The Congressional Globe: Containing the Debates and Proceedings of the Third Session Forty-Second Congress; An Appendix, Embracing the Laws Passed at That Session Page: 711
[959] p. ; 25 cm.View a full description of this book.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
1878.
THE CONGRESSIONAL GLOBE.
711
iron, which, adapted to the dnties and the means of
our Navy in time of peace, and fitted with the more
modern and economical machinery which has suc-
ceeded that in use at the commencement of the
decade, could be maintained and employed with
more effect, and for gome years with comparatively
little expense for repairs.
" This subject has been constantly pressed upon
the attention of Congress, and I again repeat it
because I am constantly warned, as ship after ship
is withdrawn from active service, and laid up with-
out hope of usefulness in the future, that the limit
of our old resources is being rapidly reached, and
that without new material our active force on the
several stations must rapidly decrease, until our
cruising navy will in a few years pass almost en-
tirely away.
I read this to illustrate the mistake, of coarse
the innocent mistake, that my distinguished
friend from Maryland has made. He took,
possibly from this report, and read to you the
names of the different squadrons, the ships
that were on them, and the number of guns, to
show what a large force we had and how we
could get along with it. Now, I say that to
ibe best of my judgment we hare not got a
ship in the Navy. I believe—and I hope I
shall be corrected if any gentleman eau correct
me—that the Hartford, the Iroquois, the Kear-
sarge, and vessels of that class, between six
and seven hundred tons, which were all built
together, were the last vessels we built before
the war, and I know of no vessels we built for
cruisers during the war. There were iron-clads
built for harbor defense, which were worthless
the instant the war was over. They were of
just as much use to the Government when
the war was over as an elephant is to a man
in humble circumstances. There we stand.
Now let us face the question ; let us meet it
fairly. That is the condition of the Navy.
With all respect, and meaning to be exceed-
ingly decorous and courteous, I have the right
as a member of the Naval Committee to say to
my friend from Maryland, knowing about as
much in regard to naval affairs as he does, that
to-day we have not a ship in the Navy; and
yet we have made all the inventions in naval
architecture to which I have referred ; we were
formerly the great ship-builders of the world ;
we marched ahead of the world in that respect;
and yet we stand helpless to-day. We want to
send vessels to eea, and we order the Secretary
of the Navy by resolutions to send them here
and there and the other place, to protect this
consul and the other minister, to go and look
after our i nterests. We expect them to maintain
the honor of the flag under all circumstances.
We expect the captain of one of our vessels
not to come home alive if his flag is disgraced.
Will you not give him a good ship? Will
you not give him a ship that will float? Have
you ever been to sea yourself, sir, in a bad ship?
Have you ever been where you had no boats ?
There are not enough boats in the Navy to put
on the ships; and yon pass law after law here
providing for the steam navigation ou the Mis-
sissippi river, and how many boats each vessel
shall have on board. Do you remember when
that expedition went down to San Domingo?
Do you remember the outcry from the whole
country about that, and the shame that was
to be heaped on everybody for sending such
a vessel as the Tennessee to sea with all
those distinguished gentlemen on board. The
individuals whom we send in our naval ships
generally are as distinguished as the commis-
sion we sent to San Domingo; and they are
entitled from this country to have ships that
will float and ships that will fight, and they
are entitled to proper weapons and to the
most improved apphauees for handling those
ships.
No man can disguise, Mr. President, that
the present question really is navy or no navy.
When the Senator from Maryland, or any other
Senator, satisfies me that this country is so
poor that it is in that condition thai it caunot
maintain a navy, I will vote to abolish it, and
that will mean this: it will mean the end of
republican rule in this country ; it will mean
your bankruptcy. You are a bankrupt coun-
try if that is your condition ; but if it is not
so, if the chairman of the Committee on
Finance intimates to us that we are in a pros-
perous condition, where we can afford to pay
a little money for the Navy, I think we had better
make this appropriation, and not be stopping
and haggling about whether we shall have ten
or six ships. Moreover, I do not believe in
fastening things down, as the House bill did,
so as to require these ships to be built in par-
ticular and certain ways. If the Secretary of
the Navy is not honest enough, if the Presi-
dent of the United States has not pride enough
in this country to try and get these ships made
the best ships in the world, at a reasonable
price, it is not my fault; it is not yours, Mr.
President. All we have to do is to keep up
our end of the plank, to do our duty, to give
the executive department a proper appropria-
tion for this purpose, and then if the vessels
are not properly built, if they are built of
wood when they ought to be built of iron,
if they cost more money than they onght to
cost, if they meet with other vessels of the same
class on the high seas and cannot compete
with them when well manned and properly
officered, then I shall go further than my friend
from Maryland, for I shall not only hold them
strictly accountable, but I shall take them to
task for violating their duty and for disgracing
the positions in which they are placed. But the
Constitution of the United States has given
me one duty, and the President of the United
States and the Secretary of the Navy another.
I shall try to discharge mine; and I hope and
pray that they will discharge theirs as faithfully.
Mr. MORRILL, of Maiue. I have no dis-
position to make any extended observations
on this subject; but I should like to call the
attention of the Senate to the few remarks I
shall submit on this proposition in a business
point of view.
The House of Representatives has sent to
the Senate a proposition to build six steam
vessels of war—
Provided, That not less than three of said vessels
shall be constructed in private yards in the United
States, under contract.
