Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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ENTIRE STATE DELEGATION WRITES -- IN SUPPORT orPREPJREDNESS SENATORS TILLMAN AND SMITH. REPRESENTATIVES WHALEY BYRNES, AIKEN, NICHOLLS. FlNlEY AND LEVER ,r GIVE OUT THEIR VIEWS LARGER NAVY IS SURE OF STRONG SUPPORT ' - CONTINENTAL ARMY SIGNALLY CONDEMNED Itatfs<lale, of the Sixth District, Alone Withholds Ills Opin ion—tVinst Defences Secures Nation and Should be lettered—Naral I’rojrram Practically Certain to Cot Through-—Interesting A iews and < >l»servation8 Made hy Senators and Congressmen—Two Want Illggest NaV|- In the World—liuilding of Merchant Ships in Government Yards Is Favored—Fast Cruisers, Submarines and Airships are Spoken of. STATE DELEGATION IS SUPPORTING PREPAREDNESS FEDERAUZE THE MILITIA; . PAY MEN FOR DRILLING letters I com Doth Senators and Six . Congressmen Outline I'i.in-to Pre- hopresriitatives Give Their Positions. The senatorv and rrproi>eitft»tiv from South Carolina are in favor of' preparedne s; there ia no'attitude! amoni; thorn to oppose an Increased' army-and iiary fat. the purphMPs of I adequate national defence. While it] is imposirihle to state exactly how many adiipa of <-ach clnsa is to be built | or how many men are to he added .to | the army, the fundamental idea of prepared nr mi la endorsed by both of the aenatora from this atate, and by ail of the aeven repreaentatlves Tho Leltera of Hanalora Tillman and ftmith. Hepreaentatlvea Whaley, Dyraea, Aiken, Finley, Nicholla and I .ever were In rnsponae to the follow ing queatlooa naked by Hugo S. Sima, on* of the editor» of the Orangeburg Tinea and Democrat for the purpose of aecnrlng definite and authentic In formation ns to their viowa upon this subject. STRONG FAVMTtO NAVY; ALL WANT AN INCREASE for Seruwd to Atfcea Kagtaad*— Whaley Want IUg- ha the World. As tq the navy there is not a sign of oppoeltlon to n aubatantial In rrenne. the only question being what In the moet efficient form for thn ad dition to Uke. Senator Tillman will anpport thn ndmlnlatrntlon meosnro and may go further. Ha believes that our navy should be second to that of Grant Britain alone. Senator Smith Is leas committal, being Inclined to be aaided by the committee* of congress as to the nine of the navy. Among tbo congressmen Represen tatlves Aiken and Whaley wish to see our navy second to no other, tha-tiest la the world. Congressmen Finley and Nicholla apeak up for the sub marines, the latter being especially atrong for them, while the former In- clades an efficient aerial corps to roand out the navy. Representatives Byrnes, Nicholla, and Finley want an increased navy generally, though neither of them go as far as advis- iog Who- largest In the wuild. C»B : t~ gressman Lever says on general prin ciples he Is strongly for adequate naval defences, but will depend upon the committee for details. Congressman Whaley says our navy should be large enough to de fend both coasts from the attack of any power. Congressman Byrnes wants one large enough to cause other nations to hesitate before tak ing American lives or interfering with American commerce. Congress man Nicholls favors more money for submarines instead of enormous sums for dreadnaughts but thinks the num ber of both should be increased. Con gressman Finley thinks we have need of additional scout cruisers, fast tor pedo boats and advocates a reason able increase of other vessels, includ ing dreadnaughts. pare Ami)—Tu Train Offi cers' in S< bools. A A lo the-National' Guard, ."It Is (bought by Congressmen .N'icboils and llyrni-a Hint the militfa can he suc- '••'sfully fob ralized Kepreseniailus Nicholls believes that under favor able conditions it would give ade quate defence until a volunteer army coqld he raised and sent to their as sistance. Congressman Finley Favors an efficient national guard. Representatives Nicholla and Fin ley go on record in favor of the militia pay bill while Representative* iVhaley and Aiken favor military In struction In schools and colleges sod tho latter would encourage military organizations Congressman Aiken believes that the military and naval academies should be enlarged and Congressman Nicholls urges aid to military schools of the first rank. Ilka the Citadel In this state. ELIMINATE WAT PROFIT 1$ TREND OF OPINION 10AST LEFENCES ARE NEEDED SAY CONGRESSMEN IteprcMCutntivrN Waul l.urgcst Guns. Largest ■ llungcs and Most Mixjern Fortifications, Coast defences come Ln for gener ous support. Representatives Whaley, llyrnes, A-iken, Finley and,, Lever stand up for them. Congressman Whaley would have them up-to-date and thoroughly equipped, tjrid pro vided with the largfYst guns'With the longest rflnge and the most modern methods of gun fire. Congressman Byrnes wants improved coast de fences and will provide a force suffi cient to man them.