Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1836-02-18

that branch Of The service: IL merits aItehtoh ~ Has
hen Frequently observed that the best way TO AVOID war;
H. rnnr.d for it, In this point of view, il is dcsila
Lilo ,, rim. upprnpriaons to b. made Tor clothing our
fr,iIraons should correspond with the probable periods
If ,b.ir cv,upl, ton it would indeed be urtityng
su IT, after labor ana cost which has been encoun
tered tor their pleun, 1t should rest i'll the power OF
al enemy the onset Of war; 10 SEIZE destroy then
because the had not been placed in readiness tor
their defence From the report it will he that, al
the peSeat annual rate o appropriation. 10 w.t. $lU0OU
slItecn tcsntg years will have passed. before proper
supply Of arms, tor those Notifications now IN PROGRESS
can he obtained for their defence II, III the SLOW aud
gradual preparation tor neceSsary and adequate afa
mrn at present pursued sixteen or twenty years siouIu
DC found requisite and wu that period took place.
would be- that some OF our lorts oulil up
at great expense, would b. destroyed because ncaPahe
Of sedrencc be retained and armed Uy The enemy
and used against ourselves. ('0r lez')
the sccUnd fact that shall show will he memoran.
DUN in answer tu 4 note ni my own from the Colonel
OF Ordnance, Colonel Bunind stating that the add
tinna sum Of SIJO,UO asked for the armament o
iorlcalious Tor the year lcu, which, added to tile
Standing appropriation oi S!UUGO0 would have made
$40 UlU for that year. and which was not granted ny
Congress.
Tie Third fact which he would show, WAS Il
randu from the officer, made at hIs CIR s. s. re-
quest and headed, Memorandum of Items ui the est
mates of The Secretary 1T War: which rejected
from the bills Of appropriation from lc3J TO le33 lncu-
Sive" which showed list D! twelve items, OF them
additional appropriation Of SlUO0DU lur arrnIng FORTS
and which Would been asked or annually, il grant
ed the twelve items amounting to S9u2,OOO
The fourth fact that he would show would be memo
randum from the Engineer Department, showing tlIat
from the year Ic:U TO lS35 Incusvey. the sum OF
4yl 474 ~ cents had been aSkedor urlilcatI"ns SIN
OF them ones. and that the sum of S3,1 ,alo "a
cents only had been granted by Congress, making de-
ticeIcy Of S;9tJ!L5l On that Lead.
The filth TACT that lie should uier was memorandum
from hc Navy Department, headed "A statement ol es.
Inmates submitted By the Secretary "l the Navy, from
,tI,nt
close Of the last session OF Congress, which have not
been acted on, for which no appropriations have been
made aud which contains four items, one {" them ior
deepening the bar Pensacola harJor for $lOGUU, and
contained Secretary Of the Navy report, (hlr.
Woodbury) November, 1888 and another from the
present Secretary, Mr.. Dickeron, tor S2DOOO0, for
Steam batteries to be expended during $780, the whole
$oUU,GUU.
The sixth fact that Mr. g. would mention, the bill
Of Gen. Smh, OF Md. for million Of dollars, for
lrning Qualifications, quarter o! million annually,
and which indefinitely postponed by the Senate.
The seventh fact that lie would mention was that he
himself (Alr. Bentun) had mnvcd the resolution at The
last Session" under which the Senate Committee Oh Nil
llary Affairs had inquired into the expedrncy OF ncreas
my The MILITARY delrnces He made his motion 10 that
effect the 2i day Of january; and the committee.