I do not think that is practicable. My ob-
servation and information in regard to the
capability of private yards to build three ships
of war in this present year is that they are
not in a situation to do any such thing. While
there is abundant capacity, unquestionably, so
far as mechanical skill and force are con-
cerned, there is an entire lack of material.
They have 110 such material ou hand as justi-
fies any expectation or belief that three ships
of war of suitable character, such as the Navy
ought to demand, can be built in the private
yards. For that reason I have been inclined
to support the Senate amendment.
The next proposition iu the bill as it comes
from the House is this:
And the models, plans, specifications, and esti-
mates for the aforesaid vessels shall be procured
from naval orcivji marine architects, subject topub-
lic competition, and for suitable stipulated rewards,
upon advertisement; all of which suall be submitted
to a board of naval officers for approval and adoption,
under the direction of the Secretary of the Navy.
And after the models, plans, specifications, and
estimates, which may be a combination of the best
features of any or all the plans submitted, or any
one of them entire, havebeen approved and adopted
by the aforesaid board, and approved by the Secre-
tary, ho may proceed to contract, under proper
advertisements, for the construction ot'the aforesaid
vessels, with the lowest responsible bidder who will
sive proper security for the faithful fulfillment of
the contract in each case; the vessels to be built
according to the models, plans. tpectScations, and
estimates approved and adopted as hereinbefore
provided for; Prorated, That the cost shall not
exceed the estimates approved by the aforesaid
board: And provided further. That the Secretary (if
the Navy shall, as soon as practicable after the
completion of said vessels, make a report of the
relative cost of those vessels made of iron with those
of wood, and the comparative advantages of each
after experimental test; also, the difference in cost
of those constructed in private ship-yards as com-
pared with those constructed in Government ship-
yards: And provided further. That no contract or
order for construction shall be made until foil de-
tailed estimates have been submitted to Congress
and appropriation made therefor.
The only remark that I have to make in re-
gard to that is, that it necessarily postpones
any action on this subject beyond this session
of Congress, and of course beyond this year,
which we eannot afford to do. Besides, if I
were disposed at all to criticise the pcovision
in other respects, I should say that it contains
conditions that are utterly impracticable in
many ways. It is sufficient to say that in the
view the Committee on Naval Affairs take, it
provides for the submission of certain matters
to Congress under circumstances and at a time
which necessarily postpones the construction
of the vessels for another year; and for these
two reasons, with others, I was opposed and
am opposed to the House bill, and prefer the
Senate proposition.
Now, let us glance at the amendment of the
Committee on Naval Affairs of the Senate for
a moment. What does it provide? It pro-
vides simply for "ten steam vessels of war,
with auxiliary sail power, and of such class or
classes as, in his judgment, will best subserve
the demands of the service, each carrying six or
more guns of large caliber." As will be seen,
this provides for ten vessels of small size,
carrying not less than six nor more than ten
guns, which are to be constructed according
to the judgment and discretion of the Secre-
tary of the Navy. Is that safe? If we have a
proper man at the head of naval affairs, every-
body would say yes, unquestionably. To say
anything less than that is to say that it is
impracticable to have a head of the Navy in
which you will confide the rebuilding, reequip-
ping, and reconstruction of the Navy ; and to
say that is to ignore the practicability or feasi-
bility of the Navy Department itself. Is not
this one of the legitimate functions of the
Navy Department? What is this man at the
head of your Navy for? For what especial
reason do we create a Navy Department, and
put a skillful, learned, and able man at the
head of it? If we have not such a one now
we ought to have. It is precisely to do this
exact thing, among others, to recommend,
supervise, direct, and construct such ships
of war as Congress from time to time shall
determine that the public exigencies and
the public good require. This is precisely in
conformity with that idea; and shift as you
please, turn this thing as you will, over to
private yards or to civil engineers outside, it
all comes back to this; that the experience
and skill of men educated to this purpose in-
side the Navy, and in the employment of the
Navy, after all have got to be relied upon
and are safest to be relied upon. That is the
simple proposition.
Sly honorable friend from Maryland says that
these ships will cost twenty millions. I will
only say iu passing that they are estimated to
cost about four millions. That is the best
judgment that the Navy Department can form,
and that is predicated upon the idea that six
of these vessels will be constructed of from
five hundred to six hundred tons burden, the
others perhaps of a thousand tons, and they
can all be made for about what you have been
expending in repairs on the old hulks that
have come dawn to us from a period which
antedates the war so long that the presump-
tion arises that they are not any of them
worth repairing, and patching up those which
were extemporized during the war for excep-
tional purposes altogether. That is the way
the question stands ; and here we are shocked
at the idea of appropriating four millions for
ten suitabte cruisers, which are to go out ou
police duty, take care of your commerce,
watch, guard, and protect; and yet nobody has
hesitated, and you will find nobody will hesi-
tate when the bill comes in to vote for these
repairs. You have been appropriating throe
millions right along for the repair of these old
vessels. , ,
Mr. BAYARD. I should like to ask the
Senator from Maine where the limitation of
expense upon these vessels is to be found in
this bill ?
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This book can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Book.
United States. Congress. The Congressional Globe: Containing the Debates and Proceedings of the Third Session Forty-Second Congress; An Appendix, Embracing the Laws Passed at That Session, book, 1873; Washington D.C.. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc30903/m1/43/: accessed April 19, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.