Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-02-28
OPINIONS OF Mr.. TAWNEY
Will Lead Fight Against Two IT,
OOO.Ton War Vessels.
SURPRISED AT THE PROGRAM
Chairman of Appropriations Com
mittee Sees No Reason for In.
creasing Naval Expenditures.

There promises to be the hottest kind of
a row in the House of Representatives
over the recommendations to be made by
the House committee on naval affairs
that Congress authorize two c7,OO0-ton
battleships at this session. Represents
| tive Tawney OF Minnesota. chairman OF
the House appropriations committee. will
lead the fight against the program of
naval increase.
In a statement opposing what he calls
the governments competitive s.ipbuild-
ing scheme Mr.. Tawney says:
81 have read Of the governments tenta-
tive naval program with profound aston
ishment. One reason for my surprise at
the more ambitious naval program which
is suggested is the fact that 1t involves
a great increase in our now enormously
large appropriations for naval purposes
without basing 1T on any necessity what
ever, as a means OF national defense,
and also without any regard whatever
to the fact that In this fiscal year we are
facing a deficit and next fiscal year We
will be near our aggregate revenues in
the amount appropriated this session.
Competition With other Nations.
'If our naval policy is to be determined
by our ability to compete with other
nations in the number and size of our
battleshtps. then the naval policy In ques-
ton should be adopted and carried out
without reference either to our necessi-
ties for national defense or the adequacy
Of the public revenues to meet the ex-
penditures necessary to crafty our ma
tional ambition.
I'm view OF our geographical isolation,
which as a means of national defense
Is worth more to us than the largest
navy any nation In the world possesses.
fiscal year ended June 80. 1909. we ex-
pended Il per cent OF our government
revenues on account of wars we have
had and wars we are preparing for. 1t is
rather amazing to find naval program
proposed that will so greatly increase our
appropriations under this head.
Increase In Eight Years.
TN the last eight years the increase
Il In naval appropriations amounted in the
aggregate to $500 .OO0, 600 in excess OF our
naval appropriations for the eight pre-
ceding years. The increases in our ap-
propriations for the army during the
same eight years were $472 0OO.00 In ex-
cess of army appropriations for the eight
preceding years. In other words. the ag-
gregate increase in naval appropriations
during the past eight years Is alone more
than the total appropriations Tor all con-
ceivable government purposes In any one
year during the history Of the govern
ment prior to 1898.
1.-THE Increased appropriations for the
army during the same time would build
1.-THE Panama canal according to the latest
estimates and would leave balance of
800 900 600, while the total Increase In
appropriations for both the army and the
navy during these last eight years Is In
- he limited
States.
No Prospect Of War.
1--WE are at peace with all the world.
There is not even a prospect OF our be-
coming involved In war with a foreign
nation. 1t seems almost incredible that
any one would suggest the adoption of q
naval program which will involve the ex-
penditure of more money than we have
under existing revenue laws and a pol
ICY too which will virtually put out OF
commission at least half OF our war yes
sells by making them inferior In size and
efficiency by comparison with those giant
battleships now proposed.
when England launched her first
Dreadnought four years ago last Novem-
Der there was no thought OF our enter
ing into competition with her or any
other nation in number and size OF our
battleships. At that session of Congress
1t was proposed that we build dread
nought which would exceed in tonnage
that built by England, but Congress re-
fused to authorize any such ship. At
the next session as the result OF a Japa-
nese war scare Congress authorized two
dreadnoughts Then we were told that .
squadron Of these dreadnoughts was nee
essary In order to make efficient those
previously authorized. Since then we
have authorized two more II we now
authorize a 32,O0O-ton dreadnought at
cost OF $18.0OO,OOO or $2O.OOO.OOO 1t will
mean that we must build more In the
future in order to have a homogeneous
squadron OF vessels Of that class
1.-THE number Of years Of the life Of
these vessels will not be as great as the
number of millions 1t will cost to build
them. They will depreciate at least a
million dollars a year. and 1t will cost
at least several million dollars a year
to operate these monster battleships in
times NJ yeace''