Montpelier examiner. [volume] (Montpelier, Idaho) 1895-1937, 1910-04-29
Senate Is Fully Expected to
Sanction the Naval Pro-
gram.
PARTY LINES MAY BE SPLIT
Plan to Put Postotfice Employees on
Civil Service Basis Means
Great Change
Rumors About Roose-
Welt and 1912.

and sanctioned the appropriation to
build two big battleships during the
next fiscal year 1t put itself on rec
ord as being in favor of maintaining
the present position of the United
States as 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,
oers 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 craftsmanship
of the committee on appropriations.
The change did not deprive him of a
seat in the naval affairs committee,
out 1t gave the craftsmanship to Sena-
tor Perkins of California, who, because
OF certain troubles which at one time
were threatening in the far east, has
undergone a change of heart and now
Is one of the strongest advocates of
upbuilding navy which at one time
he thought needed little additional
strength.
When the battleship-building para
graph in the naval bill passed the
house the party lines were split, many
Democrats voting for the appropria-
ton 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 mem
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 a 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 $50 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.
want to call your attention to the
tonnage of the fighting ships-that is
or the. battleships and armored cruis-
ers-and ! shall first call your atten-
ton to the ships that are completed,
and afterward to the ships which are
completed and provided for.
"Of the number of battleships and
armored cruisers-that is the fighting
implements of the navy-the United
States has "A such vessels, with ton
mage of 592.691. Japan has rs such
vessels with tonnage of 209,255.
Taking the completed and provided
for vessels, the United States has 48
such vessels. with an aggregate ton.
mage of 6S8.341. Japan has 30 such
vessels. with an aggregate tonnage OF
408.406 tons.
Sees Advantage Over Japan.
so that in every phase of the cues.
tion that looks to the fighting efici.
ency in the guns and in the size OF
the ships-because we have two oil
$4,000 tons. and the largest that Japan
is building is $1,000 tons-so that in
any aspect of the case in which you
may consider 1t you can divide the
American fleet by two, and either hall
of it Is larger and more efficient In
fighting capacity that the japanese
navy"
The opponents of Mr.. Padgett's
views say that the United States must
have much larger navy than Japan
ii 1t intends adequately to protect the
" Philippines and Hawaii The Philip
: pines, 1t Is said by the advocates Of
two ships. lie near the doorway oil
j Japan. and If we should put a fleet Of
: sufficient strength to meet Japan IL
the far eastern waters we would Of
l necessity leave our own coast lines
the Atlantic and Pacific-practicaIly
unguarded, and If we got into trouble
with Japan there is no telling what
might happen. for Japan has some Flu
ropean alliances which might give this
country cause for concern in case hos
tilities break out in the east. The ad
ministration is bringing its influence
to bear to receive the sanction of the
" senate for the two additional dread
naughts.
Civil Service In Postoffices.
: It has become known that President
, Taft and Postmaster General Hitch
cock have in view change in post
Office department procedure which
will be of the utmost interest to post
masters and in fact to all postoffict
employees all over the United States
1t is believed that before President
Taft's term ends all postmasters o.
the second and third class will be pu
upon a civil service basis. In conse