The Rhode-Island Republican — Newport, R.I., 1810-08-15 00:00:00, page 2

leaves 6,353, or 1,647 less than the number
stateéd by the Fonuvurable Member ; and un
der the sdministration of Mr. Jefferson tne
foilowing vesscls of war were bullte— vz, e
The ship Wyshington carrying 18 guns.
The Lrig Hornet, carrying 18 guns.
The brig Argus, carrying 18 guns,
The brig Siven, carrying 18 guns.
The Vesuvius )2 guns. .
I'ne Eina 12 guns. . '
he Oneida, 16, and 100 gun boats,
My, Randolph m ./ attempt 10 sheiter hims
self from the elfects of these mistatements
hy observing that he did not know the differ
cuce between seamen and marines ; that hé
thought thein one and the same thing, and
~ that as the vessels of war and gun-boats built
uMder the last administration he does not con
"~ sider them “of respiectable force ;" but as a
Statesinan and Legislator, it was his duty to
inform himself as to the obvious distinctien
" between seamen and marines, and he knew
~ that whether he considered the vessels of war
and guil-boats built under the last administras
" uon :}'s Wof respectable force” er not, they
" ¢nst not much short of two millions of dollars
" and therefore ought fairly to be taken into the
comparative estimate which he 20 reluctanily
undeitook to make. . -
Upob the incorrect statements thus made
Mr. Randolph proceeds to remark, that in the
year 1800, each seaman costs about 472 dols.
annually ; apd then contrasting the. expenses
ol that ysar with the year 1809, he. observes
thut in the year 1809, there were 2,723 sea
men empoyed, ¢ which cost the nation
- %,427,000~xf0r each man employed within a
trifle of 900 dyllars ; and thence infers that,
permitted to indulge in a « little comparative
“politicalanatoiay,” and I will fairly contrast
“the estimate of the years 1800 and 1809,
In the estimute for the year 1800, (sce
printed report 4. 93) it was stated that there
was reqdired ©
For pay and subasistence of
officers and %:y of scamen, 1,280,6 58,40
The number of officers. ,
4nd men then required and
estimwred -tory, was 6,353, .
srossly extravayant as the "administration of
' kdr. Adams was, if tried by the criterion of
the succeeding one, it was * a pattern of re
erenchment and economy.'” 1 cannot find out
whence Mr. Randolph derived his knowledge
ot the facts assumed by him as to their being
2,723 seameén cmployed in the year 1809,
which cost 2,427,000 dolls ; buty on refering
to the estimate of the Secretary of the Navy,
dared loth Feb*uary, 1809, (the estimate up-’
&n which'the ‘appropriation law was passed) I
tind that the number of navy officers and sea
men estimoted for that year was 7,451 exclu
sively of marines. 1 shall here, I hope be
In this | c4n dlscover no inconsistency
which eannot be'imn « liately reconciled. At
first viow it does indeed appear that the sum
stuted'as required for the support of 7,451
men is contrasted with the sum stated as ne
cessary for tite support of 6,353 men, insuf
ficient ; for nccor(ring;‘ to arithmetical rule, if
6,358 give 1,280,638 dolls, 7,451 ought to
give 1.501,996, which is 178,919 dolls. more
than the sum required in the estimate.
Hence a’'difference in favour: of the' year
1809 ; a material * difference indeed, which
with an additional expense of 42,419 dollars,
-enabled the government to employ one thou
sond and nigety cight men more than, they
could have done in the year 1800 for the same
sww. I wish with Me. Randolph to be * clear
ty understood”” : Let me then repeat that in
the year 1800, 6,358 men cnst the sum of
1,280,658 dolls. for their pay * id subsistence,
an:d 10 the yearlBo9, 7,45) men cost 1,323,077
dolls. 3 and it thence appears, that in the year
1809, 6,353 wmen could be employed for
1,128,104 doils. which is 152,554 dolls. lees
than the same namber of men cost in the year
1829 ; and that i we add to the expense of
empioying in the year 1300, 6,353 men, the
snm of 42,419 dollars, we could in the year
11809 employ ;1,098 men (which is le¥: vhimn
40 dolls. « m+p annually) more than could be
craployed in the year 1809, for the given sum
of 1,280,659 dolls, ,
Me. Randalph states that ia the year 1300,
cach mab vmployed in the nasy cost $427
in the « discharge of en (mperiouwy padlick
diry.” Angious to be ¢ ¢learly understood,”
he observes * taatin the year gsoo, inavhich
oir exhencea amounted to 3,448,000 dolls, we
hiad three 44 gun frigates, 6 frigates from 44
to 32, two of 32, of a large size 3 Jour of 32,
emaller ; 8 from 32 to 20 ; 3 sloops of war
and 4 brige, from \8 to 16yand 5 brigs and
gehooxeps, from A 4 to 12 guns, employing a
total of 74296 seamen,” which nmuber be im
mediately after uugments to 8,000, He goes
on o observe~+ This administration (Mr.
