work.

They reminded Congress that they had added costly machinery to their
plants to oblige the Government, and that the country ought to be
willing to pay them enough money for their work to reimburse them for
the sums they had laid out.

Congress would not listen to this argument. It declared that the
armor-plate people had formed a trust by which they hoped to force the
Treasury to pay them any price they chose to ask, and finally declared
that if armor-plate could be made at an actual cost of $197.78 per ton,
the Government would no longer pay $558 to benefit the pockets of
private individuals.

Further than this, Congress declared that if the Carnegie and Bethlehem
people would not make the armor for $300 a ton, the Government would go
into the business for itself, and leave these two companies with their
machinery on their hands.

The committee appointed to examine into the cost of establishing
government armor works is to be ready to hand in its report next
December.

In the mean while the three new warships that are building will have to
wait, and no new vessels can be commenced until this very important
matter is settled.

* * * * *

Startling and terrible news reaches us from Spain.