Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1917-09-11
SENATOR SMITH BLOCKS
WAR DEPT. PLAN
Hits Scheme To Take Kent Island
Plan
SECRETARY BAKER HAD THE
100000
Authorized By President To Spend Part
Of Emergency Fund-Causes Stir
Among Congressman.

IL became known yesterday that
President Wilson has authorized Sc
cretary of War Newton d. Baker to
expend $3,O00,000 out of the $780,
100000 emergency appropriation au-
thorized at the beginning of the war
for the acquisition of Kent Island. to
be used as an artillery proving
ground. BY following this procedure,
the War Department may take the is
land without any reference whatever
to Congress, without any appro pria-
tion from that body or further grant
of power. The s10000O,0O0 fund was
placed in the hands of the President
for expenditure without limitation.
That the War Department had de-
termined upon this course, if the
House and Senate failed to allow the
S3,0O0,000 appropriation now pending,
was learned by Senator John Walter
Smith Saturday. He hurried TO
Washington, conferred with the Sc
cretary and entered a most vigorous
protest against such action as pro-
posed
Senator Thomas S. Martin, of Vir-
ginia, chairman of the Senate Appro-
priation Committee, accompanied
senator Smith to the War Department
and joined in cbjecting to the taking
Of the island by such means, par
ticularly when Congress is about to
be called upon to give its answer. as
TO whether or not the island should
be taken at ALL
Baker Agreed Not To Force 1t.
At this interview the Secretary of
War promptly admitted that the
President had authorized the use of
the $3,000,000 and that the War De-
partment was preparing to take over
whatever of the island the ordnance
officers thought Immediately neces-
sary. Senator Smith, however, was
so determined and so insistent that
the Senate as a body was directly
opposed to the acquisition that the
Secretary agreed not to take the is
land, under the Presidents authority,
should the Senate Committee on Mill
tary Affairs be opposed.
While the views of the Senate COM
mitteemen are not known, it develop
ed at the Capitol yesterday that the
Senate as a whole has taken the same
view as Senators Smith and Martin,
and that many members of that body
were incensed over the War Depart
ment's plan The matter even reach
ed the point where individual Sena-
tors expressed opposition to the idea
of making any further blanket ap-
preparations for the war or any other
purpose. They took the view that
Congress alone should determine how
a given sum of money was to be ex-
pended and what for.
Opposition InsurmOuntable.
The admission of Secretary Baker
indicates clearly that the officials of
the Department feel that the opposi-
tion on the part of Congress cannot
be overcome. 1t is most unlikely,
otherwise, that the Secretary would
have resorted TO this course, as he
specifically called upon Congress for
the money and the power to purchase
proving ground.
In view of the new developments,
Representative Price, OF Maryland,
who will offer an amendment on the
floor of the House Wednesday pro-
viding that no part of the new war
appropriation shall be expended for
Kent Island, changed his amend
ment so as to provide also that no
part of any fund heretofore" appro-
priated shall be used for that pur-
pose.
If the Price amendment is accepted
by the House and Senate, then the
hands of the President, as we'll as the
Secretary of War, viii be tied, and
this amendment seems certain to be
adopted unless the friends of the War
Department rally to defeat it. If the
House agrees. it will certainly be
concurred in by the Senate.