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Show I LSI .11 WILL BUILD II BIG BATTLESHIPS Senate Is Fully Expected to Sanction the Naval Program. Pro-gram. PARTY LINES MAY BE SPLIT Plan to Put Postofflco Employees on Civil Service Basis Means a Great Change Persistent Rumors About Roosevelt Roose-velt and 1012. Washington. When tho bouso of representatives did tho expected thing and sanctioned tho appropriation to build two big battleships during tho next llscnl year It put itself on record rec-ord as being lu favor of maintaining the present position of the United States us a naval power and on record IU a measure as believing that this :ountry should surpass certain other countries in naval strength. It is fully expected that tho scnato will sanction tho two-battleship proposition, propo-sition, notwithstanding thnt Senator Hnlo, ono of tho most inlluential members mem-bers of tho upper house, probably will opposo tho Increase. Senator Halo no lougor is chairman of tho sennto com-mitteo com-mitteo on naval affairs, for recently ho was promoted to tho chairmanship of tho committeo on appropriations. When tho battleship-building paragraph para-graph in tho naval bill passed tho house tho party lines wero split, many Democrats voting for the appropriation appropria-tion nud sorno Republicans voting against it. It is probablo that tho samo thing will happen in tho sennto and that several of tho seacoast stato Democrats will voto for tho Taft recommendation recom-mendation for two ships and tho interior in-terior stato Democrats will voto against It. Comparison Not Liked. In tho lower house one of tho members mem-bers In spenking of tho proposed battleship bat-tleship Increase mado a comparison between tho strength of tho United States navy and that of Japan, a sort of comparison which somo of tho membors deprecated because recently there has beon a revival or tho talk that this country might possibly become be-come embroiled with Japan. Represcntntlyo Padgett, Democrat, of Tennessee, had this to say about Japan und the United States In tho matter of naval strength: "I want to call attention to another fact. Speaking of big guns, tho United States has ISO of these big guns of tho cnliber of 12 and 13 Inches. Jupan hns 118 big guns of 11 and 12 inches. Now as to tho tonnage of tho vessels. I want to call your at-tention to tho tonnage of tho fighting ships that is of the battleships and armorod cruisersand cruis-ersand I shall first call your attention atten-tion to tho ships that are comploted, und afterward to tho ships which aro completed and provided for. "Of tho numbor of battleships and armored cruisers that is tho fighting implements of tho navy the United Stntes hns 44 such vessels, with n ton-nngo ton-nngo of 592,091. Jnpan has 25 such vessels with a tonnngo of 309,255. "Taking the completed and provided for vessels, tho United Statos has 48 such vessels, with an aggrcgato ton-nago ton-nago of 088,341. Japan has 30 Bitch vessels, with an aggregate tonnage of 408.40C tons. Sees Advantage Over Japan. "So that in every phaso of tho question ques-tion that looks to tho fighting efficiency effici-ency in tho guns and In tho size of tho ships becauso wo havo two of 20,000 tons, and the largest that Japan 1b building is 21,000 tons ao that in any aspect of tho caso in which you may consider It you can divldo tho American fleot by two, and either half of It la larger and moro ofllcient In lighting capacity that tho Japanese navy." Tho opponontB of Mr. Padgott'B vlowa say that tho United States must have a much largor navy than Japan If It Intends adequately to protect tho Philippines and Hawaii. Tho Philippines, Philip-pines, it Is said by the advocates of two ships, He near the doorway of Japan, and if wo should put a fleet of sufficient strength to moot Japan in tho far eastern waters wo would of necessity leavo our own coast lines tho Atlantic and Pacific practicnlly unguarded, and If wo got Into troublo with Japan thcro la no telling what might happen, for Japan has somo European Eu-ropean alliances which might glvo this country cauao for concorn in caso hostilities hos-tilities break out in tho east. Tho administration ad-ministration ia bringing Its influence to bear to receive tho sanction of tho oonato for tbo two additional dread-naughts. dread-naughts. Civil Service In Postofflces. It has bocorao known that President Taft and Postmaster General Hitchcock Hitch-cock havo In vlow a change in postofflco post-offlco department procedure which will be of the utmost Interest to postmasters post-masters and In fact to all postofllce employcos all over tho United Stntea It is believed that beforo President Taft's term ends all postmasters of the second and third class will bo put upon a civil service basis, in conso-quenco conso-quenco of an order, or rather an arrangement, ar-rangement, similar to that made with referenco to fourth-clnss- postmasters when Theodoro