The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1917-09-11
KENT ISLAND MAY NOT
Be A PROVING GROUND
Purchase of island Becomes Nationai
issue Between Congress And The
War Department.

Washington. Sept. 1U.-kent Is
land will probably not be taken over
/ by The government for ordnance
! proving grounds.
Although the efforts of Represent
tative Price TO have the ApprOpria
ton Bill. which included IA provision
for So 5000. OO0 for the purchase of
. Kent Island and its conversion into
/ 4 proving ground. so amended that
/ Kent Island would not be taken,
we're not successful. the War De-
! o..trnent evidently became convinc-
/ ii ,u4t senator Smith would defeat
he .rOiect in the Senate. for on Sal
lrday Secretary Baker obtained
! rom President Wilson an assurance
{ hat S3.U0U,O00 would be allotted 20
, II" War Department from the yast
| ,t'a placed in the Presidents hands
. ~ Congress for emergency eXpendi-
/ lures. and with this sum Secretary
Baker proposes to take over Kent
island at once, although the matter
IS II this time before Congress for
action.
When the news Of Mr.. Bakers
action became known al ;Ie Caplio.
il created little short of d sensation,
tor The action is said TO be unprece-
deuteG.
Senator Smith called on Secretary
Baker, accompanied by Senator Mar
Tin, the chairman of the Senate APP
preparations Committee. Mr.. Martin
recently expressed his Indignation ut
the proposed purchase OF Kent Is
land and added that the appropria-
lions committee of the Senate would
not permit the island to be bought.
The conference between Secretary
Baker and Senators Martin and
) Smith soon developed the fact that
/, Mr.. Baker had been misinformed on
many features of the situation, and
both the Senators succeeded in con
. vincing him that the sentiment
among the people of Kent Island was
strongly averse to selling their
, homes The Secretary finally assur-
ed his visitors that there was no dis
position on his part to be arbitrary,
} and he suggested that he would put
1.-THE purchase of the island up TO the
Military Affairs Committee of the
Senate, and would be guided by the
verdict of that committee:
There is no doubt that the verdict
Of the Military Affairs Committee
will be as strongly against the pur-
chase OF Kent Island as is the Senti-
ment Of the Appropriations Commit
tee. \ majority of the latter COM
mittee has already declared itself OPP
posed to taking over Kent Island.
The Military Affairs Committee has
had no opportunity 10 declare itself
because Secretary Baker has not as
Yet referred the matter 10 the COM;
mittee But the sentiment of the en-
tire Senate was found today to be
idistinCtly hostile TO the course OF the
War Department. That hostility
was strengthened today when it be-
came known that the War Depart
ment proposed to ignore Congress
and TO buy the island from an ap-
preparation in the Presidents hands
at the very moment when Congress
itself had the matter in charge.
| The purchase of Kent Island from
being mere local issue in which
Senator Smith was interested, has
suddenly taken on the Importance of
a national issue between Congress
and the War Department, Senators of
both parties expressing their resent
ment at the proposed disregard of
congressional action.
Many Senators who have hereto
fore taken no deep interest in Sena-
tor Smiths fight to save the people
of Kent Island from eviction, today
assured him that under no circum-
stances will they vote for the appro-
priatior to buy the island.
Secretary Baker has been entirely
impartial in his attitude. Senators
Smith and Martin were convinced by
their conference with the Secretary
that he has been misinformed as to
the attitude of the people of Kent
Island in the matter of selling their
farms and that when he learns that
there are in Maryland and elsewhere
many sites that can BE used for Il
proving ground and whose purchase
involves no hardship, such as Kent
Island, he Will make no further seri-
Gus effort 10 take over Kent Island.