Alams's) 00, it should be recollected, not only
buile poery Jrigate, every veasel of respegtable
force, wiich the United States now have, but
many others, which have been since sold, and
the procecds of whieh have gene into the
Treacury” '
From these obsérvations it would be infer
red that.in the year 1800, we employed 8000
scanien at ap expense of 5,448,000 dollars ;
and that no vesse! of respectable force was
built warler the administration of Mr. Jeffer
son. How stunds the facts 7 Why thus: In
In the es{jniato for the
vaar 1899, (sec report 10th
Feb. 1809,) it was stuted
thut theéve was reqnired
For pay and subsisience of
olfizers and piy of seamen, 1,323,077
The number of officers
an'd men then required and
estimated for, was 7,451,
the year 1800 we employed, inctuding marines
7,446 men in our navy, (see printed report,
2. 93) of this number 1093 were mariies,(see
same report) which number deducted from
the whule number above stated, viz. 7,446
~ Mr. Randolph goes on to state that « in the.
year 1800, the estimate pay of officers ia®33l
000, and that of the seamen 3818,000—wand,
yen siry by the estimate mow before me, and
which any geatieman can turn to, made for the
year 1809, the subsistenee of the officersy their
fey and that of the scamen amounts only to
$296,000, @ sum less by nea=ly sloo,ooo,than
the estimated pay alone of the officers in 1800,
whilst the expenses Qf the whole estadlishment
apfiroach. within one million of dollars of the |
expense of the year 1800, lam at a. Joss to
account for these manifeoat inconsistoaces, axd 7
might say soleciama in our political aricknetick,
We have a navy which we are toll employa .
2700 men, which casts within a third as much .
as a navy employing nearly 8000—=and, yet, .
when we come to compare the great objects of
exhense, to wit, pay and subdsistence of the ofe
Jficers and acamen, the reward of valor and
merit, we find a contrast which I believe no
man in this House ie prepared to explain.” |
[ am told that 1n utteriag the above re
marks, Me. Randolph held up very signifi
cantly the book of estimates, and munwﬁmv
Iy ehallenged an explanition of these mams
~and that in the year 1308 each nun eost
nearly 900, If h‘prdmi«; were coyrect,
the Lftre.cc‘wou!d be wmearly sa; but we,
have already seen that he possesses powers
to magnify and reduce at pleasure=—he swells
6,353 men to 8,000, and bhe reduces 7,451
first to 2,723, and presently to 2300, It
would indeeg appear that he cannot multiply
quite as rapidly as he can destroy the human
species, lowever, [ proceed with my “com
farative political anatomy.” 1 proceed 1o
to the anatomy of things real, not imaginary,
and shall confine myself to Mr. Randolph’s
chosen yeurs—lBoo and 1809, |
In estimating the annual cost of each sea
man, shall we charge him not only with his
pay, subsistence, medicine and hospital stores,
but with the expense of repairing and keep
ing in repaire and all contingent exfienses of
the ship in which he sails :ur shall we only.
charge the poor fellow, for ¢ there is no clasy
in Socicty, whom I think more deserving” with
his pay, his subsistence and his medicine,and
chdrge the repairs and contingent expenses to.
the numerous artificers, mechanicks and la~
bourers who actually receive the cash. We
wilktry it both ways, :
Ist. then we will charge him with cvery
sort of exfiense belonging to the ship, '
Making a-total of , 2,570,842
If then 7451 cost $2,520,842~0ne will
cost $333, Thus I find that. each scaman,
charged with his proportion of every deq;vzp-,
tion of expense attepding the vessei ia’ whieh
he sdlls, cost in the year 1809, the sum of
s333~and yet Mr. Randolph reaily says tit
he cost nearly J%e'goo _
What then does Mr. Riundolph’s ¢ prolitical
anotomy” amount to ! Wiy he imagines cer
tain things, considers thewm, as. fucts, and
thence draws conclusions the most fawe. He
says that each man in the year 18)9 cost
8900, or twice as much as he did in the year
1800. Now | have referred to authorities
for every thing 1 have stated==and .1. think I
have demonstrated that cach man in the year:
1809, cost $3O less than he didin the yeur
1800~=and I would thence rather infer hat
“ in the civil branch of the navy' we are rath
er improving than retrogading ; and with res
pect 10 the military branchy, Mr. Randolph
himsclf observes ¢ there ie no cluss in socigty
whom I think more highly deserving.
