windows
in Senator Hale.s committee room for
weeks. Any one who asked for a copy
got it but of course the distribution
was comparatively limited. Never
theless the copies are there for those
who want to see what was said be-
fore the naval committee and II the
copies are exhausted Senator Hale can
easily get more where the others come
from.
AS matter of fact Admiral Evans
once did express the view that the
arnor belt on battleships was too
low, but he afterward changed his
opinion and is on record as saying
that the armor belts on the latest new
ships of the navy-the Delaware and
North Dakota-are correctly located.
Some day Senator Hale will be rising
in his seat in the Senate in that quiet
way he has and calling attention to a
letter that Secretary of the Navy
Metcalf wrote to him on March 9,
which letter was printed as a part Of
the verbatim testimony before the
committee at the prolonged bearings.
Perhaps he may quote that very para
graph from Secretary Metcalf's letter
anout the armor belts of the Delaware
and North Dakota, that said:
Rear Admiral Evans, who had
previously made a statement that in
his judgment the arn1or belt was too
low, entirely changed his mind after
considering the plans of those vessels,
informing me, in effect, that he had
previously been misinformed as to
conditions; and that after actual ex--
animation he entirely approved of the
arlnor protection of the Delaware
ard North Dakota and it's location as
determined by the board of construc-
ton. Admiral Evans, SO am in
formed, made substantially the same
statement to Rear Admiral Converse,
the president of the board of con-
struction and to Rear Admiral Caps,
the chief constructor, as he did to me
in reference to his concurrence in the
opinion of the board on construction
with respect to the location of the
water line belt on the Delaware and
North Dakota"
This is a sample that goes to prove
the determination with which the
cliques Of navy officers are carrying
their warfare with one another and
tho ends to which the clique that COM
prises the "outs' is willing to go.
Continued on Page Nine)