Evening journal., 1916-05-31
Mr.. miller URGES
TWO BATTLESHIPS and
Republican PLAN

special 10 THE EVENING JOURNAL.
WASHINGTON, d. G.. May s1.-Con-
gresham Thomas W. Miller, of Della
ware. on Monday spoke in behalf Of
great navy during the debate over
the naval bill He advocated two bat
ileships and the comprehensive pro-
gram for naval building urged by the
Republicans.
Congressman Butler Of Pennsyl.
Nania yielded FIVE minutes 10 Con.
gresham Miller who said:
Mr Chairman !. thank the gentle
man from Pennsylvania for the time.
ana although ] did not expect Il, how
ever ! am willing TO speak eXtempor.
aneously If the committee will bear
with me.
"One Of the questions before the
committee today is whether we are
gong 10 add two batileships TO the
naval Dill, and an additional battle
cruiser ], for one, am very glad the
committee saw ft to bring out five
battle cruisers, and ! am going to sup
port the amendment of the gentle
man from Pennsylvania tC make 1t
six battle cruisers.
"A few moments ago the gentleman
from Wisconsin (Mr. LenrooO stated
that the time when we would need
these boats would be within the next
few years and not within the next
decade, If we were going to need them
at all. | trust that the time will
never be when we will have to use
them in actual combat: but I'm the
face Of the situation that has been
forced on other nations of the world
we should provide these ships now
Throughout all the world the brunt Of
combat has been borne by the battle
ship If IL was the battleship Of the
War of 1912. like the Constitution, the
brunt of combat fell on It. If it was
in the Civil War with the heavy line
ship, that was the battleship of that
day.
In the Spanish War we all know
very well IL was the battleship at
Santiago that won the day To be
sure, they we're only fighting so-called
armor cruisers; but at that timo
Spain possessed the highest type Of
armored cruisers represented In the
four ships at Santiago And in the
war between Japan and Russia it was
the Japanese battleships that won the
battle of the Tsu Shima Straits,
where the Russian feet came all the
way from the Baltic and were ami
hilated off the coast of Japan. And
so on down.
"It is the English battleship feet to-
day that causes her to hold the seas
and although she lost a few at the
Dardanelles. no one can deny that II
it. were not for her home battle fleet
the German ships Of battle would not
have remained so securely in the Kiel
Canal but would have ventured forth
more often. Today we are told that
IL is the battle cruisers that have been
doing the fighting on the other side;
but the battle cruiser is In reality a
battloship except tina, il has not the
armor of a battleship. although II has
practically the same gun power. IL
sacrifices armor for speed. Therefore
we should have ample capital ships
be they battloships or additional bat
Ito cruisers
"I heard the gentleman from Ala
bama (Mr oliver say today that he
was going 10 answer the accusation
made by certain men on the Republi-
can side whom he accused Of bringing
politics into the discussion on this bill.
and he quoted figures from this bill
to show il was a larger bill In money
appropriated for capital ships than
any heretofore passed under Repuhli-
can administrations Certainly il is,
because battleships and capital ships
cost more now than they did in for
mer administrations. That is no err
terion 10 go by. because the cost of
these ships is increasing annually as
they get larger
"The old Oregon cost one-fourth as
much as a dreadnaught OF today. He did
not call attention to the fact that the
average number Of battleships provided
per year under tho Republican ad.
ministrations was two ships year
nor did he call attention to the fact
that since the Sixty-second Congress
in 1911, when this country first elect
ed a Democratic House. there was pro
vided an average Of only one battle
shin year until last year. when two
were authorized ! will qualify thai
by saying that the year before last
1914-we had three battleships he
cause we sold the old Idaho and Mis-
/ sissippi to Greece. and in place Thereof
substituted one dreadnaught''--
MIR. Butler 1.-TWO"
Mr. Miller of Delaware: "Two dread
naughts. ! do not like to refer to
gentlcman's statement when he is no
present ON the floor. and I did not in
terrupt him this morning. because
knew he had only a limited time. an
/ ! Thought I might have a chance littl
/ later on to put in the Record an auswc
/ 10 his statement ! expect 10 vote 70
4 two battle ships. and ] expect 10 folio,
! the minority members of the commtte
on naval affairs in their recommends
! tion, not because happen to he on thei
! side. but because 7 agree with wha
! the gentleman from Michigan lNir. Ke
lcyl said. that the navy is the first lin
Of defense that win have to meet IN
enemy when IL comes.'