Show ARMORPLATE AGAIN Our morning contemporary seems to f be a little daft since the election as wj > ll as 1 twas before For instance I I yesterday under the head The Slogan of Spoils we llnd this sentence The popular voice has applauded In advance Ii ad-vance every measure that may be parsed at this session It has given Its approval of the three hundred million dollar armorplate job before the Job 1 was completed What In the world does It mean Eleven ships of war are under construction Congress after I haggling through two session left to the Secretary of the Navy the business I of cither purchasing armor plate for those ships or the power to build anew I a-new plant If so decided lie bought the armor It Is said It cost 10000000 The Philadelphia Record which Is bitterly Democratic which does not if It can help it approve of anything done by tho present Administration tells about the terms of the purchase It says the I Navy department will pay for Krupp armor H5532 per ton Including a royalty roy-alty of 2132 per ton to the Inventor TIle cost without royalty of this class of armor would thus stand at 131 per torr or 14 less than the bid of the companies com-panies In August last With all charges included the department will be a gainer over the August proposition by 7344S per ton a saving of SSG2000 on 25000 tons of class A armor The Record adds This seems to be tho r net result of four months delay and shrewd and careful nocrotialions so far as the Navy department is concerned It further soys The Government must pay 15532 for Krupp armor and the people may thank their stars that Secretary Long was bold enough to stand out for a reduction of some 7 percent per-cent Now that the coil of controversy has been disentangled and the way cleared for substantial progress in battleship bat-tleship construction nothing would plcaso the American people more than to witness a spurt in naval construction construc-tion etc The Commercial Advertiser says S Secretary Long has reached an agreement S agree-ment with the two armorplate plants by which he will get armor for tho eleven waiting battleships and armored S ar-mored cruisers for 155 per ton for S Krupp and Hll per ton for Harvey armor ar-mor This will save 3000000 from the I recent bids of the companies on 15000 tons Joe armor If the owners of the Harvey patent can bo beaten In pending pend-ing legislation the Government will save 11 per ton more on royalties this being made a separate Item In the contract con-tract with the companies And it adds But it is i probably certain too that Secretary Long could not have pressed the price of the Homestead and Carnegie companies down nearly 100 per ton from their original demand of I 515 per ton without tho reserve power given him by Congressional authority and an appropriation of 1000000 to build a Government armor plant The success is due to a union of his tact reason and patience In dealing with the armor plate companies and the Inflexible Inflexi-ble resolution of Congress to waste money and incur risk In Government armor making rather than to submit to further extortion from private companies com-panies Now on what ground tile Herald figures up a 300000000 armor plate contract no one can see It there was a mistake of a cipher and it meant 30000000 then I twas CO percent per-cent above the actual purchase The natural Inference is that the Herald intends in-tends to do what it can by misrepresentation misrepre-sentation to convince its readers that the Government of the United States under Republican rule Is simply a monumental mon-umental steal which may be good newspaper workIn Missouri or Texas but it I is not liable to receive very much respect In Utah |