The Republican journal., 1915-08-05
Washington Correspondence.

an address to the United States Senate.
1.-THE poor, dear, old foolish Demo.
cratic party is going through the same
game that she can be generally trusted
to go through" said Senator Williams
to his Democratic colleagues. i"You
cannot govern the country. You are in
competent
Some measure of this incompetency
has been referred to hitherto in stories
pointing out specific errors In the tariff
bill due to inexcusable laundering. Mis-
takes in other laws have been discussed
in more recent articles. A brief resume
4 of these mistakes is given herewith, to
be followed later by instances of other
faulty Democratic legislation. -
No. 8. The provision enacted by the
Democratic Congress to build up the
American merchant marine utterly fail
ed to achieve its purpose, and conferred
the proposed benefit instead upon com.
peting vessels of other countries, giving
to foreigners the profits from high
freight rates, according to the decision
of the Court of Customs Appeals in the
five per cent rebate case.
No. 9. The Democratic Congress
Numbered in enacting the law to provide
greater safety and comfort at sea for
passengers and seamen by naming two
conflicting dates for the time it should
take effect.
No. 10. The "war tax'' law was in
accurately drawn; was not based upon
correct estimates and failed to provide
the money needed; necessitated expen-
sive litigation; and adequate preparation
for its enforcement was not made. calls
ing great delay, annoyance and con-
fusion.
No. IL. The executive branch of the
Democratic administration is at war
with the legislative branch, and has
asked the Supreme Court to declare in
operative the law allowing a five ner
cent reduction in the tariff on goods i'm
ported in American bottoms.
No. IL. The most vital error legisla.
tive body can make was Incorporated in
the war tax" law, Congress having
given two conflicting dates as to the
time Schedule B should begin to operate.
No. 13. Congress invited litigation
over Schedule B of the war tax" law
oy failing to clearly express the mean
ing OF the provision to tax cosmetics"
and the matter is now in the courts.
No. IA. Thousands of dollars collected
from trust companies under the war
tax law may have to be refunded be-
cause Congress failed to make clear
whether or not they are subject to the
taxa question that has been taken to
the courts for determination.
WASHINGTON, D. c., Aug. 2, 1915.
Last May, when Josephus Daniels took
his trusty fountain pen in hand and
spilled several quarts of Ink over a lot of
good white paper which was subsequent
ly ''wished on to- President Garfield of
Williams College, he said:
Congress has enlarged the torpedo
plant at Newport, more than rrebling it's
capacity, and the cost of manufacturing
torpedoes has been reduced from 81, POP. :
II to So, 245. 70 each"
1t now appears that "the torpedo
plant at Newport is not engaged in
manufacturing torpedoes" at all, that
! II &c
and that there is, one plant in the Unit
ed States which today can turn out a
finished torpedo. That is the E. W.
Bliss Company, makers of the Bliss
Leavitt torpedo, in the patents of which
the United States claims an interest. 1t
was on account of its interest in the pat
ent that the government refused to per-
NIT the Bliss company to manufacture
torpedoes for any of the belligerent
European nations.
This information comes to the front in
connection with schedule for proposals
which was sent out in May by the bureau
Of supplies and accounts of the Navy
Department, and asking for bids on every
part, except the explosive, that goes in
to the manufacture of torpedoes. The
proposal specifies delivery of these parts
at the torpedo station at Newport, and
the parts called for, when assembled,
would make 80 torpedoes.
This schedule calls for the delivery of
the various parts of torpedoes for which
bids are asked, twenty-five per cent 15C
days after the contract is signed and
twenty-five per cent each month there.
after until the contract has been filled.
Now, torpedoes are practically nothiI g
but miniature motor boats which carry g
heavy charge of high explosives in the
head. This schedule calls for variety
of parts, such as 81 castings for the tor.
pedoes, 800 forward and 800 after pro.
pellers, 1926 each submerged guide bot.
toms and tops, $50 turbine wheels, en-.
CINE parts, castings, combustion TASKS,
driving gears, and long list of minor
parts, such as any machine shop coulc
turn out.
The schedule itself is an acknowledge.