W.I know, Sir, that these siatemenia are dry
but they are usgful in proporiion as they are
dry.”” S |
Let us now see what each seamen cost gn
nually in the year 1800 and 1809, when char
ged with all his pay,provisions, and medicioes
which I thibk are all that can fairly be charfy
ed to him. Dc_ducting the item for repairs
and contingencies in the year 1800, we find.
the agregaté appropriation for that year to
be 1,916,948 27-100 for 6353 seamen—wor
$317 per man ; and following the same rule,
we find the aggregate apprepriation for the
year 1809, to be 1,965,842—f0r 7451 mens
or $263 per man—which 1s $54 less than
in the year 1800. Notwithstanding Mr. R.
says they cost twice as much. And let it be
remembered too, that in estimating the an
nual cost of ¢ach man, all the officers are ?-
cluded with the seamen. 3 |
Now according to my arithmetick, if 6358
cost 2,310,548 27, one will cost 363 dollars.
thus I make it out that in the year 1800, each
man, charged with his proportion of gvery
description of expense belongiug to the Ship
cost 363 annually~-and yet Mr. Randolph
stutes—yes, gentlemen, he actually states—
that in the year 1800, each man cost 472«
ut least so says the speech, and it is by some
cal;zd a very pretty speech, well worthy of
quotation and reference. '
Now in the year 1809 there was estimated
for 7,451 seamen, and the sums estimated
and appropriated (see vol. 9, page 291, ‘laws
of the U, States) were,
For pay and subsistence of
officers and pay of scamen, 1,330,077
For provisions 567,765
For regairs and contin- :
gencies of all sorts. 595,000
_For medicines and hospi
tal stores, &c. 35,000
In the year 1800 therc were as above stated
6,353 scamen employed=—and for the service
of that year, there was appropriated, (see vol.
5 frage 189 laws of the United Suates. -
I'or pay und subsistence of
officers and pay of seainel, 1,280,658 40
For provisians , 603,642 67
For repairs and . contin
gencies of all sorts 393,600
For medicines and hospi
tal"expeuses 32,647 20
Making a total of _ 2.310,548 27
Jest inconsistences jmeuhd §¢ 00 exDlanaiion
was not afforded within the wallé of Congress
1 will give one out of the walls. First let me
‘usk what was the estimates upen which the
apprepriation Jaw was passed ? It was the cs
‘mate of the 10th Feb. 1809-<that estimate
stated that there was required, and Congress
accordingly appropriated (see estimate and
laws U, States, v. 9,}:. 290.) For pay and
subsistence of the officers and pay of the sea-
THERE is a remarkable eoincidence be
tween the language of the monarchists at the
commencement of the Revolution, and that
of the federal party at the present day, res
pecting the conduct of Great-Britain towards
this country., Theé enemies of American
liberty then warmly advocated the despicable
cause of the English Government. They
strongly insisted, % That Parliament had a
W right tb taxr us without owr consent ; that
& the duty upon tea wds mo tax ; that this
“ duty wae our only grievance ; that the pune
“ Yshment of Boston was just, lenicnt, and not -
equal to their crimes ; that of all people un
‘@ der heaven we had the lcast cause for com
“ plaint; that none of our legal rights had been
‘“ invaded ; noinjury had been dome wus, and
W conseguently, that we could never be justifi
“ed in resenting thuat for which we had no
“ redson to complain.” This was the lan
guage of the open foes of our national vights
—of thos¢ who assailed with pestiferous
breath, the first germinations of American
freedom. They justified, in every instance,
the unjust & oppressive measures pursued by
the cabinet of St. James, to deprive the colo
nists of their prerogatives, and to rivet upon
them the disgraceful chains of slavery.” They
were desirous of having our liberiies, laws,
properties, and lives prestrated at the foot of
the British throne.
that year, (see v 9, #. 291) was passed ; and
that by that estimate it wus stated, that for
the pay and subsistence of the officers and
pay of the seumen, the sum of $1,323,077
~was required, and that by the law above quo
ted that sum was accordingly appropriated
(see'¥. 9, s. 290)—and yet in the face of ali
he knew, or of all he ought to have known,
Mr. Randoiph has permitted himself to say
that the sum estimated. wes only $296,000,
AMERICANUS.