---- Congressman Aiken says they should be the best in the world, with the^longest range guns made. Congressman Finley wants,pur-coast defences equipped so as to be effective, to be manned, of course, with regular troops. SHOULD BUILD SHIPS The plan of building up the navy by utilizing certain vessels in times of peace as merchant ships appeals to Senator (Smith. He says the ques tion at hanfhinvolves so much that It will take time to,study them and ar rive at their proper conclusion, hut that whatever is done, the people may he asstnod that it represents the best that the congress can do. POP ON GREAT BRITAIN Congressmen W-haley ' andi'Aiken *Ehink we need our navy to get our right*, both of them referring to Great Hrihain. Representative Whaley _Uilnka thn navy will be the' great de fender and -.the army will play' a ■mrinitt f, hut' ;fv. -that Hour navy was strong enough to ‘command re- I spect Fngland would not have at- ] tempted to enforce the drastic Orders I in Council and the cotton jd -nters wfMild not have suffered the Jieavr lo-s- they have experienced. Con gressman Aiken says' ff we had a first class navy we would not have to ask KngYaad or any ot-hef country any odda a* to our cpnimercial rights and our cotton would now be bring ing 16c or 18c per pound. and am glad the president felt com pelled to accept Mr. Garrison a reatg- mitton. Garrison wanted Wilson to bulldoie Gorigresa and compel B to go his .way. : , Tlie President realizes that the Constitution divides tho gov- ernmei^al powers Into three—execu tive. judicial, and legislative—and had better sense than the secretary of war. To the third question; j am hear tily in favor of the government ac-, quiring control of sufficient plants to make its own munitions of war,' I especially favor a large government plant in the middle west, say at Rode Island, where we have Immense jvater power already developed. To the fourth question: I do not j- think there is any probability of our | having any immediate use of an army or navy In the defense of the tfnlted States; but as soon as the Rurbpean war is over, it is highly probable we will need both. Very sincerely yours, B. R. Tillman. E. D. SMITH . - Washington, Feb. 11. 1916. Mr. Hugo S. Sims, Orangeburg, S. C. My dear Sir: In response to your Inquiry of recent date, in reference to certain questions which you pro pound, I beg to state that as to the first question with regard to the size of the American navy, I am inclined to be guided largely by the commit tees of Congress, a majority of whom are Democrats, in the Dills that they shall ultimately bring before Con gress. I take it that they havejliie interest of tlte country at heart, and I being selected and set aside as a com mittee for this specific work, they | Both Scaatur* and Five ( oagren«mf■ -Fvparaa \ lew* on Gorem- nient Ownership. Senator Tillman heartily favor* the government acquiring control of sufficient plants to make Ha own munitioos of war and Senator Smith thinks the preeident's suggeetion is very wlee ia that it eliminate* the pressure which great corporation* may be disponed to bring to bear at critical times when looking forward to the huge profit* which war would bring to them. Congressman Whaley favors the building of ships In government yards in order to eliminate the profit of contractora, but doea not believe the government can wortda sufficient munitions in case of war. He thinks It should make enough for Its use to regulate the prices of private con cerns. Congressman Byrnes thinks the facilities for government manu facture should be increased so that it will be Independent of private manu factures. Congressman Aiken favors gnvernmanl a|ieraHow--t>f—its—awn munition plants in order to prevent further robbery by the mannfacturers who- have gri>wn enormously rich under the RepuM'can policy of pro tection. Congressman Nicholls favors the government making its own munitions at less cost and would put regular soldiers, disengaged from military duties, at work making munitions. Congressman Finley favors government manufacture of war'munitions In order to eliminate profits of private manufacturers. ; GLAD GARRISON QUIT White four specific questions were asked by the editor of The Times and Democrat some other Interesting and valuable Information as to opinions have been given by the congressmen and senators. Senator Tillman char acteristically writes an emphatic ap proval of Garrison's resignation, say ing he Is gted that the president ac cepted It. "Garrison wanted Wilson to bulldote Congress.’’ says the'Sena- tor. but the President "had better sense than the secretary of war.