New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-04-26
Committee Chairman Re-
sents Attack of Little
Navy" Advocates.
CHARGES OF GRAFT
ENLIVEN DEBATE
Opponents of Two.Battleship
Plan Declare ArmOr Plate
Price Is Ex0rbitant.
fFrom The Tribune Burssu. ]

Washington, April 5.--Rlsfng 10 defend
the navy personnel and 10 deny charges
Of the small navy" men that there was
graft" In the naval appropriation bin,
Representative Padgett. of Tennessee,
brought on a wordy battle In the House
to-day among the advocates, respectively,
OF an adequate and a little navy.
The chairman Of the Naval Affairs
Committee, referring 10 officers now at
the front in defence OF the flag. shouted:
yet when II comes 70 the question OF
how many ships we are 20 have. To the
question OF what Is needed In the way
OF new construction, the honor OF these
men is attacked. their motives questioned
and they are branded an moved by an
unholy purpose. repudiste the insinua-
ton and bear my testimony 10 the men
who protect the flag
Representatives Withsrspoon. Hensley
and Galloway small navy Democrats.
assailed the amor plate trust and crit
icised the Secretary OF the Navy for urg-
ing tho building OF more ships before
government armor plate factory was cod
structed The trust, said Mr.. Wither-
spoon. is demanding and getting $40
ton for steel plate which costs only .S1s
a ton TO manufacture. Mr.. Witherspoon
added:
when the Secretary OF the Navy was
before our committee I asked him X ne
did not think We had better hold of
building ships until We get our own FAC
tory. lie said he thought we'd better go
ahead. He was willing 10 surrender TO
this trust, which is guilty Of opposition,
rascaIity and robbery
Mild, He Says, to Call il Graft.
1.-The word graft is a mild term 70 ap-
ply to this bill 7 tell you when you vote
for two battleships 10 be constructed at
this exorbitant price you are surrenderins
10 the trust and voting for just that
much graft.
"Why should the Navy Department sub
NIT 10 such extortion when 1t has the
figures showing this armor plate may be
made for sl79 9 ton? Spending 100000
for useless ships under such circum-
stances is worse than graft. We also
propose TO buy $4,000 worth Of powder
which We do not need. This is a waste
OF public funds for no other purpose than
to fill the Golfers OF the powder trust"
Mr.. Witherspoon again denounced the
big navy propaganda, which, he said, was
encouraged not only by naval officers but
by the trusts. Mr.. Hensley declared that
retired naval officers ARE going about the
country making speeches urging the
waste OF the public money and backing
1oa yTfa
big navy"
Mr.. Galloway. a Texas Democrat. who
synpathizes with the graft charges, OBJ
served:
when Mexico refused 10 salute the flag
we sent our ships down there. backed
with the resources of the country, 10
make them come to terms. Yet we sur
render and crawl on cur bellies before the
arnor trust"
Mr.. Greene, a Massachusetts, Repuon-
can. demanded TO know why the Demo
cratic administration had not prosecuted
the armor plate trust II charges were
true that the naval bill was filled with
graft for the octopus. He received no
reply that was satisfactory to him.
Mr. Padgett. answering claims OF small
navy men that the Oregon can best SIX
German Dreadnoughts and that the
United States outranks Germany. said;
us il not a little singular that every
naval authority in the world, ! care not
who they are or where they come from,
agree with the Navy Department or this
country and places the same estimate on
the relative value and standing of the
German navy and the American navy
Only those gentlemen disagree VINO havs
signed the minority report. and they
argue by the hour in an effort TO over
turn the unanimous opinion OF all The
naval experts.
ITO do that they impugn and impeach
the motives and the purposes OF our own
authorities. Suppose I were 10 concede
there was an improper purpose on the
mart of our own officers 10 belittle our
navy and its standing? Where Is the pur-
nose or the motive OF the authorities or
England. France and Germany 20 do the
same thing? Is II not little singular that
ALL the naval authorities OF the entire
world should be false. and that among
them al There could not be found one
honest man? I bitterly resent these insin-
nations OF graft and deception