Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1917-02-13
CONGRESSMAN GREEN, OF IOWA,
CALLS ATTENTION TO APPAR.
EMIT LACK OF DISCIPLINE.
MORE SHIPS LOST THRU
ACCIDENT THAN WAR
Green Alleges British Navy Has Lost
Flower Vessels During Conflict Than
America Has in Peaee-consress-
man Good Wins Controversy With
Senate Over Secretaries Pay.
Special to Times-R Republican.

Special to Times
Washington, Feb. 13.-The United
States navy, at peace, lost more ships
by accident in the past year than the
British navy, at war, according to a
statement by Congressman Green, Of
the Ninth Iowa district, during debate
on the naval appropriation bill. Judge
Green believed that the navy depart
ment should enforce stricter discipline
and work for greater efficiency in such
poor showing against the British
navy, which, he pointed out, Is EN-
gagged in war In the course of the
operations of which it was necessary
to navigate long and unlighted coasts,
among the great dangers resulting
therefrom"
Probably all the members of the
house," Judge Green said, "hemember
the recent accident to the U-3. one OF
our submarines, which went ashore on
the Pacific coast, at the entrance OF
Humboldt bay, California. That acci-
dent seems to have been caused either
by poor seamanship or negligence. A
still worse accident soon followed, when
the cruiser Milwaukee, in attempting to
pull out the submarine, was drawn on
one of the treacherous shoals Of that
coast, so that fine vessel, a fine
cruiser Of nearly 10000 tons, costing
about 100000, is now, as under
stand it, a total wreck.
III, TO he anoi1nNt
navy has suffered recently. The cruiser
Memphis was sunk in the harbor OF
Santo Domingo, with a loss of fort!
lives. That accident was probably
without any fault on the part OF the
officers controlling the vessel or navi-
eating It; but we lost powerful
armored cruiser of 1850 tons, more
powerful probably than any vessel of
its class in any navy, which cost over
| Sc. 900, 900.
About month prior to that we lost
a fuel ship. the Hector, off the coast
of Charleston, S. G. In May, 1916. the
mine planter San Francisco struck a
shoal near Chatham Light, and was
laid up for repairs for several months,
and last summer the destroyer Terry
struck a reef off Puerta Plata, Santo
Domingo, and was beached. Her com
mander was tried for negligence, but
was acquitted.
Last fall the fuel ship Jupiter got
into collision with an Italian bark, ana
I believe the commander was court
martialed and acquitted. Last year, IN
March, the destroyer Monaghan was
rammed BY the destroyer Roe, at Key
West. The commander Of the Roe was
tried and reduced three numbers in his
grade.
at is peculiarly unfortunate" Judge
Green added, that at this particular
time we should have to chronicle the
loss Of so many vessels, with so many
disasters"
judge Green may have been prema-
ture in his statement that the loss OF
the Memphis was without blame to it's
officers as Captain Beach, of the Men,
|phis, recently was courtmartialed for
negligence and the verdict of the court
martial, which is withheld, is now be-
fore the president
More Pay For Secretaries.
The secretaries Of Iowa congressman
probably have won their fight for an
increase pay allowance of $500 year.
but they probably will not be put on
1.-The rolls and receive'a salary Of $4,000
a. year direct from! the government. as
was proposed ina senate amendment.
At present each member of congress
lis allowed 81. 800 a year for clerk hire.
Most Of the members pay this sum to
one secretary, tho 1t is left to the mem
Der to decide whether he shall after
drawing this allowance pay it out to
lone secretary. or to, two stenographers.
But with rare exceptions Iowa con-
l;gressmen always have brought capable
secretaries with them to Washington
land they have received the full allow
lance granted for clerk hire When
Iboth houses agreed to the sum of $4,000
for this item, therefore, it was prac-
tically settled that the hard working
Iowa secretaries would get a raise.
When the legislative appropriation
bill carrying this item came back from
the senate however, it was found there
was provision inserted that the con-
gressmen's secretaries should go on the
roll of the house and receive their pay
direct from congress, instead Of thru
the member. This raised a stormy de-
bate that; has created a small feud
between the house and the senate, be-
cause, thru courtesy, neither house
hitherto has interfered with the appro-
priations for clerical expenses Of the
other. The objection was not SO much
that 1t was proposed to put the secre-
taries on the rolls, as that the senate
linterfered at all in purely house
question.
| Congressman Good was for giving
the senate all the fight 1t wanted. Mr.
Good showed Just what Courtesy has
done for the house. For instance, he
said, ten years ago the house agreed
Ito appropriations giving each senator
$2,50S for clerk hire, while last year
they agreed to give the senate an aver
lage Of $500, while the house has not
Increased It's allotment After oitii1SS
other instances Of committees where
the house does the work and the SEN
ate gets the pay, Mr.. Good added:
THAT is what Courtesy has done for
.lus, We have been stingy with our
| selves; we have gone down into our
own pockets and paid for work that thu
government received the benefit of, and
we have allowed the senators to take
all they wanted, and they have wanted
j q good deal. SO far as I am concerned
senatorial or house courtesy will not
permit the senate to get away with
that any longer"
Congressman Good added that he
thought the clerks should be on the
trolls, but he urged that the house non
concur in the senate amendment and