** SUGGESTS TAX CHANGES Congressman Byrnes suggests that tha money for Increased preparation for war be raised in other ways than a tax on gasoline, bank checks, and the continuation of tbe war taxes. Ha nays the present tariff duty on sugar should be retained, the Income taxes should be raised, a tax should bd levied upon the manufacture of war munitions and If necessary the tax on alcoholic beverages should be Increased. GIVE UP PHILIPPINES Congressmen Whaley also agrees with Senator Smith and thinks that tbs government should be allowed to bolld ships to carry our commerce in times of peace and then use the seme ships as transports In time of war. Congressman Finley thinks we should five up tbe « Philippine Islabds. LEVER WITH PRESIDENT _ WORKING. FOR FARMERS IMMEDIATE WAR IS NOT EXPECTED BY THE SENATORS GARRISON’S NEW SCHEME HAS NO SINGLE FRIEND Ootapulsory Service Objected to and Continental Army is Gen erally Condemned. Congressman Byrnes Tells of Pre-d- dent’s Belief in Urgent Need for Improvement. - Neither Senator Tillman or Sena tor Smith see any probable need of an increased army and navy for im mediate war. Senator Tillman thinks it Is highly probable we will need both after the European war a’nd Senator Smith says It Is Impossible to tell exactly what might occur in these troublous times or from what source When we rpach the realm of ,theL rnnlll „ - -Oh U= i Bi ,-* S4r0Ubl ° mi S ht COmB. Garrison we find an almost unanl- not feefat to ‘ mous opposition to the Continental h ,„ * . ^ £ r [. y Army. Senator Tillman, Representa-: h L n 1L ! d th&t ther ? tives Whaley. Byrnes, Aiken, Njch-, ^ a ® 11 a r n ,m l ,r 1 9 vern f nt oils and Finley flatly oppose the new 1 ? h f n . wn Knowing scheme. Senator Smith says there is ,S n0t th? euch a diversity of opinion-that the whole thing will have to be worked out by the committee. Compulsory military service Is specifically opposed by Congressmen Whaley, Byrnes and Aiken. A large standing army is objected to by Rep resentatives Whaley and Lever. Con gressman Lever trusts the commit tees of the House and Senate trill provide for a sufficient increase In the standing army but will wait the testimony of experts and the report of the committee for details. — Ktefaoll* Gives Details. Congressman Nicholls, who is a member of tbe military committee of tbe House, goes Into details as^to bin to tbe CohtlaeaUl army sad tells why It Is lapractl- statement makes him more than ever in favor of both an army and navy. Congressman Aiken says we must have a big navy to maintain the Mon roe Doctrine and our very existence, to protect the autonomy of the Cen tral and South American republics and that as the future prosperity of America depends upon its foreign commerce we. must have a merchant marine to handle it and a navy to protect the merchant marine. Con gressman Nicholls says there is no question.in his mind but that we do need an adequate army and navy for the defence of the nation and the pro tection of our rights. Congressman Finley wants sn efficient army and navy because it is necessary to de fend tbe rights of this country against tbe nggresaions of other coon Says Hi* Side of Prepared ness Sehenie is Just as Important-But Overlooked. Congressman Lever says he is in lino with President Wilson because he recognizes how difficult It Is to maintain the peace and honor of the United States at one and the same time unless we are in a position to make good our claim df right. He says he has been so busy with his committee that he has had little time to take up the other end of pre- parednoss. His work isi to take care of the fellow who filYnishes the army and navy with substance in times of war and feeds the entire nation in peace. This is a side of the pre paredness program which has been overlooked, but which Is just as im portant as the other, although it does not receive much limelight. •fiie above summarizes in a general and ver^ ifriperfect way the replies 6f the representatives and senators, some of which are pulllshed below. No reply whatever-has been received from Congressman Ragsdale of the sixth district and for this reason we can not attempt to say what hi^-posl- tlon may be. It would not be correct to assume, In the following letters, because a writer does not state that he Is for any certain phase of the preparedness program that he Is in opposition to the same, as ,the ques tions asked were Intended to be of a general nature, and while the an swers have been very free and frank no one cpuld expecjt^eaeh .congress man and senator to enter Into every detail of the subject. into ill 0 f the deta fls; a) id, of co ursf\ ha vo tit their con iYiaml the peri- LJIOO of our office rs as w'ell a> our cilpjo mat' who nro' fhoroi faiiii lar vith our interna tional n eectsL a c to t he second ,CJUPSt ion. as t > ♦ capti nciit al army. then is sn diver sity of opinio n as t o the p it v of this J) tair a s cotor with t he propositi on of fedor** Gl he 1 atio n'ui guard that [hi* qtie (ed out ’ <* will Also have to h n wor pati- ently ant 1 thoroug! ily by the cofi inrrt- tee •( iharged with milit ary. af 1‘aira. together with their recommendations, shall be available. I. together with other senatori. will then be in posi tion from the facts before us. to de cide what Is best to be done In the premises. As to the third proposition, that the government acquire the control of the making of war munitions for Its own use, I think this is a very wise suggestion of the President for one reason at least—It will eliminate the pressure that great corporations may be disposed to bring to bear at critical