Alexandria advertiser and commercial intelligencer. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1800-1803, 1802-09-30

port ofa committee IF The Hg9je Vt Re-
9rjsafatives, BY OLIVER WoLcoTT,
late leeyetay Of The treynr.'
CONTINUED.
9TH. The remaining part of the report
is confined TO critic;!nis upon particular
frauJa7ioas Of the former administration !;
each of which I hope 10 place in iatis-
factory light before the public.
For reafons which jafify the prrchafe
offcites for navy yards, the public are re
ferred TO recent publication Of Mr.. Stod
dert, the former fecrerary Of the navy. |
can add nothing 10 the force of his argu
men,s, which mutt be conGdered as con.
cluGve by all men who are not decided
converts TO the theory Of lpecifc approprl-
ations forthe~iasisfaaion of fach minds,
however, take the liberty TO fate ataet
not noticed by Mr.. Stoddert:
In March, 1901, congTeis expressly ap.
propriated, '.for The exteue<s ATTENDING
(nor /" esmplttmg," as mentioned by Mr..
Gallatin) &" FIX fcventy four gun ihlps, and
for COMPLETING NAVY YARDS, DOCKS &
wHARvEs, lhe FUN of FIVE hundred thou
tand dollars" is proved by MIR. S,od-
derr, that the purchale was attended
{" qyitb anobvious bsaeftn til. q. States"
The whole expsnce has been ex9re/sly/ane
tened by a /a6/equeat, net prior appro
priation. Upon principles Conceded BY tie
committee, ard upon qvbic5 tber .lyRem Of
leeifc appropriations refs, the whole trani-
action therefore eanos completely jgGjea.
When will acculations againa the former
administration ceale, if their conduit can
NOT be protected even by the acts OF the
iegilature
,Sth. Referring to the purchafe of navy
yards, the committee obferve, " that, in
the war department, there likewiie appears
TO have been tranfaction, eq4alJ anan,
s55sr sd. In the year =, pile of buildings
was commenced under the directions of the
then ftcretary of war, on the banks of
Sehuylkill, near the city of Philadelphia,
which have hnce been carried on in man
ner bigb!y expexfve. Thefe buildings have
been called Laboratory, and, although,
yet in an anfuybtdGete, have already colt
the United States I5a,6oS dollars and
cents, which fun has been paid oue OF the
appropriations heretofore made for the
quarter mqasrdfbarfmsnt. The committee
are of opinion, that this expenditure OF
money could not be fulfilled at any TINE,
but more particularly at moment when
the United States were borrowing money,
at bigb rate of infersf, to meet Objects
which ths Legislature coniidered necefary,
and had ianetioned by law.
There is doubtlels much proprie;y in
clafing the purchale of the navy yards,
& the expenoes Of erecting thefe buildings,
under one head, and conGdering them as
"equally unauthorized" by law. Tho,
in fome particulars, the two eltabIihments
may be jaiiied, en- the diaina grounds,
yer the general principle is the fame, that
botb qpere uecegar to Tie (ueee/tal exeeu
tau Of meefares, enjoiued BY hou. 1t is
prefumed, that no valid objection can be
drawn from the name Of laboratory, fer
though it may be fuitable, yet that of ar
fenal, CT magazine, is equally proper.
Before theie bulldogs were erected, | re
lieve there did not EXIT, in the United
States, Jingle public building, accehible
by wafer transportation, in which arms,
military fores, cloa,hing and other valu-
able articles of public properly, could
be depohted. No lefs a fom than twelve
hundred thoufand dollars, was appropriat.
ed, IL 1898, fer the purchsfe of cannon,
flnall arms, ammunition & military flores.
A comfortable proportion of tfeie fupplies
was expected to be drawn, and was aetu-
ally drawn, f,om 1.-THE market of Philadei
phia and its vicinity. At leaf one cen
trail magazine, accefible by water, YVES
neceGasy for receiving fuch fupplies as