The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-04-04

TIE BALTIMORE AMERICAN, after carrying through
column Of ingenious statement its doubt whether
the President did or did not sanction the naval est-
mates of the bureaus, snds the doubt removed (and
says so in postscript by an article in the Union OF
Thursday, which states that the bureau estimates
we're sent the committees, unseen BY the President
But the American" does not its way clearly
through the matter even yet. Itproceeds to say;
"This explanation takes away nothing from the
strangeness Of the whole proceeding. How cams
those estimates from the bureaus in the hands OF the
naval committees Of Congressl IL they were MOI
the official reports Of the department, sent on the
responsibility Of the secretary, what were they'"
The answer to these inquiries is very simple, and
we gave it in our article of yesterday. These "es,i-
mates OF the bureaus" not being, purporting to
be, "oical reports Of the department" Wers body
Of professional information and professional sugges
ZION as to the state of our force and to the proper
mode and the probable expense Of such an increase
Of il as would be wanted to meet the spsni Of hoslii.
,cith England.
This information the secretary sent to the CON-
ntees because their calls for information were both
very wide The call from the Senate said in terms
,ha, the committee desired any information which
the department mghr possess in relation to The
whole subject.
The resolution Of the House committee stated
,ha, their call upon the department, made in view
Of fall report on the phole subject by the committed
itself.
In reply to these calls, the secretary very proper
" sent into the committees all the information HI
could gather from the bureaus, together with the'
views on the whole subject. But as his otcn pisr
and the views of the Executive, to increase o
our force, differed very widely from the views o
the bureaus, he took care to state what he recon-
| mended, and all that he recommended, over his owl
| signature.
The American goes on:
"The President and Mr.. Bancroft would meet tn
| extensive prepar atoms Of England by an array o
ten new steamers; the straightforward commodores
who supposed that the time for plain dealing hat
come, recommend seventy-fve new vessels at once
Not quite So Mr.. Bancroft proposes to vest tn
President with authority, in his discreon to accumu
late naval stores and munitions; to equip and repal
our existing vessels; and to make small increase
(say ten steamers) Of our steam navy. All this MI
Bancroft's letter says may be well done as measur
of precaution and if done all this ,pH be useful i
The event Of continued peace.
The difference between Mr.. Bancroft and tn
STRAIGHTFORWARD commodoresv is just this: Tn
commodores proceed upon the assumption that tn
time has now come when we should meet "the es
tensve preparations Of England" by preparations {
our o,un correspondingly extensive. Mr.. Bancroft
his letter makes no such assumption; but proceeds uF
on the idea that limited precautionary measures Of d.
fence looking to the preservation Of peace are whs
il demanded by the present state Of affairs.
This pie,p cfthe subject had the Presidents SAM
ton when it was sent to the committees.