The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-05-29
NEW BATTLESH|PS
ARE POWERFUL
Uncle Sam Does N;ct Lag in Ma
val Equipment
THE OLDEST DEMOCRATS
In the House In Point of Service IRE
Jones of Virginia aud Living
ston of Georgia-Joint
Exposition
THE OLDEST DEMOCRATS
BY Ralph NJ. whiteside


| Washington, May 2s.-(Special)-
Maybe you think your Uncle Samuel is
tagging behind In the matter of super
oreadnoughts. If you think so, you
have another think coming. Not only
are the ships of the Florida type the
most powerful, but the plans for the
two battleships which the present Con-
gress will add to the navy are to be
as far in advance Of the Florida type
as the Floridas are ahead of the Con-
necticut's.
They will have a displacement of 49,
900 tons and carry ten 14-inch guns,
taking the lead of all the dreadnoughts
in the world, is presaged by tentative
designs already being considered by
the naval general board.
Tt is asserted that ten 14-inch guns
are regarded as better than ~ 12-inch
guns, but 1t is also recognized that adj
vantage gained one way is sometimes
lost another way. 1t would be possible
to have more 14-inch guns, but it is
altogether a matter of weight. Any
thing added in one feature must be
offset by a reduction in weight on an
other feature.
The general board expects to increase
the hitting power of the new ships,
maintain the speed, and, If possible, in
crease the steaming radius. The latter
can be brought about by increased ca
pacity for the storage of coal.
| Embracing the best features in con-
struction and In a military way, the
proposed ships. in addition to having
the most destructive batteries in the
| world, will be able to keep the sea long
er than any ships in existence or in
course of construction.
| Some of the most thoughtful men in
the navy are beginning to question the
advisability of calling a halt in the
| race for hugeness of battleships. One
of these men suggested to me the other
day that 4 would be we'll for the gem
eral board to consider reducing the
size of the ships, increasing the speed,
steaming radius and the size of the
guns.
He suggests that for the price of one
of the latest size of ships, or near It,,
two ships could be built each carrying
half the number of guns as heavy or
heavier which would be faster and with
greater bunker capacity. 1t stands to
| reason, he says. that two ships carry
ing five 14-inch guns would be more
effective than one carrying ten guns
of that caliber. Perhaps this will be
| the next line of development in navy
building.
The oldest democrats in the House
| in point of service are Representative
| w. A. Jones, Of the First Virginia dis
trict and Representative Leonidas F.
Livingston of Georgia. Each has been
| in Congress about 20 years. Each be-
gan to serve in the House at the open
ing of the Fifty-second Congress. They
have served continuously since March
| 4, 1911, each will have rounded out 20
| full years of service.
The only republicans who have
served longer than these two demo-
Gratis are Cannon of Illinois, Bingham
and Dalzell of Pennsylvania. Hull of
Iowa has served the same length of
time as Jones and Livingston. Uncle
Joe" Cannon has had Is terms, not con-
tinuous. General Bingham has had 16
continuous terms. Payne has had 10
terms. not continuous, and Dalzell has
had IL continuous terms
A great Joint exposition to be held
in Washington or New Orleans and San
Francisco in 1915, concentrating the
completion of the Panama canal and
surprising in magnitude and grandeur
the greatest celebrations the world has
seen, today gives promise of being the
outcome of the fight which has been
waged by nearly half a dozen cities to
land the Panama Canal exposition.
The sending of mammoth armada
from Hampton Roads through the ca
nal to the Pacific may be the link used
for bringing the two cities together In
the double celebration, should plans
which are being formulated here. ma
terialiZe.
It would be the plan to have the
feet be the first vessels to pass through
the completed Panama canal.
1t seems to- be accepted as fact
that President Taft's suggestion for a
double exposition, one at San francisco
and the other in an eastern city Will De
accepted by Congress. That there Will
Ii be a lively fight between New Orleans
and washington for the eastern end
of the combination is certain
Mississippi, 1t Is feared by the coffee
cooler contingent, is about to threaten
the palladium of our liberties by pre-
senting a statue of Jefferson Davis as It's
contribution to Statuary hall. Already
the protests have begun to come In TO
Senator Burton of Ohio fell the lot OF
presenting the first of these. 1t came
from Tifln, Ohio, and protested not only
against the presence of statue OF Jef-
ferson Davis at the national capital, but
against the acceptance of the Robert u.
Lee statue as well. The resolution adopt
ed by the Tiffin, (Ohio) Post recites that
-" certain state senator of Mississippi
has introduced resolution serving no
tice in the Hall of Fame at Washing
ton a bronze statue of Jefferson Davis,
late president of the Confederacy."
The resolution earnestly protests
against placing statues of those men side
by side with those of the loyal men who
gave their lives for the nations welfare -
So Mississippi had best 60 slowly.
Just why Senator Bacon of Georgia
never votes when his name is reached on
the Nroll call Is a bit of a senatorial
mystery. The Georgian always votes, it
is true, and Is present at as many roll
calls as any man in the Senate; but he
|snever votes until everybody else is
through
Then the Georgia senator rises, adj
dresses the chair. waits for his name to