Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1841-1853, 1846-02-26
Augmentation Of the Navy.

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consideration, viz
A BILL proriding for the augmentation Of the naral
force Of the United States and for other purposes
Be ii enacted by the Senate and House Of Represent
aiUeS IF the United States Of America IN Congress
assembled That the President of the United States be,
and he is hereby, authorized to cause to be built,
equipped and employed in the naval service of the
United States, TEN STEAMSHIPS, or vessels Of war;
to be constructed Of iron, If practicable, TO wit
Three of the class of fgates, FIVE of the class of
sloops of war, and two of a smaller class.
SEC. 2. And be IL further enacted, That the Presi-
dent be, and he is hereby, further authorized, it, in
his opinion at any time before the commencement of
the next regular session of Congress the public ext
genceS should require IT, to to be completed all
the frigates and sloops of upon the stocks,
and to repair and put into active service all the sOops
or vessels now in ordinary.
SEC. 3. And be it further enacted That the Presi-
dent be- and he is hereby authorized to purchase col
ect such naval supplies, materials, and ordinances
his judgment may deem the public interest requires
limiting the amount to the appropriation for this pur
pose bereinafterwards made.
SEC. A. And be 1t further enacted, That, in CARRYING
into effect the first section of this BILL the President
be- and he is hereby authorized, to cause said ships
or vessels to be built under contract it. in his opinion,
the public interest would thereby be promoted.
SEC. 5. And be 1t further enacted That, for the
purpose of carrying into effect tie foregoing provi-
Visions the of five millions six hundred and
twenty five thousand dolars-to wit for the building
and equipping the ships and vessels provided for in
the first section of this bill, two millions nine hundred
and twenty thousand dollars for completing the
ships and vessels upon the stocks, one million
FIVE hundred and twenty thousand dollars for repairs
of ships and vessels in ordinary, six hundred and
TWENTY-FIVE thousand dollars; for the purchase of
naval supplies materials and ordnance, five hundred
thousand dollars-be, and the is hereby appro-
prated to be paid out Of any money in the treasury
not otherwise appropriated.
SEC 6. And be it further enacted, That so much of
the first section of the act approved March 3d. 1915
entitled An making appropriations for the naval
service for the year ending the Both June, 1885,,
limits the whole number of petty officers, seamen,
ordinary seamen, landsmen and boys in the naval
service, seven thousand five hundred, be, and the
same is hereby, repealed.
Mr.. HANNEGAN presented the following amendment,
offered by him several days since and which was also
made special order of this day:
Sec 7. And be 1t further enacted, That the entire
proceeds from the sales Of the public lands accruing
to the United States be, and the same are hereby,
appropriated to the immediate building and equipment
of ten additional steam vessels of war of the first
class of frgaes and for this purpose, the President
of the United States is hereby authorized to apply
forthwith the sum of two millions and seventy-seven
thousand dollars being the amount received during
the past year from land sales, out Of any money in
the treasury not otherwise appropriately said vessels
to be constructed of the material the vessels
provided for in the first section of this bill.
Mr.. FAIRFIELD supported the bill, but opposed the
amendment.
Mr.. BENTON, contrary to general expectation, made
speech decidedly pacific. and in opposition to any
of naval defences. He said that he had not made
any speech this session, because he had seen
nothing which justified the belief that war would
ensue. And as he had no apprehensions of war, he
saw no reason for adopting measures. He was
decidedly opposed to the bill, and to the recommends
- e al
of the bill were examined in detail Tine present
expenditures for the Navy he sad amounted to about
S60OO 900 annually, and by this bill it is proposed
to add about S5,0O0,000 more, making in all Sl2,-
OOO,OOO for the Navy of the United States in time of
peace. This bill comes forward a in
time OF peace and an appropriation OF S12,OOOOOO
called for, when the whole government according to
the estimates, is expected to be carried for S2l,
100000.
He opposed the bill as war measure, because he
was not willing that the American Senate should de-
clare to Great Britain that the American people are
prepared for car : He had shown by his course, on
former occasions, to which he referred, that he had
not been altogether blind to what necessary for
the national defence. But he was opposed to meas
ures, in time of peace, calculated to involve the
try in war. From the close of the the govern
ment has acted upon plan, system, which he was
ready TO carry out, but he not ready TO depart
from that system, to plunge the country into war,
when there is nothing to show that the peace of the
country is not 10 be preserved. His position in re-
gard to war peace would never be equvocal, and
he wished the measures of the country to be equally
unequivocal.
He went on to show that those proposed were of
equivoca character and also that the efforts which
had been made in past years to augment land and
naval forces had been unsuccessful He would not
now undertake to argue the policy of the present
naval peace establishment; but prepared to
double, treble it, in time of peace, and to make it
UNI iShD Ara, rod a
permanent military naval establishment! Have the
consequences to flow from such establishment been
duly considered Even Great Britain does not keep
up such establishment. The ordinary expenses of
her navy in time of war is flS,OOO,OOO, and in
peace, about f5,000000. And are we TO keep up
establishment at the same expense in peace and
in war! Are we prepared to increase our expenses
from sir millions to tUelpe millions Of dollars At
the close of Gen. JackSon's administration, the num-
Der of men employed in our Navy about 900. |
This had since been doubled, and now it is proposed
to double the double The present distribution of our
naval forces he considered injudicious There was
no more necessity now for naval force in the Medi
than there is for Navy in the Chesapeake
Bay. He opposed to the bill He ne
cessity for any war measure and he moved the post
ponemeDt of its consideration to the first day of May
Mr.. HANNEGAN made of the most eloquent
speeches of the session. He would purchase peace
neither with land nor with dollars and cents. If we
are to purchase rights at all, let it be with our
blood. He referred to remark which had been made
by Mr. Fairfield, that he (Mr. F) regretted that the
ardor of the Senator from Indiana not tenn
pered with discretion. He might be ardent, but his
feelings not of his making-they were
given him by the Almighty. But his course here was
be judged by his acts and by the ardor of his
temperament. He appealed to the Senate to say whe-
Their his here had been marked by ndiscretion
whether the feelings of any Senator had ever been
wounded by any expression Of his Nor had he ever
aimed bloc at friend with smile on his coune-