Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-01-22
VOTE WAS 100 TO 80
Chairman Tawney Leads in Opposi-
ton to the Vessels.
HOLDS THEY ARE NOT NEEDED
Hepburn Ridicules the Contention.
Proposition for One Battleship
Defeated, 1O8 to 15e.

| Il am tired of these annual wars with
Japan, which always occur Simultaneous
| ly with the consideration of the naval ap-
preparation bill by Congress- declared
Chairman Tawney of the appropriations
committee, in opposing the battleship pro-
vision of the naval bill in the House to-
| day "All the rest of the time our re-
soon as We begin to consider the naval
| appropriation bill then we learn from
| the press and other sources that war is
| imminent
When the House resumed consideration
of the naval bill the members were primed
for the usual fight over the increase in
| the naval establishment. A long wrangle
over the amount of time which should
be devoted to debate on the battleship
provision followed the taking up of the
measure.
| Mr.. Foss ull). in charge of the bill,
sought to limit the consideration of this
| feature to one hour, but Mr.. Griggs (Ga)
| objected. An agreement finally was
reached by which two hours were allotted.
The Finley amendment to the bill strik-
| ing out the battleship provision, was
| defeated by vote of 80 to 100.
Deems Provision Unnecessary.
Speaking in support of an amendment
| by Mr.. Finley Is. c., striking out the bat
| tleship provision, Mr.. Bartholdt (Mo) de-
| clared that if there ever was a time when
such an appropriation was unwise and un-
necessary it was now.
1t Is unnecessary" he said. because
We are at peace with all the world and,
what is more. we have wisely managed to
safeguard our peace as it has never been
safeguarded before
Representative Hardy of Texas, who fol-
lowed Mr.. Bartholdt, declared that when
nations or peoples armed themselves they
armed for war and not for peace He
asserted that in former days when pretty
nearly everybody in his state carried q
gun there was bloodshed, battle murder
and sudden death. But now. when the
carrying of wes. pons is prohibited by law
peace prevails everywhere within the bor-
ders of Texas.
Tawney Opposes Battleship Program.
Representative Tawney of Minnesota,
chairman of the House committee on
appropriation made the strongest speech
| of the day in opposition to the battle
ship program, and in support of the
amendment. He declared that action by
| the House in opposition to the recon-
| mendation of the naval committee would
not necessarily mean that Congress has
| changed its plans with respect to a naval
| program, but simply that it was not
| thought advisable to authorize at this
| time the expenditure Of $24.000.0OO for
! two OF the greatest vessels that We're
ever planned. He did not believe that
| the United States should pat ,ern it's
naval policy on the naval policy Of other
nations.
| He did not believe that because some
other nation had authorized several bat
| tie ships bigger than anything heretofore
| contemplated the United States must i'm
mediately provide for two battleships big
ger even than those.
To Crafty National Vanity.
! This is merely cried Mr Tawney, Ito
crafty our ambition to lead the entire
world in the matter of naval shipbuild-
ing"
| 1t was ambition, Mr.. Tawney said that
first prompted the Unit I'd States to an am
bilious naval policy, and that had kept
that policy alive for the last four or five
years. He deplored the fact that the
naval committees justification for these
two great ships was based on the naval
policy of other nations
The geographical isolation of the United
| States. he thought, constituted better
defense than all the combined naVieS of
the world would be.
As to apprehension of war with Japan,
! he declared, there was no more danger of
| war between Japan and the United States
than between the United States and Great
Britain Japan, he said, could not impose
another penny of taxes upon her people
without revolution resulting. But even
| more important than this Japan could
not conduct naval operations against the
! tnited States without naval base in the
! Pacific. Hawaii was the only island that
could serve as base of naval operations
| in the Pacific and when the fortifications
! now under construction at Pearl harbor
and Honolulu by this government were
| completed the island would be as impreg-
| nable as the Rock of Gibralter.
! Mr. Tawney also called attention to the
| recently ratified agreement between the
! United States and Japan. which he
thought would result in perpetual peace
Nor there the slightest danger to be
! feared from any European nation. In
view of all these facts, and considering
| there would be deficit of $l2J 900 900 at
! the end of this fiscal year. and probably
| S1ibOa0.GO0 al the end of the next year
| he thought that there was no excuse for
appropriating s2i.ND,00U for two battle
ships particularly as there was no money
in the Treasury today for permanent
works. such as river and harbor projects
Hepburn Ridicules Tfwney's Position
Representative Hepburn of Iowa fol-
lowed Mr.. Tawney in support of the bat
tleship program. In his well known style
he made a merciless attack on the chair
man of the appropriation committee who
| had just preceded him. He held Mr.
/ Tawney up to ridicule protesting to
know more than any one else about ques-
tions of war and of peace. He thought