The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-01-29

feTed suncient for the sbrcati Of 6S1 Carriages
go carnage Goat about sg7s oeoJ N oder 10 supply
the civilizations eonsuetsd under construction and pro
be d IN Il once would Se rfSsS Ana 81
SonsdsIns the surplus which should always he on hand
the quantity have The cost OF this timber deiiy
| cred and stored, win be about si4o.O0op
IL Is thus seen that we have not half enough gun
carriages for our forifeatons, and not enough guns
counting all sorts and descriptions some of which
were IN use IN revolutionary war; others are OF
snqaated patterns and large portion of them I'M
nttor use Let US take Fortress Monroe, the most
masnheent OF all our works, as an illustration. The
'orce stationed there amounts TO ISL men, aboutone
man 70 every seventy yards Of the fertilization This
dehcit, II Is true, could be easily supplied But how
10 IL with Its armament II has not half enough 10
protect IT, BY the tests II is ascertaned that Of the
42-Pounders 1854 per cent. Of them only are good
Of inc 52pounders 50 % per cent are good and Of
The 24-pounders 81 .l6 per cent. are good OF the
large guns only about one-fourth good. And
this 10 the condition of the work which is protect
your navy-yard at Gospor the cities Of Norfolk, and
| Richmond, and the town Of Petersburg; To afford
shelter for your national and coastng vessels and 70
"a great extent, defend the Chesapeake bay and its
tributaries and with them Baltimore and Washing
ton. Can you arm our Notifications and put them
IN situation to meet the shock Of within twelve
months, even If Great Britain should be accommo-
| dating enough TO wait that long, We all know that
Is physically impossible We have not the found.
RES 10 do It, IL every one, fitted for casting cannon
| was put into requisuon tomorrow, you could not
arm our fortihcahons, TO say nothing about armins
the increased navy which would be required. and
i the army and militia.
| So much for one arm Of our defence. How is IL
with the navy do not mean Mr.. Chairman, TO
weary the committee with long detail about its
condition. IL Is pretty well known. Suffice il to
say, In that species of vessels which Is mainly TO
be depended upon in all future wars, particularly for
harbor defence, which we principally stand in need
OIL mean steam-vessels-we are wofully deficient
We have now NJ for use, since the accident TO the
Princeton, not easily to be repaired, bat
steamer! How stands Great Britain in this respect
She has about one hundred and hfty--at least one
hundred and twenty-five Of which could be made to
swarm upon coasts at q moments warning.
They might be made the first messengers to bring
us the woful tidings Of war. How long will it take
u.s. sir, TO supply ourselves with enough To
defend our bays and harbors, and to protect our
coast, and our cities from waste and eonAagraon'
Every well-informed member knows the extent of
our means for building war-steamers and casting an
armament for them; and he knows that, with the
utmost exerton, make but poor pre-
paration in twelve months. So | say, sir, If
this Congress were ready 10 60 TO work al
once, with the greatest energy, we could not
get tolerably ready for with England in
twelve months ] entirely differ therefore from the
gentleman from Massachusetts,, (Mr. AEDMGl who
says he will vote for warlike preparations until
we give the notice. And here permit me to remark
that II he thinks the continuance Of the conyen.
ton more likely to bring war than its termination,
his course ought 10 be the reverse of what il is.
Sir will not vote for the notice until we have made
such preparations will meet the first shock Of
war. In preoent state Of defence will not vote
for the notice which may bring war; but, in the Ian
guage Of distinguished naval officer to me, will
go for getting ready TO gire The notice whenever there
shall be any necessity for It," Let us do that, and
then we will be in condition to negotiate in the
military style" which seems TO commend itself so
much TO the gentleman from Massachusetts Mr..
ADAMs.l will not vote for the notice which may
bring war, and trust to this Congress to make prep.
arations for it, particularly when gentlemen take
the ground openly that they will not do il. | want
to the preparations made first, aud until that is
done, shall vote for no measure, except under a
stronger necessity than now see, which may
bring a with such power as Great Britain
The idea that this Congress will make any prepO-
ratons for war is negatyed by the fnct that the for
hcation bill, which the gentleman from North Caro-.
lima Mr.. MckAr asked yesterday might be taken
up, contains only the appropriations. SIR this
Congress do not mean to admit to their consti-
tuents, by making preparations, that in giving
the notice they are doing anything likely to produce
war. .
We are told thatt this nation never will get ready for
in advance that 1t snot to be expecte under our
institutions and that the people will sustain their
representatives in voting large appropriations ia he
mere pro pect, without the certainty Of war; but that
in some two years after we involved in it, we will
be whipped into preparation--that disasters alone
necessary
have no confidence in the craftsmanship ofthat me NJ
Der who will vote for measures which will probably
bring on war with all its horrors--great under all
circumstances, but unutterable when country is
not prepared for them-and yet cannot find it in hs
heart TO vote prepare for it. have no confidence
in the craftsmanship of that member who had rather
risk war without preparation, than vote appto-
priations for defence, which perchance may be un-
necessary, for the constituency which REQUIRES
such course 1t may do very well for gentlemen
iU in he tnter anti IF &c
refuse to risk their dear popularity by voting ap-
preparations TO prepare for war, which they are
doing all in their power to provoke; but it viii be
rather poor consolation to the people the sea-
board to know, in the event of war; that they have
been made to suffer for consideration of that sort
Before vote for any measure which may lead
to war--and much more, before will vote for any
measure which probably will lead to it must sec
the country in state Of defence. Place yourself in
that position, and you secure the best guarantee for
peace; defenceless condition but invites assault.
A few millions spent in preparation may avert war,
which it would take many millions to conduct AS q
matter OF prudence, as low premium of Insurance.
to say nothing about putting yourself in position
to negotiate in the military STYLE" you ought to
make preparations for the worst. As matter of
economy, you ought to do it. One dollar spen,
now will go farther than ten after we are involved
in war.
l wish to be understood. do not go for extrav-
agant appropriations for warlike preparation.
will not ask will not even vote for dollar more
than be spent usefully for the country, in
the event that war is averted. If you complete and
arm your Notifications, the money is not lost
You only do now, when there is propriety
in it, when there is surplus in the treasury, what
WILL in all events, have to be done ultimately; and
you will have the worth of your money in the
works. We require not so much an increase Of
our navy for distant service, steamers for harbor
defence. If you construct iron war-seamers-and
this material for the construction Of such vessels is
almost universally admitted to be best, and, in
the long run, the cheapest-your money is not
thrown away. With proper care they almost
indistructibe, and you will only be doing, in the
shape of iron steamers, what you have all along
been doing in the shape of timber-in laying up in
advance a large stock to meet an emergency.
We are, Mr. Chairman, in comparatively more
defcnceess situation than were at the commence
ment of the late war; and we all know what were
the suerngs Of the country at that time. II is true
we have larger population, but we have larger
territory 70 defend Besides, Engand'a power Of