The Rhode-Island Republican. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1809-1841, 1810-09-08
POLITICAL MISCELLANY.
TO 1iiE EDITORS OF THE NATIONAL INTEL
LIGENCER.

Ut your valuable paper ln IN exposition OF the
erfours contained III nlne shorI anes only, OF
the speech oi the Hon. Mar. Randolph, upon
The reduction OF The navy, am Almost ais
coaraged from proceeding. 10 wha.e,er
part oi this speech cast n'y eye find hun
ders, which appear the more unaccountabie
TO me, because Mr.. IL. AS Chairman oi
Committee OF Congress hao ii peculiarly IN
ms power TO procure correct nioimalioii--
ior, independently OF The means Which every
indisionai Member OF Congress possesses q
mean The laws oi the pubilck icporls) the re-
cores. .ot the Navy Department We're open 10
nin1, tie says,th.t he nas discharged his du-
ny Does the duty Of any honourable Member
oil congress consist IN making, In the most
ioi h,ai manner, numerous n,istaiemcnts 10
the House as 10 matters oil Tact Is il the
duty al the Chairman Of Comn,ittee OF the
iouse oi Representatives, when a subject
has been formally oommited TO him by IN,
House 10, yesdgalion, 10 patch up state
nlcpts iounaod only in his own wishes in re-
Luon TO that subject, and TO disregard alto
sclher the tactshpon shch only the House
could form decision compatible with The
pubiick veal MIR. X. says, that he is the on
~ surn,n Judge oi his motives for haviI,
Il
hls constituents should exercise iusl.cia,y
power upon this point although he shuuid
iorbid it. But whether Lis motives were
honourable or otherwise, is immaterial, as
respects the impression which his speech OF
errouis IT suffered 10 escape correction might
make up the minds oi the publick in relation
10 'he Navy. The pubIick win Judge unon
thutqueslion from facts and il is my pui-
pose to afford them an opportunity Of SO
Judging.
Mr.. Randolph states that the estimate for
the pay ana subsistence OF the marine corps
.ior the year 1909, Was 100000. True that
was ,lhe SUM stated in the estimate prepared,
in the fall of the year 1903, and in which it
WAS cont. mplated TO employ on board Of ship
only So marines OF the whole corps but
what says the estimate OF the 10th February,
1909, the estimate upon which Congress ao-
'cd And What says the appropriation law oil
The year 1909: Why, gentlemen, VIC find
that this estimate calls for and that the law
approrrigtes, l34,647--which is about
$4,000 less than the sum stated by the Hon.
stvr.-~--,.,ste
Did Mr.. Randolph know OF the estimate
OF 10th Feb 800 /! Did he ever read the APP
preparation law OF TIE year 1909 / should
think so from his having stated that the ex-
penscs Ct tic year 1909 approached within
one milton OF dollars of the expenses OF the
year l8OO--tor the estimate OF 10th February
does approach within one million Of the eX-
pensc Of tie year 1900. He surely got this
information from that estimate--As to The
estimate prepared in the fail eli 1900, the t.
mount is two millions and half less than
the estimate for the year 1900 Would il be
uncharitablc thence TO inier that Mr.. X. had
both oi these estimates before him Ii he
had, he must have known that the estimate
prepared in the year 1903, WAS altogether
disregarded by Congress and hc ought
therefore never 70 have quoted from ii--or
did he quote from the one or the otheras
suited bis special views
Mr. Randolph states the estimate price Of
pork In the year 800 at Sl4--it was l8, or
81 barrel more than lie states. He says
mat III the year 1909 beef was rated at Ii
and pork at 8 le--here again he errs---thc
prices were Is aDd S20-upon the estimated
price OF provision. for the Navy, he lays
great stress as affecting the amount Of {" aay
and snbsisteHe # th. marine corfs," when
IN tact 1t has no relation to the subject---ma-
rines on shore are not fed out Of the provision
provided for shf uSt-~they are supplied with
their rations by contracts a, the posts where
they are stationed. Can Mr.. Randolph be SO
unpardonably ignorant as not to know this
he surely WAS Chairman of the Committee
Of Ways and Means tong enough to acquire
the most minute information upon this and
every other subject involving appropriations.
From his observations you would infer that
-Four was the most I" material article" Of pro-
visions used in our Navy. He d-vells upon
TIE estimated price being in the year 1900,
So per. barrel more than in the year lSo9,af-
fects great surprise that Notwithstanding this
difference in price, the amount for pay and
subsistence of the marine corps should
be (as he says more-Now, gentlemen, the
amount required for -four is considerable less
than the amount required for any other arti-
Gle of provisions used i'm our navy---butter,