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Show House Is Tinkering With the Naval Bill. WASHINGTON, Feb, r. Tho building programmo of the navy as contained in tho pending naval bill occupied tho attention atten-tion of tho Houso throughout tho day and the fight Is by no means over. Tho minority minor-ity mombers of the Naval committee, Tvh.o, under tho leadership of Mr. Meyer of Loulalana, first gave their Indorsement to iho measure, arc campaigning for a reduction re-duction In tho number of ships to bo authorised. au-thorised. Tho amendment to strike out tho one battleship mado yesterday by Mr. Burton of Ohio was defeated. Mr. Meyer, who Is lo offer a motion to recommit tho bill to the commlttco with Instructions to eliminate tho provision for tvo cruisers nnd to make several other changes, explained that If ho were to follow fol-low his own Judgment and desires he would urge upon his colleagues the accept- 1 anco ol ino wnoio nuuumg progra.mtne. "But." concluded Mr. Meyer, "yielding to tho judgment of many of my colleagues, I am quite willing to advise somewhat more moderato legislation." Senator Gorman's announcement that the navy was "top-hca'y" and that there wero now too many ships, guns and men, was mado a toxt for remarks by Mr. Mudd of Maryland. He said the statement of Mr. Gorman was Important In view of tho Senator's probable candidacy for thu Presidency. In Maryland, ho said. Mr. Gorman had no great record for economy. W W. Kltchln of North Carolina said that tho fact as presented by Mr. But ton had not been answered In any way. although al-though his Republican colleagues "had pulled" the Republican platform of Ohio on him and deolnred him lo bo out of lino with his party. Mr. Kltchln named various va-rious foreign Governments and asked after each. "Are you afraid of any of theso nations?" na-tions?" His answer was "No." He said the only cause for fear was In the present occupant of tho White House, adding, "And he will not bo thero long' EASTERN WAR A LESSON. Mr. Gillette said the present status of tho war between Russia and Japnn justified justi-fied the building programme in tho bill. In concluding the debate on tho Burton amendment. Mr. Foss pointed to tho scurrying scur-rying to the interior of the country of tho frequenters of summer resorts by tho sea during the Spanish war. The rich, he declared, paid a visit to the banks and got their strong boxes and tied Into the Interior. Mr. Burton's nmendmont was lost on a rising vote of C3 to 325. Mr. Burton of Ohio and Mr. Bishop of Michigan wero the only Republicans to support tho amendment, amend-ment, while fully twenty Democrats otod against the measure. W. W. Kltchln moved to strike from the bill th provision for two armorer cruisers. Mr. Foss opposed the amendment and Mr. Dc Arinond of Missouri expressed surprise sur-prise at the drift of affairs In this country as to tho naval programme. "Now we tlrst found out how piany and what kind of naval ships Great Britain. Germany, Russia and the other powers were building build-ing and then we tried to keep up to or outdo them." Mr. Kltchln's motion was defeated, Co to 12C. Mr McNary of Massachusetts offered an amendment for the construction of ton torpedo tor-pedo boat dfstroyprs, of which fivo shall be built in Government nay yards. Tha cruisers then wcro put to the test and enough friends -with them wcro found for their retention. Construction of tho ships In Government yards proved to bo u fruitful fruit-ful topic for discussion and an amendment by Mr. Bell of California requiring ono collier to bo built In a Government yard was adopted. ' A proposition for a preferential of -l per cent In favor of bids from the Pacific Coast was defeated after Mr. McDermott of Now Jersey had delivered a humorous spoech, In which tho shipbuilding trust and tho Stato of Now Jersey wero put forward for-ward for tho charitable consideration of tho House. Mr. Dayton of West Virginia- said that tho United Slates navy consisted of forty-six forty-six ships of the larger class, such as battleships bat-tleships and cruisers, forty-nine vessels of the "Messenger" class, elxty-clght of Iho gunboat or "Popgun" class nnd sixty-one sixty-one in the "Guerrilla warfare" or torpedo boat and torpedo boat destroyor class,, Ho held this was an ample number of the latter class. Mr. Foss In opposing tho torpedo boat destroyer amendment attributed tho success suc-cess of Japan at Port Arthur to the fact, n explained by tho Czar, that tho war had not been declared. The Jnpancso Mlnlsttor had not left St. Petersburg and the Russian Rus-sian Minister had not left Toklo. The Russians, Rus-sians, ho sold, might have been carrying out this alleged peace policy, so much was being said. It was not a wlso course, he said, to form policies on the reports of the hour. The amendment was defeated. K to 81, as was also ono by Mr Humphrey. An amendment was offered by Mr. Roberts of Massachusetts Increasing the number of torpedo boats authorized from two to five, but without acting on It the Houso at G:0o o'clock adjourned. |