The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-04-14
Consideration of the Army Bill Develops Strength
 for the Navy
NAVY IS FIRST LINE
 PLAN OF DEFENSE
Tillman Says Air-Nitrate Plant Is Necessary If the United States Enters Into Any
 Great War

Washington, April 13.~-Agitation for a greater navy at the expense of the army increases marked the last day of general debate in the Senate today on the army reorganization bill Senator Stone, chairman of the foreign rela- tions committee, made a plea for a on the high seas to defend American rights anywhere in the worI and Sen ator Borah on the republican side urged that the federal volunteer and National Guard provisions of the Cham berlain bill both be sacrificed in or der to add to the extension of the country's naval forces.
 Senator Stone criticized both Great Britain and Germany. He declared they were equally guilty of offenses against the peace and well-being of mankind, the former because of its pol icy of "navalism" and the latter be- cause of it's 1militarism." While he de- plored any programme that could be construed as either navalism or mili- tarism in the United States, the Mis- souri senator said he was for ade- quate defense. and thought the navy was by far more important than the army.
 Both Senators Stone and Borah ad- vocated a reasonable standing army. When asked if he thought the United c,+o ta in cac "a "unpleasantness" should follow devel- op1nents in Mexico, the former said he thought an adequate force speedily could be procured for an emergency.
 CHAMPIONS NAVY
 Senator Borah was emphatic in his championship of the navy, not only as the first line of national defense but also as the last line of defense.
 T regret" said the senator, that the naval bill was not considered by the Senate before we reached the army bill so that we might have a saner, more wholesome view of a programme of defense than we have now We ought to have begun with the first line of defense. The navy not only is our first line of defense, but in a large measure the last line for this coun- try.
 "If I would have my way I would strengthen to the utmost degree the American navy; strengthen it so that there could be no reasonable doubt of it's efficiency to defend the country, and I would supplement it with a req sonable standing army such as is pro- posed in the pending bill, but from this bill I would cut away all the pol itics. The volunteer army and the Ma tional Guard provisions 1f this meas ure make it 95 per cent appropriations and per cent preparedness.
 Tn time of real peril I would en- force compulsory service in this coun- try. It is idle to talk about defend- ing democracy with hired soldiers"
 OPPOSED AMENDMENT
 Senators Tillman, Smith of Georgia and Owen supported the amendments of Senators Smith of South Carolina and Underwood to provide for govern ment nitrate plants to furnish mate rials for the manufacture of explo- sives Senator Owen, however, op- posed a section of the Underwood plan which would permit the Secretary of War to lease the proposed plants to private capital in time of peace for manufacture of fertilizer.
 Senator Tillman criticized senators who opposed the constitutionality of the nitrate plant amendments.
 'In case of war with first class power," said he, "the United States government would need a huge amount of nitrogen-Germany is said to be consuming 6OO,0OO tons per year-while in time of peace Governmental needs would be very small.
 "To prepare adequately for war we shall have to build a plant of large capacity and how anyone can honest ly say that we have not the consti tutional right to dispose of excess pro- duction in time of peace is more than I can see We would-for war pur- poses, which Is admitted constitutional have a plant and trained men already on the ground and if W. can inci- dentally benefit a large class of peo- pie by it's means, it is not common sense to say the constitution forbids us to do it. If the fundamental pur- pose of a law is constitutional, all it's incidents are likewise constitutional The Senate failed to reach vote on the nitrate amendments tonight and beginning tomorrow the 10-minute rule on debate will be enforced until Tuesday afternoon, when the Senate l by agreement must proceed to vote or all amendments and on final passage ! of the bill.