upon communications with the SECRETARY at War, Gov
CasS reported million vi dollars, TO wit:
$S7JUOO for Font MGln SlJO,0UU tor Fort Delaware
$UO,UOU additional for armament ol iurcatons aud
S3O0UUU or repair increase, and arng forts 1t was
under tins very resolution submitted by himself, under
which the committee acted, when they made these lmpUr
IIenGallonS and the uniu lnnale fate O which
is well known To the Senate, the first three items nav
ing been lost in the ratification bill after being agreed
by both Houses; the fourth large item being rejected
by the Senate under the circumstances which have been
.uiy stated both by himself and by the Senator from
Delaware. lMr. Claytun)
Here, Mr.. l.. would pause, and ask gentlemen II they
satisfied. So far from neg ecg the dclencrs "i
tie country in prosecuting that Bank, which,
ltIlIf InNn
night Tar higher Than 1t before: Instead OF
this neglect four five millions counted up IN few
minutes, Of sums applied for by the Administration Or
It's friends, and not granted The amounts would have
been greater repeated rrusais had checked appl
cations bat 1t Is enough, 1t Is enough 10 YIN.
dIcate the Administration, enough 10 show gentlemen
their profound error and enUug to show the truth OF
Mr. Eaton remark III le29 that unless we accelerated
the armng Of forts, might be building them to DC
blown up BY the enemy. or be occupied by them and
turned aIanst ourselves.
Another attack upon The Administration is upon the
mSna nagrEent waste OF the nvleys voted Tor tlr
public defence, and for which, is SAID adequate
turns forthcoming 1t is SAID that $l0 600 have
been voted since the last for the increase OF the naval
and coast drlencrs and is trIum haty demanded, what
is 10 be shown for all this money: will ans"eI and
tell what TO be shown for it, In the naval ann there
twelve ships ot the line, either built bulng there
ten rgates Of the first Glass either built Or building;
and there twenty sloops and schnncrs, either
hu building; then there number of old vessels,
timber prepared and munitions collected But only Il
lew OF these ships ready for sra! Graned and Tor
what reason? Because Tie appropriations required IL
Int them OUT aud especially vi the three millions OF the
last session. have been rcsrd.NeXl Us 10 the Coast
dciences We have eighteen new forts built, many old
ones repaired, and munitions of war collected.
But, gentlemen say these forts not deIrnsble They
have 40 guns, no carriages. no shot, no shells Granted
again, not to the letter. hut gfaml; And why are the
forts not decnsibr Hrcnus,: the recommendation oi
Mr. Secretary EatOn i'll le2J had not been followed; be-
cause the repeated applications tor accelerated arna-
irnts had not been listened because the S3IO,UU0
asked for b. the Military Committee, had been rejected
the three millions !pS,--and the whole iortihcati"n
bill lost which contained the amount OF eight
nine hundred thousand dollars.
Another attack upon the Administration is as 10 the |
c"dtIl"n OF tn" navy, lis pI'cliy, the s'ai! number vi
SHIPS III COMMISSION, and their dispersed situallon-
Tins attack from the Senator from New jersey
(Alr Souihard and certainly comes with authority from
him. He has been six years Secretary OF the Navy and
four years chairman OF The Committee Of Naval Affairs
IN The Senate, ANA ce laIiY should know better than any
other member ~ the Srnac, the actual condition Of the
arm o decnce which he has had so long IN lis own care
II found 10 be IN very miserable condition, he will Ger.
tuiny in for share Of the kind OF merit which at
tocieS 10 that condition.. Bat he best Tor the French
not TO rely too Implicitly upon the lrlples lnputen
miserable picture Which hc has drawn. We lave Fifty
ships OF war, old and new either built building Our
naval arm is many times stronger than 1t was when 1t
the Thousand ships war of Great Britain
a'd augmented itself with captures from her noble flag
The Macedonian and Java still in our hands to do
service, II necessary upon the French More than that
we have French names upon our lIs In Gncirtcrc aud
LIT CyHnc, which WE tooN from those who took them
from The French 1t WIS Il saying in England, that
France build ships Tor the British; that Saying be
,Ean<p planted 10 America, il falls between Anne.
RIGA and France. Those WHO take the prize from
the cunqurror, with more could take from ie loser
And now: after defending the Administration from the
attacks OF the Opposition MIR i. would be glad 10 know
what they have done tor their country What .as Tie
Senate done II is very ready to araisn and conJcnu
Others aud sur.Iy have objection little
raignuet itself The Opposition have the ualprity here,
and all The committees strongly organized; OF them
four to one. their favor aud could carry any measure
Tor The public good which they pleased Now what has