(To be continued, ) :
of midshipmen was augmented 300, and
the number of seamen 3600, Aand Mr.
Randolph knew, or ought to*have known
‘that upon the passmge of this law, a new esti
mate ‘was prepared and transmited o Con
‘gress under date of the 10th Feb. 1809 ; and
he knew or ought to have known that it was
upon this estimate that the appropriation law
of 3rd of March, 1809, for the service of
men 1,323,077—and yet Mr. Randolph states
that it was $2¢6,000. This is a very trifling
errour on the part of the Hon. Member to be
cuge-—it amounts only to $1,027,077, in one
itera of naval oppropriation. Reader, remem
ber that Mr. Randolph was the chairman of
the Committee of the House of Representa
tives of the U. States to bring in a bill for the
reduction of the navy, and then ask yourself
whether you think him excusable for these
numerous palpable mistateruents. To me it
appears that it was his duty—Yes, Sir, Lis
bounden duty——to have possessed » mselfl of
accurate information, and to have given such
information to the House. This plain, farmer
like, honest mode of proceeding did not how
ever suit the particuiar views of the Hon.
Member—he had his object, and appears to
have been determined to accomphsh it with
out regarding the means.
When, Mr. Randolph stated that the esti
mate for the pay and subsistence ot the offi
cers and seamen for the year 1809 was only
$296,000, he knew, or he ought to have
known (the laws and the publick reports were
What is the language thatis now constant
ly resounded in our ears ? It is that England
has done us no wrong. . It warmly advocates
British perfidy<~British atrocity. It has a
ready palliation for every insult offered us by
oue old mveterate foes—it upholds them in
their most flagitious enormities. It stren
nously defends the impressment of our sea
men, and seems to exult in the bloed that
smokes on the ruffian’s blade. The vivia
tion of the fuith of nations is deiended with
the greatest subtility and ingenuity, aud every
art, which infringes uwpon our national sover
cignty, made the theme of clamorous ap
plause. :
Such are the detestable vociferations of
those who denominate themse!ves fideratiste,
and federal-republicans. They are of the
same import—ythe same spirit as distinguish
ed the despised tories of the Revolution.
The leaders of this party are assidueus in
open to him) that he was referring not to the
estimate upon which the appropriation law
was passed, but to an estimate prepared in
the fall of the year, 1808, and in which the
employment of 925 seamcen only was contem
plated. He knew or eught 1o have known, that
after that estim:te was prepared, Congress by
an act of the 31st Jan. 1808, passed an act
authorizing the employmem of an additional
naval force (see v. 9. s, 206) directed that
the frigates President, United-States, Essex
and John Adams should be fitted out and
manned ; and that the same act authorized
and empowered the President to equip, man
and employ in actual service so many of the
other publick armed vessels, then laid up in
ordinary, and gun-boats, as in his judgment
the publick service might require ; and that
by the 2d section of the said act the number
FOR THE RHODE~ISLAND REPUBLICAN,
POLITICAL MISCELLANY.
. ETHELRED.—No. 111.
their laboura for the Euglish goveraaent.
and i{t.hc cmbarvassing of that of their owu
Theyussert that Americz has zll 2long becn
in an errour, and England in the right 5 thae
the proceedings of the ore lave Leen wpi
formly equitcble, and thase of the other un.
just and reprehensible. They bold our gov
ernm.ent in utter contempt, and endeavour, by
every possihle meaps, to lessen its reepects.