times, looking towards the profit that they might make out of the nation’s necessity for munitions As to question four, as to the prob able need of the army and navy In tbe defense of our nation and our rights, I presume the intent of that question Is ta ascertain what la my opinion as to tha probability of war Personally. I do not anticipate any Immediate danger of war. Of course, in these troubloua times, it is impos Bible to tell what might occur or from what source trouble might come. As to the bunding up of our navy under certain plans proposed, vix, to utilize certain vessels in times of peace as merchant vessels, this ap peals to me. 1 am opposed to a ship subsidy plan, and we do stand sore ly In need of American vessels carry ing our vast accumulations of mer chandise. All of the questions asked are those now being discussed In Con gress. and they Involve so much that ft wiB take time and study tb arrive at a proper conclusion. Some of them are so radical in their nature that they must be worked out in accord ance with the spirit and purpose of Ojir peculiar form of government and whatever conclusions are reached ami whatever laws are passed in respect to these, you may rest assured will be the tesult uf the best that this Amert’ - this country should have such an army that tt can be centered at any point and be sufficiently large to_ meet any invading force i a foreigi* country could land on our shores at any time. .1 am in favor of military systems being instituted in thp col leges and schools and the young men trained to take care of themselves and taught the methods of drill, sani tation artd the handling of.armk. I am opposed to compulsory military service. I do not think that the time has come when this country need resort to i such system in order to train its young men to, serve it in times of need and emergency. I am opposed -to tiie co’ntinen.tal .army plan as sub mitted by Secretary Garrison. Ac j cording to my way of viewing this suggested plan, it would silnply re- sblve itself into allowing a few select, rich ideh to prepare themselves for commands and deprive the ordinary man from Being able to get the train ing provided by thb government. I have always been heartily in favor of the government building fighting ships in its own ship yards. I believe the yards can be equipped so as to build these ships more rea sonably than in private yards and, at the same time, give employment to men the year rouhd, who would otherwise hhve to be laid off because of the lack of repair work on battle ships and small fighting craft.'- There is no reason why the govern ment.should not be able to build its ships Cheaper than private concerns, vowing to the fact that heavy office charges' In the navy yards should not l>o counted in the actual cost of con struction of the ship. The govorn- iiM-nt h is to maintain these yards for repair work and.tho charges arc ln- eerrt-d w ho.ther ships are builUitf the yard- or not. The government con- ■ true's at actual cos', but private cm.orns eeb-truct for 'TT^m. ! do not t'-?nk the governm it ran maintain In times of peace war mnnl- t t.e government should maintain a s'lffhient number of-Anunition fac tories to revulate the prices of rri- xatc concerna. In other words. 1 want this country to he in a'pdsition that rhould the unfortunate situation ever arise, which 1 earnestly hope will never arise, that tt lias to go to war, it will be iq a positioq through Jts own institutions and those of private citixens not to be dependent on any other country to supply it with its needs. I have always believed, and still believe, that the navy of the United States will be the great defender of this rountry and that the army will play but a small part. I believe if we had had a navy strong enough to command respect England would not have attempted to enforce the drastic measures which were made In the Orders of Council and the cotton planters of the South would not have suffered the heavy loss which they have suffered daring the last year. I shall support the President’s pro gram for preparedness with the ex ception of the continental army fea ture and I shaM vote for his entire program for the lncrease n of Mtie navy would urge compulsory service, wndj am opposed to compulsory military service In times of peace. c ' I .believe that the National Guard can be'so fecleralized as to constitute •a national reserve force, aqd the military' committee . of the House, which is unanimously opposed to a continental army, is now framing a' bill making the National Guard a nucleus of the federal reserve force, and I shall favor this meagre. I 1 believe that the facilities of the '-government for the manufacture of 'munitions of war should be Increased as rapidly as possible so that the gov- ! ernment will soon be independent ot private manufactures. I realize that this program of pre paredness means increased taxes, and L do not believe that.it should he con sidered without at the same time con sidering the sources from which the revenue must come