Alexandria advertiser and commercial intelligencer. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1800-1803, 1802-07-16

~. of ri, houle, and never read by
n lsac. who will read the report.
sn0 sns s the committee FAY, that tour
A ,l.,ss were purchaied without antho-
navy ,a9 ,he money mifapplied which was
my e s them. In my Judgment, this IS
p',' e thc mott extraordinary opinions
one - 0,0oounced. The facts which gave
s 'r. : ,be purchale ofthe navy yards were
nc SHOWS Il rvs In the year 1899, congrels
a . ,sS BY law, the building Of fix II
su.D lb;os. and one million of dollars, was
gon l saoroDriated for that Object, and for
s sa;p pe fix loops ofwar. The iecretary
p = i, navy found, that the committee
:, =, 70 have underfood that the hips
s oosIa not be built either in the air or upon
. ~ ,v,,er. and as he was directed TO build
-. - a;u,. that he mutt of courie procure
land ia to place them upon, and that land
. IA he either purchaIed OF hired. He
@00d thar there was not navy yard with
: che United States, calculated Tor build
no lbios of the line, and that the expence
Il preparing yards upon private property
rSoald Be lof, the moment the ihip was
launched, and of courfe, that this would
h. had economy. Experience had ike
w;(e taught him, that the better mode
would I've, 10 purchafe the ground, as It
would thea remain at the eontroul OF the
government, 20 long as it was wanted,
sod the Improvements would be fayed.-
This cocrie was accordingly purified, and
I believe, that few gentlemen except the
committee, will conclude that 1t was not
the wilsf and bef. But whether it was
the bsa ccurle or not, it was certainly sn~
tboried by law, becaule it can never be
fsriouay doubted, whether law which
directs thing TO be done, does authorize
the agents 10 be employed, to do every
thing which becomes nccedary for accom-
unhing the Object. The laws Which have
authorized the building of Hips, have GER
ninly empowered the public agents TO
purchafs timber, copper, cordage, ard
Every ether neceGary material, and yet no
law for thoie objects, has ever named any
one of thois articles. On the fame prin-
cple, the law which direaed the building
1 Of ,hefs particular fhips, neceilarily au-
thoriled the public agent, to procure the
ground to place them upon. although it
was not aid, whether the hips fhould be
built in the water or upon the land.
But there has been one erni.ion in this
part Of the report, which on every princi-
pie of fairneis ought to be connected with
it, and for which purpofe, the report ought
to be recommitted. The omii1ion is the
letter of Mr.. Stoddert, late ffcretary of
the navy, explanatory of the Purchafe,
made by him of the navy yards, addreaed
TO the committee, in anfwer to an apPlica-
tion, made by them upon this fubjea.
This letter contains in my opinion ccu-
plete publication Of that tranfa6tion, and
was 70 viewed by the minority of the
4 committee, who urged, that it might at
leaa, be included in the report, but to our
a&onilhment, the majority refufed this juf-
& tee to the man whom their repert had
3 implicated. This opinion of the majority
in refped TO the propriety of includ;n &
i Mr.. Stoddert's letter, / believe will remain
a folitary one, for ! can fcarcely imagine
4 it pofliblc, that any other gentleman in this
houfe, would have refuied, when they pre-.
tented charge againR this gentleman viii
one hand, to offer with the other, his vim
lication written at their own requee. Ii
&however, the motion to recommit, ihoul1i
prevail, / will then move an inliruetion &c
1.-THE committee, which will produce Mr..
Stoddert's letter.
\ (To eoxtinasa.7
NvTVt HODu =