Evening star., 1915-12-13
.ASsERTSMR. BRYAN.
HAS LOST HIS PO|SE
Continued from First Pase.)


"All the naval officers I have talked
with on this subject, and have talked
with many. unite in advising that bat
tleships are the best kind to build. The
be held indefinitely against fast cruts-
ers. A feet Of battIeships with enough
! scout cruisers and destroyers would be
J sufficient to sweep the seas of Iher-
chantmen. It is the possession OF bat.
tleships as well as fast cruisers that
has enabled England to sweep the Ger.
man flag from the ocean.
THE construction Of an armor plant
built and owned by the government Is
%hsb 9hs the Sas
compelled to submit for twenty years.
In order to refresh the minds OF men
as to how long thfs fight has been in
progress. as we'll as to enlighten them
the government. I ask permission to
insert such parts of Senator Tillman's 8
first speech on armor plate made In
1895 in this body as I deem proper
Says Government Is Robbed.
81 came into the Senate in December.
1895. and was assigned to the naval
committee at my request. and I have
served on it ever since. -.
II speak advisedly when say that
all these years since I have been
member of that committee the United
States government has been robbed
numerically by the armor makers.
am going to ask the clerk to read ex-
tracts from my speech delivered in this
tinuation of the fight began in 1896
and related to the armor frauds. They
are applicable to the situation now
existing. =.
I'VE have an armor trust now. Just as
We have had all along, and 1t Is doing
business at the same old stands
Bethlehem, Carnegie. Midvale. The war
In Europe and the enormous profits
| made In the manufacture of munitions
Of war have brought about the absorp-
Bethlehem company, hear. and Mr..
Schwab, who was Carnegie's foreman
when the first fraud was exposed by
the House committee In 1894, is now
president of and largely owns the Beth
lehem Steel Company. See House Re-
port No. 1863. Fifty-third Congress,
second session.
Lauds Former Senators.
In this connection I desire to say
! that to William E. Chandler, formerly
senator from New Hampshire. credit
| Is due for Offering the first resolution
| in the Senate to reduce the price to be
paid for armor. He and served in the
Senate together for many years, and he
Is now, like myself, old and somewhat
feeble. He Is not loved in the south,
where the older generation was taught
to hate him. and know him as Old Bill
chandler. for he was always active and
a somewhat pestiferous man in recon
structfon days, and besides he had
something to do with counting Florf-
da for Hayes in 1875.
But I desire to say that for 10y
atty to- the navy and the United States,
and especially New England. and abil-
fty as a senator, he has been second to
no man have known in Washington
HIS heart Is In the right place. and he
Not as quick and alert-minded-al-
though as quick as lightning--as John
G. Spooner, who added to his. alert
ness OF mind brilliance of oratory and
the greatest legal ability. It delights
me to speak thus of two distinEufshed
republicans 1 have served with here.
and l take occasion to say also that
during my twenty years Of service,
many OF my warmest friends have been
tisan as am and have been always.
but that did not hinder recognition of
their lovable qualities and great ability.
Refers to Critics Of Navy.
Before leaving this phase OF the
subject: The critics Of the Navy De-
partrnent under Secretary Daniels have
been unusually active and outrageous
In their work. not hesitating to even
make false statements. One man par-
tfcularly active in this criticism has
oeen MIS- Immediate predecessor, Mr..
Won L. Meyer. Mr.. Meyer seems to be
unconscious of the fact that In indict-
ing the navy as he has under Secre-
tary Daniels he in truth ID indfctinx
himself and his republican predecessors
In the Navy Department.
a r..
enough money. God knows, but Il has
been squandered, misappropriated or
spent unwiseiy. II Mr.. Meyer should
convict Secretary Daniels of gross
neEhgence-.which-. he cannot do-he
will damn forever. in the estimation Of
rfght-thinking men, the republican Sec
retaries Of the Navy who preceded
him. .-F4
Poor old Massachusetts,, how unfor-
tunate In giving berth to such a man
as he. The grand old state deserves
better opinion than he has been Civ
Ing 1t to the average man. have
known many noble and great men from
that state; have associated on this floor
and Lodge 81 and f fesi sorry soai that Hoss oss
| should be held up to scorn-if such
little and mean man can hold her up
to scorn--by the actions Of Mr.. Won L.
Meyer: But let me get back to the
manufacture OF armor plate.
Calls Policy Outrageous"
I'm spite OF all the proof brought to
bear by me and others. Congress has
continued year after year under re-
publican control to follow this out
rageous policy Of paying special inter
ests and pets Of the republican party
enormous sums out Of the public Treas
ury. Now II can only be stonped under
democratic admtnistrat tion, ,as far as the
navy 10 concerned. Uy the government
| erecting its own armor plant That is
what this bill proposes to do and do at
once. sfs r,
| The government had to pay out
for long while until 1t erected Its own
powder plant and that plant IL q pro-
lection against any fnordinate profits
to the powder trust supplying the gov
ernment all 1t needs. 1t will be the
same way about armor and munitions,
| too.
| I'VE know what powder costs per
pound, and we could find out what the
best armor costs per ton. in the same way.
that private parties shall supply the gov
ernment all it's munitions Of war II not
tenable at all. because there - no more
certain way to encourage unfair dealings
and imposition than to be At the mercy
of anybody. Men are too selfish
I'VE simply cannot afford, in the pres
: ent straitened circumstances OF the Treas
ury. to, permit such stealing to 60 on any
| longer
80 show it is going on now. in ad
dition to the report No. 1890. to which
have already referred. quote some
sentences from the last report OF the
| Secretary of the Navy, Mr.. Daniels