to pay for it. In stead of the tax upon gasoline and dent or the continuance of the pres- dent of the cpntinuance of the pres ent war tax, I am in favor of con tinuing the tariff duty on sugar, from which forty million dollars will.be secured;'of raising the income tax; especially upon the larger Incomes, from which at least seventy-five mil lion dollars can he secured, and I especially .favor levying a tax upon the production of munitions of war so that the corporations now reaping such great profits from the European war will -contribute, to the cost of preparedness brought about in great measure by that war. , , - If this is done not only need there be ro extension of .the present war • tax, but it can bo repealed. If from ■the above sources we do not get suf' fli.-jent revenue to justify its repeal, the tax upon alcoholic liquors cart be in* re isi d. and it would Lo a tax less •Tu-d-'n- fo the people than'the,* Ite lud.tbts 1 B. R. TILLMAN Washington. Fetor 14, 1916. Mr. Hugo S. Rirts, Orgngeburg, South Carolina. . My dear Sir: I have your letter of February 7th. In reply to your question, "What do you think the slxe /of the American navy -should beU* Jt- have more thgii. once made known my belief *nd desire to see ■he American navy seirond only to the FngDrh .gavy and that is what I shall work tor. Of course. I krill support the administration’s plan of Increase, and may go even farther than that " la reply to tha second question: I do sot believe In a continental army can Congress may do in the spirit of patriotism for the welfare of the na tion. Very sincerely yours. E. D. Smith. R. S. WHALEY Washington, Feb. 12. 1916. Mr. Hugo S. Sims, The Times and Democrat, Orangeburg, S.‘ C. My dear Sir: I have your letter of the 8th instant requesting an ex pression of my views on the subject of "Preparedness," and I am taking pleasure in. .enclosing herewith a statement of my position in tho mat ter. I regret that I have not the time, owing to my committee hear ings 4ind my other duties, to go into this question more carefully, and give you a more’ detail expression, ot .my views and my reasons therefor, but I do not see any hope of- having the opportunity of doing so before the date mentioned in your letter and I have, therefore, -hurrieuly prepared tlife- enclosed expression of my atti tude. * With kind wishes, ^ Sinoefely yours, Richard S. Whaley. [Enclosure] With the large coast on the Atlan tic and tjie Pacific oceans ta defend. I am satisfied the United States should have a navy on each ocean suf ficiently large to defend both-from attack of any world power. This wbuld mean that this country should have a navy second to none. This country is large enough, wealthy enough, and prosperous enough to maintain such a, fleet and It will insure peace Instead of bring ing on waf. The strong nation is sel dom attacked; the weak nation Is constantly being insulted. It is my belief that this country should have such a navy that no na tion In the world would wish to get Iqto a war with it. I do not believe that the Upited States will ever wage war for conquest,-.and, therefore, I am not afraid of havlng.a large navy, tt is our first line of defense. It* is my belief that, the coast de fenses should be put In a most up-to- date and tfioroughiy-equipped condi tion. provided with the largest and longest range gang and the m ost modern method* of gunfire. I am not In fnvor of a Urge stand ing army, hot I am convinced that In my judgment, the shipping bill should be included In the navy pro gram and tbl* government allowed to build ship* In It* navy yard* to carry the edmmerce of thl* country to for eign port* and these same ship* tn time of war to he used as transports for the navy. If the shipping hill had been pass ed a year ago I am convinced that the cotton planter* of thp—South would have received at tea*t two cent* a pound more for their cotton, whereas this two cent* went Into the pockets of the shipping trust* of the Xbhh. '“The plan* have not been worked out In detail by the commit tee*. and therefore, the matter ha* not taken any definite form, but I shall vote for and support the plan best suited to bring about the desired results. J. F. BYRNES Washington. Feb. .11, 1916. Mr. Hugo S. Sims, Orangeburg. S. C. Dear Sir: Replying to your lettet of the 8th Ttelrteg my views on pre paredness. I beg to say that if I was satisfied this country would never be come involved in war with any nation I would vote to abolish the army and navy we now possess. However. I am not satisfied of this, and on the con trary I have within the last week heard the President of the United States say that while he did not feel at liberty to make public his reasons, he believed there was an urgent need for the improvement of our army and navy. - I have great confidence in him: I know he is not an alarmist, and be cause of his stetemrnt, he being most conversant with our international re lations, I am more than over in favor of a larger pad a more efficient navy, and in order to secure it will