Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-04-26
WILL VOTE MONDAY
Whether Four or Two Battle
ships Will Be Decided.
HEATED DEBATE IN SENATE
Aldrich Rebukes Beveridge and Gets
Sharp Reply.
HALE ALSO FLARES UP ONCE
Chairman of Finance Committee
Says Country Can't Afford Four
Battleships Not Needed.
HEATED DEBATE IN SENATE
HALE ALSO FLARES UP ONCE

Senate in considering the 1Our-odttieShp
amendment to the naval appropriation
bill no vote was reached yesterday. At
the close of the discussion. which was
participated in by a dozen senators, MI.
Hale secured an agreement for vote be-
fore adjournment Of the Senate MONDAY.
a canvass of the Senate made during the
day indicates that the four-ship program
will be defeated and that the debate has
changed practically no votes.
Much of the discussion yesterday was de-
voted to the inprobability of war being
forced upon the United States Senator's
Beveridge and Piles were sharply crit
fcised by Senators Aldrich. Hale. Perkins
and McCumber for their statements Fri
day, and several heated colloquies oc-
Cured. Mr.. Beveridge will reply Monday
At the conclusion of the debate the Sen
ate adjourned to meet at IL o'clock Mon
day, an hour earlier than usual
Speeches Out Of Place.
Mr.. Aldrich positively denied that either
Mr. Beveridge or Mr.. Piles spoke for the
President when they intimated that there
was a secret and important reason why
four ships should be authorized at this
time. He declared that while neither Of
claimed to be speaking for the President.
they nevertheless gave that impression to
tha Senate. Sucn speeches, he SAID, were
entirely out of place.
Furthermore, Mr.. Aldrich declared with
the greatest emphasis that The insinua-
tons of Senators Beveridge and Piles that
a war cloud was hanging over this coun-
try were not only utterly absurd. but
highly improper. Foreign nations, he said.
would look with nearly as much disfavor
by Senators Beveridge and Piles on the
floor Of the Senate Friday, purporttng to
come from the President Of the United
States. as upon an open insult.
Mr.. Beveridge was on his feet instantly:
Il expressly stated" he retorted. that
I did not speak for the. President or for
anybody else in this matter, but based my
remarks solely upon the Presidents mes
sage"
Suggested Withdrawal Of Speech.
Proceeding, Senator Aldrich intimated
that 1t would be good thing for Mr..
Beveridge to withdrew his speech from
the record. but the Indiana senator re-
marked that he was willing to let It
stand.
Mr.. Aldridge said that whatever the In
tention Of Mr.. Beveridge was he had
given the impression that he was speak
ing for the President 1t was ridiculous,
he said, to say that the Spanish war
would not have been fought we had
to suggest, he went on, that there IL
something sacred about the four battle
ships, and that there Is q war cloud
hanging over this country. and also that
great conflict. He demanded to know
why under such circumstances Senator
Pyles Of Washington did not ask for ten
battleships at this time.
Pacific the Storm Center.
II did not say that we would have .
war; protested Mr.. PyIes. but that II
we did the Pacific would be the storm
CENTER
Suppose we had a war with Ger
many?" asked Mr.. Aldrich.
'If we do have a war In the near fu-
ture 1t will be on the Pacific" declared
Mr.. Pyles.
That is just my objection to these re-
marks" said Mr.. Aldrich. THAT Is only
al other way Of saying that we will have
a war with Japan. 1t is these insinua-
ticns that 1 object to. Other senators
arc just as loyal to the navy as the SEN
ator from Indiana and the senator from
Washington
81 did not attack the patriotism Of the
senator's" declared Mr.. Pyles"
Perhaps not the patriotism, but the
Intelligence" said Mr.. Aldrich.
Mr.. Beveridge said that that was an
other matter.
War Extremely improbable"
Mr.. Aldrich said that of course war
is not impossible, but In the face Of all
conditions. especially the financial condi-
tions Of this country. war is extremely
improbable.
II said the same thing three times yes.
terday." announced Senator Beveridge.
amid much laughter.
|. Senator Aldrich demanded Of Senator
Beveriidge at least two examples to
show that a great navy had prevented
war many times in the. worlds history.
One of the examples given by Mr.. Bev-
eriGge in reply was that II Russia had
had a bigger navy Japan would never
have gone to war with that country. Mr..
AlGrich then called attention to the fact
| that in book published by Mr.. Beveridge
before that war he had said Russia had
much the better navy and would wipe
Japan of the face Of the earth.
Mr.. Beveridge said he guessed he had
better go over his book again.
"Or make another book, announced Mr..
| Hale, with some heat.
Aldrich Not an Author.
IF the senator would reduce his ideas
to writing" put in Mr.. Smith of Michi-
gan, ''he might find them quite as contra
dictory."
Some of us are too prudent for that. -
| was Mr.. Aldrich's reply.
Senator Lodge. who is in favor of the
construction o" four battleships. explain
ed the vote he intended to cast for that
program. In doing So he said. he should
hate to have 1t understood that he had
been prompted by any thought of war
or by any of the arguments made thus
far by senators In favor of four ships. He
spoke of the interest he had in the navy.
and said that his part In the development
cause of strong personal ties.
Mr.. Lodge said he realized the danger
| that comes to a country from 1.-The mon-
strous doctrine that one state may COM
nit acts and plunge forty-five states into
war without the nation having any
thing to say about It,"
Talk Makes War;.
Talk about war. he insisted. helped to
produce a situation from which wal
might come.