Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-02-16


Senator Aldrich denied that Mr.. Dixon
was speaking for western senator's MT
Dixon was only speaking for himse1, &C.
cording to Mr.. Aldrich.
Again Mr.. Hale appealed for vote on
the proposition. but Mr.. Dixon wanted &c
know whether he believed that a vote or
the Portsmouth appropriation would lnol.
cate whether or not a majority oeheveo
that money was being wasted under the
present system. Mr.. Hale declared that a
vote on the individual propositions in the
bill was the only way the matter could be
determined
..Weil. / am willing that a vote be taker
when have completed the remarks which
are on my conscience to make. Mr.
Dixon remarked
Accuses Navy Department.
Senator Dixon questioned Senator Till
man as to the truth of the article
stating that naval experts had reported
adversely on the Charleston navy yard.
Senator Tillman produced a document
showing that on the contrary seven
members of the board favored the yard
and only one was against 1t.
You ought to have found that out,
Senator Tillman cried, before you
brought in this magazine article. III SEN
ators bring in all the muckrakers to be
hashed over in the Senate we will be over
whelmed.
Senator Dixon replied that this was not
the only case OIL DTlISms IHut Al ohoi
into the Senate.
Senator Tillman then made the charge
that a clique of officers in the Navy De
partment was trying to smother the
Charleston navy yard.
He recalled that the Navy Department
hesitated to take the battleship North
Carolina into Charleston harbor to re-
Ceive Mr.. Taft. although naval omcers
had assured Mr.. Taft that the harbor
would accommodate the largest ship In
the fleet.
Telegram From Taft.
Mr. Taft telegraphed me- Senator Till
man said, that he would board the North
Carolina at Charleston II he had to 90
out to it on only a raft. The result was
that it was found easy to bring the North
Carolina in alongside the custom house.
You want to get this prejudice against
southern navy yards out of your heart.
Senator Dixon protested that he had
no such prejudice. Thereon Senator iii,
man said he begged his pardon II ne hao
misiudged him
what is your purpose" Senator Till
man asked. in bringing in these muck
raking articles to back the clique IN
the Navy Department?
Senator Dixon said he was not OPP
posed to naval base on the south AT
lantic, but thought there should be one
there.
Senator Smith of Maryland. a member
of the naval committee. took the moor
and expressed his resentment OF the 1ntl-
nation that members of the naval COM
mittee had been influenced to vote for a
navy yard in their own state. He SAID
he had voted for the bill and he ,had no
navy yard i'm his state nor any state
interest in the bill. He insisted that the
committee had acted fairly and that no
one should impugn the motive OF the
committee.
Senator Hale Makes Appeal.
At this point Senator Hale appealed
to Senator Tillman and to the whole Sen
ate to allow the Montana senator to con-
clude his remarks without interruption
so that the business could go on.
II am willing to sit still. no matter what
he says" Senator Hale remarked. where
upon Senator Dixon smiled and proceeded
with the reading of the article.
Senator Tillman interrupted again. how
ever. to charge that the Navy Depart
ment. or a coterie of officials there. was
trying to put through scheme to dis
eliminate against navy yards on the
South Atlantic coast and In favor of a
naval base at Guantanamo. Cuba. which,
ne said could be shelled by an enemy
from the open sea.
Senator Dixon then read from the
magazine the statement that the New
Orleans navy yard. which had been pro-
duced at an expenditure of some g CO.,
600 had turned out only 10000 worth Of
work. He called on Senator McEnery of
Louisiana to say whether that was good
investment or not.
Victim Of Hostility.
Senator McEnery declared that the New
Orleans navy yard was the victim Of the
hostility of the Navy Department. He
said that the department would send the
little gunboats In use on the South Amer
lean station way up to Its favorite yard
on the north Atlantic coast.
He protested vigorously against what
he called the usurpation of authority OF
the Navy Department. He said the de.
partment was trying to Illustrate the will
Of Congress and to abolish the New Or
leans navy yard by Withholding appropri-
atoms.
Senator Dixon said that statement car
ried out his contention that there were too
many navy yards. He asked Senator Hale
mllion-doliar yard which only turned out
$4,000 worth Of work.
ut might be- Senator Hale said. Ia
conically.
Denies Filibustering Charge.
A little further along in his speech
Senator Dixon declared that he was not
filibustering to defeat the naval bill.
What is he flibustering for?' Senator
Flint Of California asked.
Flushing up. Mr.. Dixon replied CURLY:
THE senator from Montana is not filibus-
tering at all"
He is apparently trying to prevent
vote" Mr.. Hale interjected
This remark made Senator Dixon
angry He wanted to know whether
things had reached such a pass In the
Senate that any senator could not ask
all the questions he pleased about such an
enormous appropriation bill as was then
being considered
Certainly not" Mr.. Hale replied. "but
there are other senators in this chamber
who are just as patriotic as the senator
from Montana There are ninety-two
he is the only one who is interested In
this matter
Resents a Remark.
Il resent that remark Mr.. Dixon
said Il know there are ninety-two sem
ators in this chamber and that they all
have the right to speak OH this bill.
don't demand anything more or anything
less than any one else has right to de-
mand.''
Mr. Dixon then read from a statistical
report from the census bureau to show
that the total valuation OF farm property
in most of the states from which the
members Of the naval committee come Is
less by many millions of dollars for each
state than the total navy appropriation
proposed for this year.
Exactly at = o'clock after he had had
the floor for nearly two hours. Mr. Dix
on concluded with the following words:
II wish to repeat that I am not fill