Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1826-02-02
NINETEENTH CONGRESS.
FIRsT SESSiOE.
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,.
JAN. 20, 1926.
APpROpRIA rIONS

APPROPRIATIONS.
On melton of Mr.. Nc Lane OF Delaware (Chair-
man OF the Committee OF Ways and Means the
House then into committee Of the whole, Mr..
Condict OF New Jersey, in the Chair, on the bill
making app opriations for certain Qualifications OF
the United 81 ates for the year lS26. The bill pro-
poses the following items of appropriation, viz:
o Fort Adams, at Br.nion's Point, thousand
Fur Fort Hamilton, at New Uueeh, Point seventy five
thousand dollars.
FOR FUt Monroe, Old FONT Comfort one hundred and
fifteen thousand dollars.
For FV Calhoun, al the Rip Rap saoa eighty thousand
For the F,rt Bousue Point, North CaUln. twenty five
orb. fors al Oak Iand North Carolina thirty thousand
For the Foi at Mohiir Point, ninety ifnu,and hoil,r.
For the Font Chef ai,h,eur eight, s- thousand oilers
f% FoH Jackson, flaqi.nne Ben ninety thousand doll
For the Fos to be e. al Bayou euyenu Loui,ia
ns, ninety thousand dollars.
For repairs aud contingencies, fifteen thousand doIlas
MIR. McLane proposed thai, rs all appropriation
b'lis were understood as being reported in blank,
the sums in the printed bill should be taken as hav-
ing been respectively moved by the Committee of
Ways aud Means. This arrangement was accord
'nSiy announced by the Chair.
The bill having been read through, was taken up
oy sections The two iirst items OF the first sec
tion agreed 10.
The third item, viz. " For Fortress Monroe at
| Oid Point Comfort, Sis, 700" having been read
Mr, Floyd OF va. moved TO amend II by subs,i-
tu'ing the word =" Powhattan" for the W ord Mon
roe. In support or this motion, Mr.. Floyd OBJ
served that The House had now been called upon
ior one or two years; surcessvely to make an APP
preparation IS Tor Fort Monroe, at Old Point Com
Tort" He would sugses, whether it would not
oe wei, when eHpendng sum like this in place
'oo' on many accounts oil the greatest notorciy,
to make the change he had proposed in the name
oil The Fortress The river which il stands w as
originally called Powhattan, but the attachment
| xAip Hal Ill.
gland, had induced The coonists TO alter il for tl,a
OF James River. 1t was one Of the mobiles, ri ers
IN the United States, and the change OF the name
was TO be regretted.
Nh Nc Lane OF Del. observed, in reply, that there
might be some propriety ia the charge sisse~lea
10y HE gentleman from Firgina but if such alter
"''oh vas TO be made, II would be better II should
De done by separate bill. tie would net saw that
the alteration was not eXpedient; Lui as matters
now stood, The power oi namin. the fortifcation.
- !eit 10 tie discretion of the Engineer Depart
hieht. ms department has latLer,o given names
10 all O them which have been e.ec. Ell: very nos
| sioiy some other system may he preferabe but,
until such system Is adopted by the House, we
hust ABIDE by that which exists. Ii the app. opri-
alton is maze for IS Fortress Powha,tan. !, viii
be ior iorlihcaion Of winch the War Depart
ment has no. knowledge. This change may be
thouSht by some gentlemen a small matter but il
~ mailer OF some delicacy. The Fortress now
bears the name OF an individual I,om he might
without Improperly, deaominae as illusrious on
The page oil our history. 1t receiy ell that name
when he was in the full pos e-sion OF power Was
II proper 10 take it away now he has lost all his
power and retains only The deserved reputation of
having, with upright aim, pursued the best inter
ests OF his country?
Mr. Floyd replied that, if the fort should be pro-
vi'ied for Fortress Powhattsn, on Old Poin,
Coni"rt," he imagined there would be no great
dlhcuiiy iog the Engineer Department TO find il,
lie iet lille ap reiea,on but the ingenuity of the
Department would discover what fort was me ,nt
provided wegive them money enough for it, The
gentleman tells rs the pc of naming the FORTH
cations IS IN the hands of the E5gineer Corps: but
where did they get any s!ich authority? Ii Ger
tainiy was never given them by this House IL
was very true, that they had acted as though thew
had tbs authority: every Lieutenant who erecis a
little stockade IN the woods, takes the liberty nj
naming 1t; and shall not this House have leave to
give name TO fertilization which, from its mas
| sIye structure, may stand for centuries, When
TINS Tort wat iirst provided for by an apprepria-
! ton biz, 1t was designated d fertilization on
| Old Point Comfort. Now it is named, by aubo-
Ity, Fortress Monroe. g The Government has
named II, he supposed; but for his part, he never
could bring himself 10 think that the President of
the United States is " the Gov eminent" Hewas
perpeuaily hearing gentlemen say" Government
do this and - the Government" do that; and he
! supposed me COrernnient would send Minister
! TO Panama too. But, ia his view, Congress was
| the Government, al least coordinate part of
! 1t. lie lad no very great objection, if the dmi-
nstralion preferred that this fort should be called
Fortress Monroe, that it should be- but though
Mr. Monroe was the Chiei Magistrate OF the UNI
ted States, he imagined that Powia'tan was quite
as respectable gentleman he eyer was and that
he possessed qni:c a. much generosity, magnanirn-
4 ~, and as much military tact, too, although hc had
never been at Bladenslurg.
The q iestion then taken on the amendment
OF Mr. Floyd, aud it was nega,ved- ayes 10; noes
not counted.
/ MIR. Cooke Of Tennessee, then said, that, before
the committee took its leave OF Fortress Monroe,
he should take the liberty Of moving to reduce the
sum proposed to be appropriated for it. As well
as be could recoeet, the sum asked in former ye.rs
lor this fouifcauon, was 10 or $50 ,0OG yea
and then told that these works are 10 be
completed gradually. He acknowledged that this
Fort Monroe is a sort Of mammoth of The kind lit
covers seventy acres OF ground, and surrounds the
whole Of that space with nlassy stone wall, and
It's completion must necessarily require immense
sum. Bat still, AZ time like this, in the nIids of
profound peace, to 20 on and at once to appfopri-
ate so largely, as II we were going TO complete the
fertilization all al once, seemel to him a very
strange manner OF proceeding. lie knew very well
ii was not fashionable doctrine to talk
any thing about paying the national debt; lie knew
that 1t intended that the money tina; mi hl re-
main in the Treasury should find a very different
direction. He should, however, venture to move
10 strike out SlI5 200, proposed TO he sppropria-
ted for this fort and insert 80 900 As there were
many gentlemen now here, for the first time, this
being new Congress, he had been induced 20 make
some statements which might tend TO bring them
acquainted with the true state of this affair
4 Il n IL