The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1842-06-14
CONGRESS SIONAL.
REMARKS
MIR. CUSHING, OF MASSACHUSETTS,
THE
NAVAL APPROPRIATION BILL.
CoNTNUED.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,, MAY II, 1912.
The House being in the Committee of the Whole
on the Naval appropriation BILL and the question be-
ing ON the motion of Mr.. Meriwether to amend the
clause for pay of commission warrant, and petty Off
and seamen, by striking out S3 432 %" and
inserting S2,335,OOO-
Mr. c. apologized to the Committee for occupying
their attention with these dry details He then passed
to different topic, namely, the comparative expense
of building, equippng, manning, and sailing vessels
in the American and British Navy. This subject he
should not go into unless other gentlemen should rem
der this necessary-but on item OF comparative
expense he would say few words.
From document submitted to the Senate it would
appear that the pay of the lower grades OF ofcers
and also of the sailors in our Navy was higher than
in that Of England.
AS to the officers it must be considered that the
American officer had no splendid of successive
honors presented to his ambition, was the case in
the British navy. After forty or fifty years expo
sure to and to battles, he found HIMSELF with
his gray locks upon him, post captain higher he
could not rise and this grade seldom at
tanned till late in life, Gin Illustration of which he
cited the Of Captain Perciva who had now just
attained to be such) But in the navy Of Great Br-
tain there were stars, garters peerages which, how
might smile at such distinctions, were, under
that form of Government and of national sentiment,
knew that especially in military life whether in the
naval land service, the love of honor was the ami
mating soul of whatever was valuable and burnt with
inextingushable ardor in the breast of the bravest
men,
Lord Nelson lost his life because he insisted on
wearing his orders his breast in the heat of action
which rendered him conspicuous mark to the sharp
shooters of the enemy.
But besides the prospect Of additional honors which
the English officer might look forward to, he had a
G,rtb of of mall 10 he
Of their lower grade of officers was inferior ours
that of their higher grades far greater. A Bri-
fish naval officer, who had distinguished himself in
the service, had the prospect when he was old and
nrm and had his body perhaps rddled by the shot Of
many hard engagement, OF retiring on pension for
lfe or enjoying as admiral the honor Of service,
with all the actual ease Of retirement. The expec-
tation of these honors and emoluments before the
eyes Of younger officers and reconciled them to their
slender pay. Besides, their occupation was for life,
and to judge of their reward average must be run
through all the grades of service.
AS to the pay of our sailors being twelve dollars
per month, it undoubtedly better than in the
British navy and who complained of this? the rea-
for it were obvious. Labor is dearer in the
United States-we did not get our sailors by impress
ment, as England did large portion of hers-we OBJ
tain them by voluntary enlistment-and as the mer-
chant service open to them, the pay of the latter
TO- the standard by which the former is regulated
In addition to graf foreign tonnage, we have
keep up wages in our commercial marine-our mill
tary marine must follow, or get no men-then, to
crown all, in the English navy the sailor knew that
if disabled the SERVICE he retired for the rest of
his days to magnificent palace, built by the graft
ude of the nation there to be honored and cherished
in his declining age of the defenders of his
country.
MIR. G. said there were number Of other points
belonging the subject which he could have desired
to discuss but he would spare the time and patience
of the committee and now resume his seat.
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,, May 20, 1912.
The House being in the Committee of the Whole
on the Naval Appropriation BILL and the question be-
ing on the motion of Mr.. Mcclellan, of New York. to
reduce the number of officers in the navy to the
Der in service on the lst Of January, l84l:
Mr.. CUSHING said that the committee had stricken
off 100000 from the amount appropriated for the
pay of officers and seamen after five months service
had already been rendered. Now it proposed
in addition to this reduction to provide for reducing
the number of officers to be employed, not by sum-
mary of dismission but by refusing fill the va
cancies that might be occasoned by their dismissal
resignation, DEATH These but different parts
of the isame general policythe policy of the reduc-
tom of the nary That the meaning of these mea-
sures. The policy was reduction 1t contemplated
not merely that there should be gradual increase
of the navy, as provided by existing law, but that
there should be sudden reduction of the navy.
Mr. G. felt it his duty to oppose this policy and he
should now proceed to present some views on the
other side He should do this without entering at all
into any party views feelings. He spoke in sor-
row, rather than in anger, in contemplation of the
feeling which seemed to have taken possession of the
body.
Mr.. c., in replying to the argument of MIR. Nc
KAY, took up, in the first place. the charge advanced
by him against the late Secretary of the Navy of hay
ing deceived Congress in his estimates for the expen-
ses of home squadron. This question, indeed,
which did otappertain to the present Administration;
but still anation due, in Justice to gentleman
of whom all the personal recoIlections he retained
were iecoectons of respect and esteem; a particu-
lar specification of untairness charged by the gentle
man from North Carolina, consisted in the razee
Independence having being employed in the Home
Squadron. 1t is .said that Mr.. Badger, having en-
ployed frgae and when authorized by the
of Congress to employ two frigates has violated
the Jaw, and not acted in good faith tow Yards Con-
gress This Mr. C. denied What is a razee2 1t is
defined to be ship, which to remedy defect in
the constructions to improve her sailing qualities
by taking off the upper deck In others words it is
vessel cut down; razec larger vessel reduced to
smaller size now this process might produce vessels Of
differ, mt sizes and different classes Ii IA raced
by the removal of her upper deck, she might become
frgate; 1t frIgate was raced in like manner, she
nigh, become corvette, sloop Of wal. In proof
of this PLANTATION of the application Of the word ra
zee to a frgate Mr.. G.. quoted from Miles Epiiome of
the Naval Service of England, the following words
On the same principle as the conversion OF the IA to
a razee friga,e, is the corvette obtained from
frigate reduced" In illustration of the indefiDiteness
of the word razee, and that it might well imply a
vessel smaller than frigate, Mr.. c. referred to the
razee John Adams of the American Navy, which had
been reduced from frigae, and to the Cuiracean
mounting "a guns only in the British Navy. And
though the Independence carried fifty odd guns yet he
doubled whether she a superior ship to some fri
gates in our Navy. Mr. C. had heard it said that
the frigae Congress was full match for the Indepen-
dence.
Mr.. KCKAY inquired Of Mr.. c. whether in the
official lists of the rates Of different vessels there was
no difference recognized between razee and fri
gate
Mr. CUSHING seemed to admit this but reminded
Mr. Mex that in our Nav there were vessels of all