bility in the eyes of the people. They look
up to Ureat Britain as the {Lantain of justice,
and every political blessing. They scem to
consider her King as a superiour being——tle
vicegerent of beaven, at whose feet they are
ready to fall down und worship. They cun
view, with complacency, thousands of their
fellow-citizens sacrificcd at the shrine of Jer
cruelty and ambition, and accompany the of
fering with shouts of approburien. Vet there
Anglo-advocates of arbitrary power, have tag
auduacity to assert thut they are fricuds 1o
their country—the defenders of Americun
liberty., Well might we exclaind with the
Roman Orator, O tempiora ! O mores ! :
SR, 2 - g "
THE time will shortly arrive” when the
people of this State must make zp their minds
upon the choice of Representatives to Con
gress. In order to do this, it is necessary that
they should weigh the qualifications aud char
acters of the respective cendidates, It hos
been said, that princifiles and not men, should
govern in publick affuirs. But I must confess,
Siry, I am at & loss how to distinguish between
good men and good firinciflcs, or how to recon
cile the support of sound political principice
through men destitute’ of publick virtue.—
Can a bad tree bring forth good fruit 2
Of the four candidates proposed for Repre -
sentatives, Llisha R. Potter sands distinguish- -
ed by his friends as wortly of the peculiur
confideince of the people. According totheir
very friendly partiality, no publick man is so
fit for the proposed situation as he ; they bold
ly challenge his opponents to point out a sib
gie bleniish in his private life, or a solitury in
stance. of deviatioh from publtck deiy. [
have, Sir, studied this man long, and profess:
to know him well. The result of-my obser-: -
vation bf his publick gonduct is so different
from the character claimed by his admirers,
that I cannot refrain from commuuicating wy
view of his pretensions to the confidence of
the people.
I affirm, Sir, as my most solemn conviction,
derived from an intimate knowledge of his
political'life and conduct, that he is entireiy
destitute of the guatities which goto make up
the character of an accomplished Stateswmur:,
and that he is totally unfit to represent the
pevple in Congress. If we look w his edu
cation to see how far it may have prepared him
for publit k usefulness, we shall find that he is
deficient in-that generul and comprehensive
knowledge that enubles the politician to jugre
from tihe past ond present state ot the worid,
what course of national conduct may be wise
and safe, in a time of extraordidury commic -
tion. His are the po!iticknbfe:r(mdimu. of
publick virtue, of national horour, rights, or
even ' permanent intérests,'you hear nothing
from him. His calculations turn upon pres
ent profit and loss ; and are guided by illiterul,
grovelling and vulgar principles. Had the
immortal Congress of '76 been governed Ly
such considerations as make the whole bug
then of this man’s cloquence, would they
have ventured upon the declaration of Inde
pendence ! AVould they have expended a
hundred mitlions of money, and a" hundred
thousand lives, to resist @ paltry duty of
threepence, per. pound upon tes. “ TS
His great lcuﬁn'g maxin is=—=that the sole
object pf gontroversy betwcen the two par.
ties in this country, is who shell be in, und
who shall be out. THia he branches out into
a number of beautiful induciions, gach as -
the question is not kow the Govcr_tbzn;ngnll be
edministered, bu't who shall administer i 5 not
how much money shall be spent, bier who sl.al’ “
spend it ; not /ow .many cfficcs chall be cstal
lished, but who'shall fill them.” Who but a to
ry would unblushingly promounce sentimen)+
so degrading to humib datdre 2 -
But let us, Sir,for a moment consider what .
would be the consequence of ucting upon his
principles. He confesses that the scle objec:
of himself and friends, is to getinio fion¢re—
not to prevent - the expenditure of the pee
ple’s money, but to spend it themselycs——nor
to abolish useless offices,but to fill them them -
selves. Cun we trust a man, who oypeniy
avows that these are his objects? It mast
be confessed, his party lived up o this creed
when in power. lam willing to own th:t
they.reliiously observed every article of it—
that they did not care 20w the Governmenp:
was administered, so that they sdmiaisiered
it—=that they did not mind how nunch of the
people’s money was spent, so that they spemk
it-=nor how many offices they estoblished; v
that they filled them with their ewn cres
thres. But I am at a loss 1o costeive how
this cen eatitle him to \he confidence o{ the
Beople. . et ¥
he widest heads of out country, and ail
men who are netmade the dupcs of the wick
ed and monopoiizing policy of the Brijish
GGovernment, agrce that now is the time t 6
establish manufactures, the roots of which
may at the present time, be so deeply plioes
ed that they cannot be hereifter tarn upes
Yet this man has uniformiy voted in Con
gress against every sort of encenragement ta
the infant mannz.ctodu of this country ;
and bas an abhorence to this kiud of indusuy
like that of ene bitten by a mad dog to water.
I would ask how in the name of ~ommey
sense, when our flug is excluded from the
v?o contineut of Europe, we are to find a
ni¥tict for our surplus produce, udlscs we
create & home market 7 Aod how 15 that to
To the Editor of the Rhode-Tsiand Refiublican.