The daily Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1841-1845, 1841-12-17
DOCUMENTS
ACCOMPANYING THE PRESIDENTS
ANNUAL MESSAGE.
REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF THE
NAVY.
concluded from our last ]


short ex pcrence in this Department. but SNORT eL
perence Is enough display its defects even 70 tue
most superficial observation IL 10 IN rum ho' Or
panxed al all The labor To DO performed must, un-
der any circumstances be great and onerous; but Is
rendered doubly 80 by the want Of proper arrange
,nent and Jistrbution Of duties. AT present, multi
,uJe Of duties are imposed upon the head of the De-
partment which any one Of its clerks could discharge
as we'll as himself but which, from their pressing ma
,nre he is not permitted to postpone Hence, his whole
time is occupied in trAing details rendering impossible
for him to bestow the requisite attention upon more i'm
portan subjects involving the great interests OF the ser
vice These details indeed so numerous and null
hilarious as to constitute IN themselves an amounl OF
duties fully equal to the powers of any one man Ia
addition to this the present rant OF proper arrange
ment is extremely unayorable to that direct inudua
respon sibity which il il necessary to impose on eV
ery public officer The same cause occasions DELAYS
in the operations of the Department by rendering ne
cessary variety Of tedious official forms, and conse
auerty preventing that promptness Of action which
IS indis pensable TO its due efficiency. And u Is mol
the Least among the evils Of this state OF hngs tnat
the pre-, ise condition Of the several ofaches OF Tue
service cannot be certained without much time and
Labor, TINS adding To the cost of the Department,
while II diminishes is usefulness These inconven-
ences and embarrassments and many others winch
are daily felt in the administration OF the department
would in some degree be rem, we'd oy mere re-
arrangement and proper distribution OF the labor now
employed in il but additional labor Is absolutely ne
in order to enable it TO discharge its functions
in the manner required by d interest OF the service
Il would not be proper to enter into all the details oi
the subject in this report Il Is already before Con-
pres and will doubtless receive the early attention o.
Thai body A resolution adopted by the House OF
Representative. on the 18th February, 1889 directing
The Secretary of the Navy to report to Tins House AT
The commencement of the next Congress, a plan Tor
the of this branch OF the pubic ser
vice adopting as the basis OF his plan the DIVISION oi
the auties now performed by the Board OF Navy Com,
III hair assiunmen ate bureaux.
In obedience to this resolution, MI, Paulding, 'he
then Secretary, submitted on the oo'n Decehue''
1889 long and elaborate report based on we Pr'n
cipe presented in the resolution, 10 THIS report
,esnectfully refer In most of It's views, and IN al
~ ;ts more important conclusions, fully concu ]
do moi, however adopt his plan precisely as ne mas
pronosed H. Some change in the principles and some
additional provisions, will probably be necessary wneh
The experience Of the Department VIII enable II 10
suggest in arranging the details of the law eTn-
a.t1v invoke mmedae attention to the subject firmly
believing that the proposed reform IS Indispensable 70
tie due administration Of the Department and iha Il
cannot be longer delayed without serious INJURY 70
service. ,,,.,
Theye i son TO believe that il is now the settled
oocy of the Government TO increase the Navy as ia
n,dv as the means at its disposal will admit ana u
NAV therefore be- unnecessary that should ohef any
suggestions upon that subject. should not 'er'
however that my duty was properly discharged II
should fail to add whatever influence my own recon-
fosseSS ~
which suggest this as our true policy.
We NAV safely estimate the mercantile properly OF
our citizens annually afoat on the ocean, ana employ
ed in foreign trade at not less than one hundred ana
twenty millions of dollars and TO TINS Is 70 DC
the value of the vessels in which that property IS
convened and the value Of American interests vested
in mercantile establishments abroad and dependent
on American trade The coasting trade, not lnclud-
ing such articles exported cannot be accurately
estimated but il certainly amounts to many millions
- xll.. al tha ~ A
nuay exposed to enemy on the ocean, On the
lakes and on our principal bays and rivers wiz pro-
badly be found that it oes not tall snort OF one nun
dred and fifty millions of dollars so large an me
rest is entitled to demand and justly expects to
the most certain and ample protection. This y que
alike to the citizen whose property Is thus exposed anu
10 the Government whose revenues are derived primer
pally from the duties which that property pays bu'
that protection can be found only on the ocean
Trade is never secure unless it can, at all times anu
in all places appeal for support to the national flag
and ought 10 feel that it is safe wherever that nag i-
displayed.
Every nation engaged in foreign commerce to any
valuable extent provides, as part OF us estaoisheu
policy, an adequate military marine. Our own coun-
try is far behind all the considerable nations OF me
world in this respect As compared with England
and France the two principal commercial nations OF
Europe it is found that England with much less than
twice our foreign tonnage, has more than eight Times
as many vessels of war, exclusive OF her steamships;
France with only one-third Of our foreign tonnage
has more than five times many vessels OF war ne
compa rison might be still further extended, scarcely
less to the disadvantage of our own country II may
we'll excite surprise that with so large an interest al
stake, and with certainty that II will rapidly Ia,
crease from year to year, little preparation should
have been made for lis protection and security anu
his surprise will not be diminished whenlwe rehect
on the vast interests whch are connected WIN aha
dependent upon, foreign commerce, ana " .r.
must necessarily flourish decay along with ~ ne
tho ala he me
and even the day aborer depends, IN greater OF Tess
degree upon this for the SUCCESS OF ms own peculiar
branch ii industry and even the fine arts themselves
are not exempt from The same influences Oonn.i.e
NAV be regarded as our principal interest because, 10
great extent it includes within 1t every other h'e
rest. ,h
Wars often arise from rivalry in trade and from the
conflicts of interests which belong 10 IT, Inc presence
of an adequate naval force, to project commerce, ~
promnv redressnp the injuries which are done TO ~
Is one Of the best means of preventing these disputes
and collisions which apt to interrupt the peace
and harmony OF nations
But these views, although sufficiently important IN
themselves to Justify and require very large increase
of our naval force by means the most interesting
which the subject suggests Ranklngin the first class
of nations we are under absolute necessity 10 re-
gulate our policy, in some degree, ny .na' " o'nI
countries, so far as their policy may ahec. U.S. ~
the considerable maritime Powers nave, Wi'n,h rave
added greatly to their naval forces, anu are AZ
,h;s moment actively engaged in the same work.
b;s fact alone would seem render 1t absolutely ne
cessaIy that we should make similar PREPARATION on
our part In proportion as other countries mul.'Py
rho means by which they may annoy US, we ought, ID
common prudence, to add to own defences and to
our own means Of resisting insult and INJURY. ANY
other course will only invite aggression upon our
rights, which will continue TO increase SO long as we
sbalI natiently bear them and which must ultimately
force us 10 resistance at the precise time when we are
least prepared to make il successfully
Free governments, which are necessarily more ON
ba,rase in their CT uncils and slower in their action,
than those which are bound to observe the neces
20, y, oua ri their soil from invasion The nature OF
our institutions presents very strong appeal upon hs
point. A war between the United States ana any
maritime Power would not be conducted
a.. u have been twenty years ago.