vote for increased appropriations atHhis ses sion of congress. I will not commit myself-to the plan suggested by Sec retary Daniels, ter any Other plan. The Naval Committee wilt report their annual appropriation bill and when the items of this bill are dis cussed in the -House I shall vote for such reasonable appropriations as I then conclude will contribute most to the Improvement of the navy. I would not attempt to.remy as to what should be the size of the navy, but I am anxious to see this congress authorize such improvements as will give us a navy strong enough to com mand the respect of other nations, and cause them to hesitate to take the lives of Americans or Interfere with our commerce omthe seas. I shall vote to improve our coast defenses and provide a force suffi cient to man them. I . am. opposed to the continental army plan. I could give many rea sons for my opposition, but it is suf ficient to say that I believe It imprac tical in that young men would not enlist for three months service an nually In this army, and even if they desired to do -so.- (hey could not se cure vacation for so long a time. 'I have never found an employer who would announce KTs willingness to allow his employee to Join the con tinental army for two or three month* a year—pay his salary and hold hi* Job open until hi* return. I believe further than, when the young men of the country failed- to volnn- »k la mrmv thm vnifftartat ^•ctfully yours, James F. Byrne*. WYATT AIKEN Washington. 10th Feb., 1916 Mr. Hugo S. Sims, Orangeburg. Sooth , Carolina. Dear Sir: Your letter 8th Inst, has been received and in reply will *ay that I believe In providing and main taining adequate <**’» and land de- fenses. Ever alnce I have been in Congrea* I have voted at every opportunity but one for any Increaae in the strength ot the navy. Tbe only time I did not so vote wa* during the last sesaion of Congress and at that lime I believed H wise to wait and profit by experi ence in the European war. The late George 3. Legare and 1 voted alsrays for material increases in tha naval strength and were severely erttleleed by some of our colleagues who are now for a big navy regardless of cost. It Is iateresting and amusing to see many newspapers and men in Con gress who abused and ridiculed Cap tain Hobson for wanting a big navy, now howling loud and long for a vast expenditure of money for thee# very things but they are not manly nor generous enough to give Hoboon credit for being so tar ahead of thorn. I want to see the United States have the best navy in the world. W> must have it In order to maintain the Monroe doctrine and our very exist ence; we rnhat have it to protect the autonomy ot the Onlral and Sooth American States. For many years yet to come we will he Interested tn the Philippines and the Hawaiian Island* and a first class navy will be a neces sity in order to protect our vast in terest* and the honor of our flag. The future prosperity of this coun try depends largely upon Its foreign commerces We must have »a mer chant marine to handle our products to every corner of the earth and a first class navy must be always ready to protect that merchant marine. If we had a first class navy now we would not have to ask England or acy other country any odds as to our commercial rights and our cotton would now be bringing sixteen and eighteen cents per pound. Our fortifications should he the best in the world with the longest range guns made. 1 am in favor of enlarging the military and naval academies in order to always have on hand an ample number of trained officers to quickly train the men of the country into sol* diers. I am opposed to the continental army proposition and compulsory en listments "but I do beiie,ye in encour aging and aiding military schools-and the militia organizations of the vari ous states. I amain'favor of the government operating its own munition plantsrso far as practicable and prevent further robbery.hy the tnanufactufers who have grown enormously rich by the protective policy of the Republican party. . . Respectfully, Wyatt Aiken, S. J. NICHOLLS Washington, Feb. 10, 1916. Hugo S. Sima, Editor The Times and Democrat, Orangebjirg, S. C. Dear Mr. Sims: I am in receipt of your letter of the 7th inst. asking me rriy positioh on the “Preparedness^ bill. It gives me pleasure"to state briefly my position relative to this matter. I think that the American pavy should be increased, to what extent, I can not exactly say. I am, how ever, not in favor of hutting so much money im dreadnaughts, but in put ting more money in submarines, for the war across the ocean has demon strated very clearly to my ifttnd that the submarine is a better instrument of war than the dreadnaught>- How-' ever. I ‘do not want you to tinder- stahd ‘saying that both are mot very necessary for adequate defense and I think that the government shquld. increaae the number of both the dreadnaughts and submarines. I do not think that the Continental Army preposition ia feasible. Aa you [Continaed on page seven ] t