New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-08-16
Senate Renews
Ship Board Row;
War Bills Wait
PheIan Rouses Ire of Mem
bers by Attack on
Cocktails
Denman Called "Ass"
Control by Steel Corporation
Declared to Threaten
the Nation
Denman Called "Ass"
I'm, The rllpune Bureaul

fF-1m The Tribune bHlra1i
WASHINGTON, Aug. l5-lne zen
r,sr-Coethals controversy was re'lNeu'
fouobt out again, and glorlhed ih'o ="
80, Of whether the United STATES
sbau be "free" or be "controi'eu ~
Tho limited States Steel Corporation III
tho Senate to-day. The debate "h''',
80 tho entire afternoon, was sta''so
~ senator Phelan, of California at
whose instance Denman is sald TO nave
been appointed. sL,+
Mr.. Phelan read a statement OF ABOUT
Ao0o words, written By Mr.. DenmSn as
summary Of his work While cna''H'""
~ the Shipping Board. Mr.. DenmS"
nr,ised his own work in the highest
torr,s and intimated that General
Coetbals. if not the tool, at !eaS'
served very we'll the interests OF 'he
steel Trust. Denman prefaced all TINS
u;tb complementary reference to
General Goethals, and expressed 'he
hone he might find work he could DO
in France.
Senator Smoot, of Utah, by unani-
nous consent, had blocked the printing
without reading in the Congressional
Record of this attack on General
Goethals. Whereupon Mr.. Phelan be-
gan reading the long statement. Real
ling that such an attack on General
Goethals would bring several replies,
as we'll as consume much time, Chair
man Simmons of the Finance Commit
tee. in charge of the revenue bill,
urge Mr.. Phelan 10 state briuhy what
the Denman defence was. Mr. Phelan
said he could do the statement justice
only by reading it.
Goethals Contract Attacked
Aside from attacking General Goe-
thals for the price OF steel tentatively
fixed in some of the ship contracts,
though he did not mention that this
was a tentative price only, Mr.. Denman
attacked General Goethals for a pro-
posed contract with the American In
ternational Company. He said also
that Messrs. Cotton and Rublee, attor-
news of the Shipping Board, were
equally were to blame with General
Goethals.
This contract had to do with a ship
building plant to be constructed by
the government on a leasehold. Mr.
Denman said the government should
have taken an option for the purchase
Of the land instead Of erecting a per-
nAnent plant on a leasehold.
The attack was suddenly interrupted
BY a point of order from Senator Pen
rose.
IL observe the stenographer has not
been continuously taking down the
remarks of the Senator from Califor-
MIA" said Mr.. Penrose. Il ask that
these remarks be taken down as he de-
livers them. ] do not want to have
mage skipped in this document and
have it surreptitiously inserted in the
Record | want the Senator to read
every line Of il, and then We will take
proper action, perhaps, to have IT eX-
plunged from the Record"
II am surprised that the reading Of
a sober document should excite the
Senator from Pennsylvania" said
Senator Phelan.
81 am naturally excited, because
when ten thousand men are killed IN
day and a hundred million dollars
spent, the Senator shows so little APP
preciation of the seriousness Of the
crisis that he fools away time with
this idle performance. This is not a
place for obituary ceremonies. inns
man was hailed from obscurity and he
has returned to obscurity Merely be-
cause he comes from California, an old
and tedious story ought not to occupy
the time of the Senate.
Arrogant ASS" Says Penrose
"The only persons entitled to obit-
uary ceremonies in this body are the
members of this body. If every state
that has some citizen requiring vlndi-
cation shall require the time of the
Senate for a recitation OF his merits
and a vindcation Of his character, We
shall do nothing but witness such abb
surd and frivolous performances as
this to-day. If the Senator from Cali
fornia seizes upon this dreadful crisis
in the worlds history to 90 to the de-
fence Of Denman, he has little appre-
citation of the situation, because Den
man is recognized as dead and buried
to-day. As for Denman, it is general
ly recognized that ne is an arrogant
ass"
II am particularly pleased" said Mr.
phelan, that the Senator from the
great iron and steel commonwealth OF
Pennsylvania should show his extreme
d.spleasure.'
The proceedings were almost broken
up al this point by the action OF Demo
cratic Leader Martin. Hurrying across
the aisle which separates the Demo-
Gratis from the Republicans, he patted
the Pennsylvania Senator on the back,
whispering 4 smiling APPRECIATION OF his
attack on oX-Chairman Denman.
Mr. Martin and every other senator
on the Appropriations Committee which
went into the ship question is psrti-
san Of General Goethsls and opposed to
Sir Denman.
Mr. Phelsn then held up an adver-
tisement attacking Mr.. Denman, and
inquired who had paid for it.
Penrose Is Attacked
II do not know who has been SUM-
GENTLY interested in belittling Mr.. Den
man other than the great Steel Cor
poration Of the State Of Pennsylvania
represented on this floor by Senator
PenTose," said Mr. Phelan. when he
rays there is no use pronouncing obitu-
aries, I beg 20 submit that II is a live
question whether this government shall
be controlled by the Steel Corporation,
with its enormous capitalization OF
over a thousand million dollars, making
enormous profits. sufficient, il employed
BIZ designing and wicked men, TO over
turn the government Of the United
Btates by the ordinary processes Of
corruption ind bribery and to destroy
man who, ! believe, WAS rendering
faithful public service IN the Interest
OF the government and not in the in
terest OK the pTofteers.
III there rs % be a funeral 10 shall
not preface the inteTment OF this