Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1912-02-15
NAVY PLAN TO FAIL
Congress Not Likely to Authorize
Two BattIeships.
DEMOCRATS ECONOMY BENT
Vessels Become Anticipated Rapidly
but Majority In House Says Nava'
Force VIII Be Kept Up to the
Fighting Standard.
BY GEORGE

MuI. - A6Sth9I SLIIhI YIN
Washington.--It seems to be the
present determination of the major
ity in the house of representatives to
deny the request Of the navy depart
ment for the construction of two big
battleships during the coming year.
Odicials of the department were con-
Vlnced some time ago that their re-
quest had little chance of sanction by
a house which is economically in
elined. It seems hardly probable that
b senate will insist that the house
accede to the wishes of the navy de-
partment, although such a thing is
within the range of possibilities.
Five years ago Mr., Roosevelt, then
president, asked congress to author
ize the building of four big battle
ships in a single year. 1t was gen.
orally believed at the time that the
colonel asked for four ships In order
that he might be sure that he would
get two.
The year of the Roosevelt request
the Republican majority in congress
let 1t be understood that the inten-
ton was to build two ~battleships a
year each succeeding year until the
Panama Canal was opened, and by
that time it was urged the navy
would be big enough for offensive
and defensive purposes and that it
would only be necessary to build
ships as other ships became a~ntiquat.
ed and passed out of service.
Soon Become out-of-Date.
Ships are becoming antiquated rap
idly. They seem to get into their
second childhood before they have
reached the age of youth. The last
report is that the Kearsarge and the
Alabama, first-class battleships only
a few years old, are nearing the out
ofdate condition. The navy depart.
ment officials say that II no ships
are built for some years we will have
to begin building the navy all over
again, a proposition to which some
men do not accede. The peace ad'
vocates hope that II no more vessels
Ire built the necessity for future
construction will pass and that with
Hague tribunals and arbitration trea'
ties, turrets and ~twelve-inch guns will
go to the scrap heap.
Some of the members Of the ma
jority in the house say that they dc
not agree with the peace advocates
and that there IT, no intention Of let,
ting the navy go to the scrap hear
and that the Democrats can be de
pended upon to keep the navy up tc
the fighting standard. The program
however, does not necessitate the
building Of two great ships this yeal
at a cost Of something like thirty
million.
Still Quote the Classics.
Northern senator's and representa-
tives are rather chary in their use OF
classical illusions when making their
speeches. The southerners are fond
of their classics, though growing less
fond of them year by year as the new
members with the education that Ii
broadening in the south. as 1t is broad
ening in the north, come into office
At times, however. to hear one Of the
southerners speak is as good for the
brushing Of the cobwebs from mem
ory as is the re-reading after many
years Of the pages Of Smith and An
thon's Classical Dictionary.
The northern men draw compari
sons and sharpen their points from
modern instances, and yet there is
charm about the utterances Of the
men Of the south. They pass from
Homer to the Rienzi of Miss Milford
as readily as IL a month rather thar
centuries lay between. Ulysses wan
ders in the senate chamber and thu
voice OF the siren is heard from tht
corridor. Regulus again defes tht
.Carthagenians, while the domes o
the African city are burning will
the splendor of MONDAY"
Gems From John Tyler.
Searching the records one find
that in the elder days the classi,
habit was stronger than 1t is today
SO strong, indeed, that a man of sixt!
years ago., writing Of one of tn,
speeches of John Tyler Of Virginia
delivered some years before, sale
that there were more Greeks and Ro
mans than Americans in the speeches
The writer set 1t down that this wal
"a fault Cor v%irtue) common to hi
state"
During the debate on the fore,
bill" OF Jackson's time the records
show that John Tyler brushed up hi
classics, his Shakespeare and his Col
ley Cibber and delivered himself o
this:
Rather than give my aid l woult
surrender my station here, for | as
pire not to initiate the rash boy whit
set fire to the Ephesian dome. No
sir. / will lend no aid to the passag'