The silver state news. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1907-1909, 1909-05-01
News OF NATIONS
CAPITAL
By Sheldon s. Cline.

Of congress from west of the Rocky
mountains and eastern advocates of a
greater navy are girdling up their loins
for a hard fight when congress con-
venes in regular session next December.
The "tip' has gone forth that in their
policy of economy and retrenchment
the senate and house leaders are going
to attack the program of naval expan-
sion. They may succeed in saving
money at the expense of battleships,
but they will know they have been to
fight before they get away with it.
The anti-battleship economists had
been secretly counting on the support
of the president. Mr.. Taft had Sc
lected economy as the watch-word of
his administration, and opponents of
naval expansion were led into the err
ror of believing that he might be will
ling to sacrifice few battleships for
the sake of saving money. This H.
lusion was dispelled when Secretary of
the Navy Meyer delivered his speech
at Boston a few nights ago. Mr.. Meyer
declared openly and boldly for two
great battleship fleets, one for the At
lantic and the other for the Pacific, and
no one doubts that his voice was the
voice of the administration. Beyond
doubt, his speech was submitted to the
president and o. KID by Mr.. Taft be-
fore it was delivered. 1t was the serv-
ing of notice on congress and on the
country that economy did not mean
weakening of the national defense.
If Mr.. Taft journeys to the Pacific
coast this summer it is anticipated he
will find occasion to declare himself iu
favor of two-ocean navy and to ask
that the country support him in his ef-
forts to secure it. The fight then will
be on in earnest. The Taft naval pro-
gram will find earnest and enthusiastic
support in congress, and it will have
to encounter able and determined op-
position. The question is one upon
which statesmen differ without regard
to party lines. There are in congress
able men whose patriotism is beyond
question who regard war with Japan or
any other first class power as absolute
cas- greatest security is in the recti-
tude of her intentions and the fairness
of her intercourse with other people.
There are other men, just as able and
just as patriotic, who are morally GER
tain that Japan would declare war up
on us the moment she felt certain Of
naval supremacy.
1t would be fair to say there are
peace at tany-price men in congress, but
there are high-calibre men like Senator
Burton, of Ohio, and Representative
Bartholdt, of Missouri, who think the
United States should show the way
toward disarmament by ourselves dis
arming to shame the suspicious and
distrust of other powers by showing
through our deeds that we give other
governments credit for the same hon
orable purposes which actuate our own
diplomacy.
These men are patriotic to the very
core, and have not thought which IS
not of their conutry's good. But they
are no more patriotic, no better Ameri-
cans, than is Richard Pearson Hobson,
hero of the Merrimac and member of
congress from Alabama. Yet Hobson
would put into battleships every dollar
which Uncle Sam could rake and
scrape, and still he would not be sat
isfied that we had done our whole duty
toward preventing war by preparing
for it.
The Burtons, McCalls, Bartholdts and
Hobsons will fight for or against naval
expansion because they have deep and
unshakable convictions ON the subject.
The Aldriches and Hales, the Cannons
and Tawneys will oppose naval expan-
sion because they want to make good
revenue showing for the new tariff BILL
And there are other senators and repre-
sentatives who will favor naval expan-
sion because their constituents will ma
terially benefit through the building of
battleships. With conviction and in
terest aligned on both sides of the
question, it doesn I need the eye of n
prophet to foresee that there is going
to be mighty interesting fight when
the next naval bill comes up for con
sideration. The president is practical
ly certain to recommend two new bat
tleships of the Delaware type, and he
may ask for three or four. The anti
expansionists will fight to prevent the
authorization of any new battleships
at all at the next session, hoping there
by to keep the authorization down to
one.