CONGRESS. (THE WAR REVENUE LAW.) 



165 



Coast Survey, and for the civil establishment at the 

 several naval hospitals, navy yards, naval labora- 

 tory and department of instruction, museum of 

 hygiene, and Naval Academy, $10,000. 



" BUREAU OF EQUIPMENT. 



' Equipment of vessels : For purchase of coal for 

 steamers and ships' use, including expenses of 

 transportation, storage, and handling the same; 

 hemp, wire, iron, and other materials for the man- 

 ufacture of cordage, anchors, cables, galleys, and 

 chains ; canvas for the manufacture of sails, awn- 

 ings, hammocks, and other work ; water for steam- 

 ing purposes; stationery for commanding and navi- 

 gating officers of ships, equipment officers on shore 

 and afloat, and for the use of courts-martial on 

 board ship, and for the purchase of all other arti- 

 cles of equipment at home and abroad, and for the 

 payment of labor in equipping vessels and manu- 

 facture of equipment articles in the several navy 

 yards; foreign and local pilotage and towage of 

 ships of war: services and materials in repairing, 

 correcting, adjusting, and testing compasses on 

 shore and on board ship; nautical and astronomi- 

 cal instruments, and repairs to same ; libraries for 

 ships of war: professional books and papers, and 

 drawings and engravings for signal books ; naval 

 signals and apparatus, namely, signals, lights, lan- 

 terns, rockets, running lights, compass fittings, in- 

 cluding binnacles, .tripods, and other appendages 

 of ships' compasses ; logs and other appliances for 

 measuring the ship's way, and leads and other ap- 

 pliances for sounding; lanterns and lamps, and 

 their appendages, for general use on board ship, 

 for illuminating purposes, and oil and candles used 

 in connection therewith ; bunting and other mate- 

 rials for making and repairing flags of all kinds ; 

 photographic instruments and materials : musical 

 instruments and music ; and installing and main- 

 taining electric lights and interior signal communi- 

 cations on board vessels of war, $100,000. 





"BUREAU OF ORDNANCE. 



' 



- 



" For miscellaneous items, namely : Freight to for- 

 eign and home stations ; advertising ; cartage and 

 express charges ; repairs to fire engines ; gas and 

 water pipes ; gas and water tax at magazines ; tolls, 

 ferriage, foreign postage and telegrams to and from 

 the bureau, technical books, and incidental ex- 

 penses attending inspections of ordnance material, 

 $7,000. 



"NATIONAL DEFENSE. 



" For the national defense, and for each and every 

 purpose connected therewith, to be expended at the 

 "iscretion of the President and to remain available 



til Jan. 1, 1899, $50,000,000." 



The bill was reported March 8 in the House of 

 Representatives and passed the same day, not a 

 single member voting against it, while 313 voted 

 for it. Many brief speeches were made, so similar 

 in sentiment that two of them may.be given as 

 representing all. 



Mr. Cannon, of Illinois, said : 



"Gentlemen may say this is an extraordinary 

 and unusual appropriation. It is. The object of 

 your committee in reporting it and asking your 

 favorable consideration is that the President of the 

 United States in an orderly way may make this 

 expenditure, if it be necessary to make it, to fully 

 utilize the small army that we have, and to utilize 

 the larger navy. It may be suggested in the minds 

 of some that this appropriation may be in the 

 nature of a threat. Nothing could be further from 

 the intention of your committee than that in rec- 

 ommending it to your favorable consideration. 



" This appropriation, if made, will be used in the 

 discretion of a wise and a patriotic Executive so as 



to enable the United States of America, that we 

 feel stands among the first nations of the world, 

 in an orderly, decent, and just manner to maintain 

 justice and the national honor. Simply that and 

 nothing more. Some may say that this is a war 

 appropriation. I say, in my judgment, measuring 

 my words, that it is a peace appropriation. In con- 

 clusion, the Government of the Lnited States can 

 not afford to do more or less than will protect the 

 national honor, justice, and the right. The Gov- 

 ernment of the United States would not, if it could, 

 trench upon the just rights of any other nation on 

 earth." 



Mr. Sayers, of Texas, said : 



" Mr. Speaker, in the presence of possible danger 

 from a foreign source, it is indeed gratifying to me, 

 and, I take it, to every gentleman in the House, to 

 know that the representatives of the people are in 

 strict accord and that there is no difference of sen- 

 timent among them. The appropriation of $50,- 

 000,000, which is recommended by the Committee 

 on Appropriations, has the hearty and unanimous 

 indorsement of every member of that committee, 

 and the House is asked to accept its recommenda- 

 tion and, without threat or denunciation, to pass 

 the item. 



"I cordially agree with the gentleman from Illi- 

 nois that this is essentially a measure of peace, and 

 it should be so regarded, not only by the House 

 and by the country generally, but also" by all other 

 peoples who may be interested in our delibera- 

 tions. The proposition to place $50,000.000 under 

 the control of the Executive for the purpose of 

 defense can not and must not be construed as a 

 threat. It is only a wise, safe, and patriotic pre- 

 caution to enable the President, when Congress 

 shall have adjourned, if the exigencies of the situa- 

 tion should demand, to put the country in a com- 

 plete state of defense. Only this and nothing more 

 is involved in the appropriation. 



"And, Mr. Speaker, I will say before concluding 

 that should it be required to expend this money, I 

 believe it will be done wisely, honestly, and eco- 

 nomically ; and for one. so long as the present 

 danger from abroad continues to threaten us, I in- 

 tend to give an honest and a sincere support to the 

 Administration as respects our foreign relations, to 

 the end that peace may be preserved, and if it can 

 not, that the dignity and the honor of our country 

 may be maintained. 



" I have every confidence that the Administra- 

 tion will in the pending controversy act wisely, 

 cautiously, and with all proper firmness." 



The bill was reported in the Senate March 9, and 

 passed without discussion, 76 Senators voting for it 

 and none against it. 



It was approved by the President on the same 

 day. 



The War Revenue Law. The bill to provide 

 ways and means to meet war expenditures was re- 

 ported by Mr. Dingley. of Maine, from the Com- 

 mittee on Ways and Means, in the House of Rep- 

 resentatives April 26, and the debate on it began 

 April 27. In explanation of the measure, Mr. 

 Dingley made a statement as to the increased ex- 

 penditure made necessary by the war, and argued 

 that the cash balance in the Treasury on March 9, 

 when $50,000.000 was appropriated for the national 

 defense, though apparently $225,000.000, was in 

 reality by no means so great, as $100,000.000 of the 

 gold reserve, $33,000,000 of the ba?k redemption 

 fund, $14.000,000 to meet Pacific Railroad bonds, 

 and $13,000,000 in fractional currency were not 

 really available. He held, therefore, that an in- 

 crease of revenue should be provided, and that 

 loans should be authorized. He said : 



" Mr. Chairman, the Committee on Ways and 



