Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-01-11
Looking FOR Fight
President Roosevelt Expects
Another Round With Con-
gress Before March 4
INSISTS ON BATTLEsHIPs
) ON BATTLEsHlPs
President Will Head Navy Expansion
lists in Their Campaign = Some Con-
gressmen Playing JekyIl and Hyde
With Constituents Presidents
TiIIman Coup a Shrewd One.
Especial CORRESPONDENCE

Especial Correspondence
Washington. Jan. lit is the pres
emf confident expectation of President
first-class struggle with the powers of
congress. before the sessions end, over
his effort to secure larger naval pro-
gram.
| The fact that the senate last year
agreed to grant two battleships an
nually hereafter as basis of the pro-
gram, is not conclusive that two will
be forthcoming with ease. for the house
never assented formally to such a con-
| ratifying it this season
| The navy eXpansionists are confident
! they are stronger than last year, be-
cause all political parties went on rec
ord for the big program, in their plat
forms last year. But against this is the
fact that the menace of Japan has bean
removed by the Root Takahira con-
venton, to some degree at least
The fight for four battleships. how
ever. will be pushed with zeal, in che
hope of at least saving the two, and
perhaps raising it to three. Incident 10
this. the effort to increase the size of
the destroyers will add greatly to the
cost of ships. and the president is nov
convinced that 1t is very important TO
start building ships bigger than any
other country is putting out.
Just what the navy department
plans for the new monsters is OK
planned by naval officer in touch
with all the designing work. There is
a faction which wants ship of about
$4,000 tons, as a beginning and expert
ment. 1t is planned to make this yes
sci carry two gun turrets. two forward
and two aft, with two fourteen-inch
guns in each turret
Then there is design for $4,000
ton craft with five turrets; two for
ward. two aft and one amidshps; with
two fourteen inch guns in each turret
The other side of this design proposes
vessel of the same tonnage, but with
six turrets, three forward and three
turret Finally the other plan for q
ship OF $4,000 tons provides for five
turrets, two forward, two aft and one
amidships: each turret having two
twelve-inch guns.
The plan of four turrets to ship,
and heavier guns, is favored by those
who want plenty of free space amid
ships. But the fourteen-inch sun
plan is considered rather experimental,
and there is doubt about recommend
ing it until a sample fourteen-inch gun
can be made, for high pressure work
and thoroughly tested. This would cost
about a year Of time. There is sonle
reason to expect this experiment will
be made before the fourteen-inch gun
type of vessel is tried.
There isn't anybody named Brown In
the house of representatives at pres
emit That is an unusual circumstance
in itself, and makes it possible to give
the hypothetical name of Brown to the
hero of this story
Likewise, as there is no state of Sas-
katchewan, hypothetical state of that
name may be supposed, to be repre-
SCutCo DS liC SuPpoSiSAOoo III ONh
This story is to illustrate how states
men feel about the fight of the insur-
gents against the house rules. Plenty of
them want to be with the rules and the
Cannon organization, while they are
in Washington, but to be insurgent to
the point of revolution when they are
at home
Brown, of Saskatchewan, the day af-
ter the house insurgents had dined and
discussed methods of revolt, sent to the
correspondents of the Saskatchewan
newspapers note in essence as fol-
lows.
I'm the event you should mention in
your correspondence to the Saskatche-
wan Daily tcatchaone the dinner
of house insurgents, will you please
say that Representative Brown was un-
able because of illness to attend. Mr..
Brown desires that no mention of this
be printed in any other than the Sas-
katchewan papers"
The Hon. Pussyfoot Brown, of Sas-
katchewan didn't get the coveted men
ton of his vigorous insurgency in the
Saskatchewan press.
In the matter OF puDMclty manage
ment they have to start early to beat
President Roosevelt to it.
Just wnen the house critics of his
secret service messages were cooked
and primed with acres of speechitica-
ton, and the newspapers were full of
advance copies OF the hot stuff that
was to be hurled on the devoted pres
idential head, announcement came
from the White House that the docu-
ments on the work of the secret serv-
ice in, the departments, were being
given out to the press for publication
the next morning.
Result: the newer "story" story
in which the names of Senator Till
man was known to be involved-the
real, redhot narrative-eclpsed the at
tack on the president in news value
would be displayed right alongside the
reports of the attacks on the president
and would make the editions look as If
the president had once more been fir
ing all the big guns and winning all the
points in his battle with congress.
1t wasn't by any means the first
time the ingenious Mr.. Roosevelt had
done the same thing, either.
Mrs. Ellen NJ Taylor, of Burke, s. d..
q daughter OF the revolution-als
cousin of that venerable institution, ac-
cording to her claims-writes one OF
the senators from her state. that she
would like a pension. She says:
In the battle of Ticonderoga my