The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-02-10

guns The second section of this bill author
ICES the President, " IL his opinion at any
time before the commencement OF the next reg
ulsr session Of Congress the public srigsnete'
should require IT, 20 cause TO be completed oil the
frgates ard sloops- ofwsr upon the stocks; and
TO repair and to pat into aetirf sriee all the ships or
vessels OF war now ia ordinary and the 5th sec
ton appropriaes for completing the vessels on the
stocks" 81 $40 900, land for repairs OF ships and
vessels in ordinary" S625,000 making IN all
50 900 as necessary TO place this force IN con-
dilion for effective service. Compare this force with
the present navies of Great Britain and France.
Mr. w. said The intelligent and obliging execu-
tive clerk of the Senate had, at his request, COM
piled from the latest and most authentic data that
could be obtained here-a statement Of the royal
navy Of Great Britain in 1896 and also OF the navy
of France. mir. w. here referred 10 that state
ment, and commented upon it)
MIR. w. said both these powers, and especially
Great Britain, possess the ability 10 increase with
in short period their naval force to much greater
: But il is argued thst this government should no,
follow the examples Of Great BRIAN and France,
in keeping up AN immense naval 'peace establish
mentn II 10 said there Is no necessity for il; II Is
objected that it is taxing tho people unnecessarily,
and such establishment 10 denounced as hostile to
the spirit Of our institutions.
Mr.. President, (said Mr.. w. if under the I'd
section Of this bi the President puts every vessel
now sin ordinary" and "on the stocks" afoat, and
arms and equips them ready for war-if We build
all Of the allowed by LIST section Of this
BILL and the additional steam-frigates proposed
by the amendment Of the senator from Indiana,
your entire navy would then be less in force than
ons-srfh Of the British navy and less than Ons-thifd
of that Of France.
He could not regard the proposed augmentation of
the navy, in view Of these facts unnecessary. III
necessary the appropriations adequate to effect such
Augmentation should not be denounced extrava-
nd uyaz moi n liberal OF
opposition to seek by such denuncistons, 10 excite
the hostility OF the people TO such appropriations,
and against those who advocated them.
II had also been urged that the necessity did not
exist, because the whole world was at peace-ihe
temple Of Janus was shut-piracy had been extlrpa-
ted, and no additional naval force was required for
the protection Of our commerce.
The senator from Missouri seemed, by his re-
marks 10 entertain the opinion that there little
necessity for sending any ships Of war abroad; and
he especially condemned the employment Of squad
ron in the Mediterranean. He said Of no more
use than in the Chesapeake bay. lsee table an
nexed
He (Mr. w y regretted to hear the expression of
such opinion by that senator. His speeches justly
have great weight and influence throughout the
country, and fear his remarks alluded to may tend
TO excite preudces against, and hostility to, the ma
Wy. Disirustful as he was Of his own judgment
when he differed from that senator, he could CO.
incide with him on this subject. The squadron
lately employed in the Mediterranean was but one
frigaie and soop-of-war! and learn there is no
ship there al this time.
Mr.. w said that he had been informed thai the
cost Of maintaining a naval force in that sea was
less than the cost OF maintaining the same force at
sea elsew here abroad. Most Of the principal sup
plies, however, are sent from the United States, 80
that the Argument urged Of the benefit resulting TO
our own citizens if they were kept at home in fur
nishing these supplies is without force,
This government, he understood, had an extern
sive estabshmeni for the repairs Of vessels at Po
Mahon, IN the Inland OF Minorca. Would the sen-
ator from Missouri abandon that position, regard
ed by commercial men an of great Importance to
this country, and particularly 30, while Great Britain
has Gibraltar, which she has held on to with such
great tenacitys What would the senator from Mis-
sour do with the ships hitherto employed in the
Mediterranean Would he dismantle them and lay
them up in ordinary to rot Would he discharge
the seamen, dismiss the officers or let them stay
ashore "waiting ORDERS" and unlearning their pro-
fession, and learning what they should not leorns
The arguments Of the senator from MISSOURI, it
seemed TO him, would, If carried o1t, result in the
demolition Of the whole navy He was satisfied
the senator did not this, and that he was not
hostile to that arm of the public defence. He could
not be of opinion that we ought to wait until we
were actually engaged in a war, or depredntIons by
pirates, or outrages by foreign powers should have
been committed before we sent our shps-of-war in
to distant seas.
With respect to the Mediterranean, surely, the
senator from Missouri was not appraised Of the ex-
tent and value of our commerce in that sea when
he made the remark alluded TO. Mr.. w. adverted
to statement of the Mediterranean trade with this
country in 1874, furnished him by the executive
clerk Of the Senate at his request showing the ag-
gregae value Of the imports and exports that year,
to be little short Of nine millions of dollars; and that
the American vessels engaged in that trade were
about $50; the aggregate Of the tonnage of WHICH
was about 10000 tons; and there was engaged
in the American and Mediterranean trade but about
&c, 900 tons Of foreign vessels-more than three
fourths Of the carrying trade being in the hands of
our own citizens. ..-,.
Mr.. w. said that the character Of some Of the
governments bordering that sea, and those tribu-
tary to it, is such as to demand naval force Of
this government to be constantly there Several of
those governments are ant-Chrstian, and are pos
sessed of ships of war. Two of those powers have
navies equal in force to ours.
Withdraw for any length Of time our ships of war
from that sea, and some of those powers would
soon the practices of the Barbary States be-
fore Decatur taught them to respect our flag. We
might have the naval register Of our chips Sin COM
mission, :" Gin ordinary" and con the stocks;" the
most imposing account of our paper nary" proper
y translated into the different languages ofthe coun-
tries bordering those seas, and send them annu-
ally there by special messengers or by merchant
vessels. We might send our army register
tables Of our resources for war, and arg-
|
the duties Of governments to respect the flags OF
other nations-they would not have the effect which
the presence of squadron Of vessels-of-war, well
armed and equipped, has to deter from the commits.
sion of outrages upon our commerce. True, there
may be fear of pirates in those seas, at this time,
but is because the naval forces Of this government
and of other nations deter from their commission.
Great Britain, France Austria, Naples, and Sardinia
always have squadrons there, and the ships-oE war
of Russia, Denmark, Sweden, Holland, and Spain,
are often in that sea. .-..r "
| Let these forces be Withdrawn, and, in a short
time, we shall not only hear Of pirnces, but mos,
probably of authorized depredatons and outrages by
some of the petty governments now chiefly restrain
ed by their presence. It is now known that speedy
retributve punishment will follow the commission
of indgnity to our flag, or wrong 10 our citizens
Sir, (said Mr.. W., our merchants and seanen en-.
gagged in the Mediterranean trade have 4 right to
claim from us that protection 70 afford which the
squadron heretofore kept there IL necessary. Now
they carry on their trade in full confidence Of safety
Abandon the protection now afforded, and the trade
becomes hazardous in regard 10 their property, and
their lives also. .a.
| Mr. w said he believed the true policy upon