Itoosove'lt was president. presi-dent. It is known definitely that tho postmaster general Is in favor of n chango and also that it moots with tho approval of tho president Thcro nro reasons why tho nrrnngomcnt cannot bo put into effect Just at tho present time, for tho chango means much and roqulroa a good deal of thought; but it is certain that ono day tho postmasters post-masters of all clnssos below tho first class will hold their offices under what will practically amount to tho civil sorvico rulo. Moreover, tho postmaster gcnernl haB In mind n plan by which ultimately, ultimate-ly, perhaps not during this administration adminis-tration but Inter when "political opinion" opin-ion" hna been educated to tho Innovation, Inno-vation, to mnko It within tho power of. any subordinate official In the branches of the postofflco department all-over tho country to prftflt by civil sorvico rules to tho cxtont.that by. uttontlon to business and a showing of nblllty they may ndvanco in the different dif-ferent grades until finnlly they enn become postmnsters by promotion, rather than by. as la the caso now. direct appointment. If tho second and third class post-offices post-offices nro put on a civil sorvico basis along with tho fourth-clnss offices It means thnt men now in tho service and who do their work to tho satisfaction satis-faction of tho department nnd people can keep their places until death removes re-moves thorn or old ago unfits them for their work. The civil servlco advocates advo-cates for many years havo urged that something of this kind bo dono and it seems probablo that during tho present pres-ent administration It may bo done nnd it Is said that Mr. Taft does not fear that thero will bo much objection either from Domocrntlc or Republican members of congress. More "Back From Elba" Rumors. Tho meeting of Theodore Roosevelt and Gilford Plnchot, and tho report, seemingly authentic, but which later mot with a partly conclusive denial, to tho effect that Mr. Roosevelt had broken his friendship with Mr. Taft, have started stories again to tho effect that thero Is to bo a real "Hack From Elba" ending to Mr. Roosevelt's four years of retirement from public office. This is n mattor which best can be trented plainly from tho standpoint of many of tho Washington friends of tho former president, who think thnt they know his views on a "second olectlvo term" for himself, or for a third term, ns most pcoplo generally speak of It There nro many closo friends of tho former president who would llko to see him in office again, but thoso friends sny thnt they do not believe ho would consent to run, although It may bo that If tho party's demand was unnnl-mous, unnnl-mous, he might bo Induced to becomo onco ngnln tho candidate of his party for tho presidency. Thero aro men In Washington who talked with Mr. Roosevelt about tho "second elective term" proposition prior pri-or to tho tlmo that Mr. Taft was an avowed candldato for tho nomination. It will bo remembered that Mr. Roosevelt Roose-velt Issued two statements saying specifically spe-cifically that ho would not bo n candl-dato candl-dato for tho nomination in 1908. Ho did not say In these statements that ho never would bo a candldato again, and It should bo said that as far as can bo learned he never told any of his. frlonda directly that ho would not consent to run again for tho presidency presi-dency at somo futuro tlmo, but ho did say somo things thnt mado thom bo-lievo bo-lievo it was not his intention ovor agnin to becomo a candldato for the presidency. Mr. Roosevelt's Position. Thoso who talked with Mr. Rooso-velt Rooso-velt about tho possibility of his. again seeking tho presidency say explicitly that ho gnvo no posltlvo expression of personal feeling on the Bubjoct of the propriety of n third term, or n "second olectlvo term" if you will, for any man, but that ho did say cortain things which led thom to bellovo that ho thought that tho American people would not llko tho idea of putting any man in tho Whlto Houso for tho third tlmo. From what can bo gathered from thoso who talked to Mr. Rooso-velt Rooso-velt about this mattor It seems ho felt that the people nt heart wero opposed to third terms. Democrats See Victory. It soems to bo tho bottled boliof In certain political circles In tho capital, that unless tho present congress puts into effect moat of tho legislation which Mr. Taft baa rocoramended, tho Republicans in tho mlddlo woat and tho far weat, becoming tired of delay, will start an octual movomont for the nomination of Theodoro Roosevelt in 1912.. Tho Domocrnts Bay that they would llko nothing hotter than to have this dono, for thoy seom to fool that a third term projudlco, although, as they express It, attempts might be made to weaken It with "second oloc-tlvo oloc-tlvo term" excuses, will prevail with tho people, and that even a man as popular ns Theodore Roosovolt, would go down to defeat GEORGE CLINTON. |