The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1910-04-21
WILL BUILD TWO
BIG BATTLESHIPS
Senate Is Fully Expected to
Sanction the Naval Pro-
gram.
PARTY LINES MAY BE SPLIT
Plan to Put Postoffice Employees on
Civil Service Basis Means a
Great Change-Persistent
Rumors About Roose-
welt and 1912.

SNSN~N
welt and 1912.
Washington.-When the house of
representatives did the expected thing
and sanctioned the appropriation to
build two big battleships during the
next fiscal year it put itself on rec
ord as being in favor of maintaining
the present position of the United
States as a naval power and on record
in measure as believing that this
country should surpass certain other
countries in naval strength.
1t is fully expected that the senate
will sanction the two-battleship propo-
sition. Notwithstanding that Senator
Hale, one of the most influential men,
bers of the upper house, probably will
oppose the increase. Senator Hale no
longer is chairman of the senate COM
mittee on naval affairs, for recently
he was promoted to the chairmanship
OF the committee on appropriations.
When the battleship-building para
graph in the naval bill passed the
house the party lines were split, many
Democrats voting for the appropria-
tion and some Republicans voting
against it. 1t is probable that the
same thing will happen in the senate
and that several of the seacoast state
Democrats will vote for the Taft recon-
mendation for two ships and the in
terror state Democrats will vote
against it,
Comparison Not Liked.
In the lower house one of the men,
bers in speaking of the proposed bat
tleship increase made a comparison
between the strength of the United
States navy and that of Japan, a sort
of comparison which some of the
members deprecated because recently
there has been revival of the talk
that this country might possibly be-
come embroiled with Japan. -
Representative Padgett, Democrat,
Of Tennessee, had this to say about
Japan and the United States in the
matter of naval strength:
Il want to call attention to another
fact. Speaking of big guns, the United
States has 1870 of these big guns OF
the caliber of IL and 13 inches. Japan
has 118 big guns of IL and IL inches
Now as to the tonnage of the vessels
l want to call your attention to the
tonnage Of the fighting ships-that is
Of the battleships and armored cruis
ers-and / shall first call your atten
tion to the ships that are completed
and afterward to the ships which are
completed and provided for.
"Of the number of battleships anC
armored cruisers-that is the fighting
implements of the navy-the United
States has A such vessels, with a ton
mage of 592,691. Japan has 25 suct
vessels with tonnage Of 3O9,255.
Taking the completed and provided
for vessels, the United States has Al
such vessels, with an aggregate ton
mage of 6SS,341. Japan has 80 sucl
vessels, with an aggregate tonnage o
408, ,406 tons.
Sees Advantage Over capan.
80 that in every phase of the ques
tion that looks to the fighting ef1ici
ency in the guns and in the size o
the ships-because we have two O
$4,000 tons, and the largest that Japal
is building is 21,000 tons-so that il
any aspect of the case in which yo
may consider it you can divide tn
American fleet by two, and either hal
of it is larger and more efficient il
fighting capacity that the Japanes
navy"
The opponents of Mr.. Padgett'
views say that the United States mus
have a much larger navy than Japa
if it intends adequately to protect tn
Philippines and Hawaii. The Philil
pines, it is said by the advocates {
two ships, lie near the doorway {
Japan, and II we should put feet {
sufficient strength to meet Japan
the far eastern waters we would {
necessity leave our own coast lines
the Atlantic and Pacific-practicall
unguarded, and If we got into troubl
with Japan there is no telling whs
might happen, for Japan has some E.
ropean alliances which might give tn
country cause for concern, in case ho
tilities break out in the east. The a,
ministration is bringing its infuenc
to bear to receive the sanction of th
senate for the two additional drea'
naughts.
Civil Service in Postoffices.
It has become known that Presider
I Taft and Postmaster General Hitcl
, cock have in view change in pos
, office department procedure whic
Z will be of the utmost interest to pos
masters and in fact to all postoffiC