The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-02-19
SENATE PASSES
 MARINE CORPS BILL Lively Tits Are Engaged In By
 The Senators PRESIDENT IS INVOLVED Senator Cumming Declares That Pas sage of Amendment Would Be Taken As a Slap At Roosevelt.
 Hale and TilIman Resent
PRESIDENT IS INVOLVED


 doing so declared that Congress was act ing within it's well-established authority
 Mr Cummins declares the action or the Senate in restoring the marine corps to the battleships would be regarded by the people at large as an attempt to correct a mistake of the President.
 q recognize it, and the country will recognize it. as another assault upon me odore Roosevelt" declared Mir Cummins' My sense of justice will not permit me to allow this matter to pass without ex- pressing the prediction that the mistakes of Theodore Roosevelt will pass away from the memory of men. l suppose he has made some mistakes If he has not, he is far from fit associate with the men of his time"
 Mr. Hale Talks.
 MT. Hale said T..
 Tt has come to very hard pass, II, in it's discretion over the management or the large concerns of the navy depart ment, a department for which Congress appropriates s130 600, 600, Congress cannot restore a condition that existed for 100 years; if it cannot pass measure that is against an order of the President with out the action being considered as an as- sault upon him.
 q deny here in terms, and I hope l deny for the Senate, the right of any sen ator to take such ground as to arralgn Congress and todeclare that 1t is intended and that it is the purpose of legislation passed here, to assault the chief execu- tive It is simply the exercise by Con- gress of it's natural control which cer- tainly is equal to the control of the Pres ident over the navy department. With this disclaimer. I leave the senator
 Senator Tillman sustained MT. Hale's at titude and in the course of his remarks said:
 This thing was fought out POO years ago. and Charles 1 lost his head for con tending for just what the senator from Iowa contends for"
 MT. Tilman Safe.
 ''In view of the advancing years of the senator from South Carolina" replied MT. Cummins, 'I think the President of the United States is safe, and l do not fear for my own head"
 Senator Borah next took the floor in opposition to the marine corps pro- vision.
 Then a roll call was taken on the amendment replacing the marine corps on board vessels of the navy. The amendment was adopted by vote of 51 to 12.
 The battleship provision was taken up and Senator Lodge made an impassioned appeal to the Senate to reverse it's action in reducing the size of the two battleships from the type costing s6,- 100000 each to two of the type of the Utah and Florida, costing $4,500,00O. He declared that it would be necessary in the future to keep a powerful fleet in the Pacific.
 Senator Perkins, commenting on the bill. referred to the Presidents re- cent statement concerning his atti- tude toward the navy, and said he did not believe the President had willful- ly violated the ninth commandment Of the decalogue.
 No Danger of War;
 Questions by MT. Tillman caused MT. Perkins to remark that he thought there was no danger of war with Japan. He insisted that that nation had no basis upon which to stand as against the United States. He said he believed in living up to the treaty with Japan, under which the states re- tail all police powers.
 An aye and nay vote on the amend ment favoring the smaller type of bat tleship over the 26,000ton vessels re- sulting in its defeat by a vote of 30 to 45.
 MT. Lafollette charged there had been political distribu ution of the work for the navy He thought there had been discrimination against the south. He also charged the manag cement of the navy yards with "criminal waste and eXtravagance.
 Human Nature.
 Haunting MT. Tillman with having said in speaking of naval appropria- tions If you want to have any steal ing. I want my share" the senator from Wisconsin declared that that was an evidence of human nature that it was not desirable to encourage.
 MT. Lafollette said that no senator who had a navy yard in his sate should be made a member of the committee on naval affairs, but they should be given full hearing by other senators who should be on that committee.
 Senator Dixon suggested that Speak CT Cannon had declined to appoint on the naval affairs committee of the House members who had navy yards in their districts.
 Senators Frye, Flint and others sug gested that if such a policy were gen orally adopted on the committees of agriculture, commerce, etc., the result would become ridiculous
 MT Frye said that if such a princi- pie were applied to the committee on commerce. Idaho would have to supply all of the IT members.
 The Lafollette amendment went out on point of order by MT. Tillman. The Senate then passed the bill