The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1917-09-18

Na.hiuSiou sept. l..-hent Is
land viii not become an. ordnance
pro>tns ground. The War Depart
meni ui:. get ali the MoneE II
needs for It proving ground--or iof
TWO proving grounds, II Ii need"
the:Il--tut Kent island Will NOT be
raA4n. senator smith mas won d
complete victory.
B..n branches of Congress loda!
came TO the rescue OF the Kent Is
handlers. The Senate Committee OH
Military Affairs. at special meet
ing held TINS afternoon, decided by
unanimous vote that neither heht
lSlani nor any part thereof should
| be taken by the government TOR
proving ground. and the House,
about an n0ur earlier, had stIlchen
from The appropriation Bill the
clause appropriating S5,"UU,pG" for
| a proving ground, because II was
generally understood in the House
| that Kent Island would be taken II
| the appropriation were made.
Senator Smith came to Washing
| ton earlier this morning than usual
| and devoted every minute until the
committee met at ) O'Clock 10 plead
| ing the cause of the Kent Islanders
with members of the Military Al
| fairs Committee. Senator Martin OF
| Virginia. aided him. The Two Sen
ators analyzed the testimony gwen
| BY the Army officers Saturday be
j the Army officers Saturday before
| the Military Affairs Committee, and
pointed out that none of the officers
| had indicated any earnest effort TO
| find any other site except Kent Is
land.
Senator Smith was not in Sympa-
| thy with the action of the House in
| striking the appropriation from the
| bill upon a point of order Il am
| very sorry this was done. he told
| the Senator'S and [ viii see 10 II
| that the appropriation IS restored
| when the appropriation bill reaches
| the Senate | am perfectly willing
the Army should have proving
| ground. or Two proving grounds. II
| they want them. and as much mo-
nev as they need. I was only oppos-
ed 10 their taking over Kent Island,
because there are so many other
J places that would serve the purpose
Just as we'll without inficting the
hardship of driving people away
from their homes"
When the Senate committee met
Senator Smiths attitude was stated
to the committee, and aroused gen
eral approval Senator Chamber
lain. chairman of the committee,
read a letter from the Secretary OF
War suggesting that the people of
| Kent Island be paid consequential
damages for their possessions in ad-
dition to their land, but the commit
tee brushed the suggestion aside
without discussing it. Senator Nc
Kellar, of Tennessee, offered the fol-
lowing resolution as the formal ac-
ton of the committee:
Resolved. By the Committee on
Military Affairs of the Senate, that
it is the sense of this committee that
Kent Island, or any part thereof,
should not be taken by the United
States Government as proving
ground for the test Of ordnance ma
terial."
The resolution was adopted with
out a dissenting vote. Then Sena-
tor Chamberlain announced that in
addition to the affirmative votes of
the members present, who comprised
a two-thirds majority of the commit
tee, he had received the proxies OF
three members unavoidably absent
from shington-Senators Hitch
cock. of Nebraska: Frelinghuysen. OF
New Jersey, and Wadsworth, of New
York-authorizing him to cast their
votes for any resolution which