The daily union., 1852-05-14

utility as an auxiliary force am not going repeat all
the evidence OF this need only refer 10 the staes
ment OF Commodore Perry He is officer OF high char
acie and great professional knowledge He superintend
ed the construction OF these vessels in part lie gives you
their dimensions. their strength and their structure
you that they can be made available for purposes OF
and he also tells you the mode in which that be done
He gives the why they be made available lie
gives you The cost at which Il can be done, which is a
rhe You have a statement 10 the time IN which
can be done. from the evidence of the British expert
lately made in the East Indies. where such vessels
were got ready for purposes OF war ~ the short period oil
three days Such species OF force is peculiarly neces
sary in country like ours, in addition your navy pro-
per. have no hostility to the navy proper. would
vote for appropriations 10 sustain H. entirely apart from
these lines; but auxiliary force hold them TO be
OF great importance and 10 be available for war purposes
in The contingency OF In this country, taking the
character OF people and the character OF our nslu
tions cannot doubt that shall never be tho
roughly prepared for war. until it is actually upon us
Therefore, ii the OF these vessels should be but tenn
poary, they did but enable TO resist until we could
buckle our fully in the OF a war, should
still say that they available for the purposes OF
and worth the full extent OF their cost TO the nation
have compared these vessels TO our. war. steamers
proper Will the from Virginia tell that the
Susqaehanna. the Mississippi. and the Saranac-a be.
lieve side-whee steamersare not r-steamers. and
not " adapted Tor the purposes OF warp Where Is the
difference between their structure and that oil these
steamersl As said BEFORE il may be that the machi-
merry of the Collins is somewhat more exposed
than the machinery OF these frgates II was mentioned
that these frgaes may be somewhat strongly built
but the speed with the Collins steamers and as regards
vunerabilily this defect in their structure for purposes
OF battle for naval engagements rests more IN the expo
OF the wheels which prominent oblectsa de-
feet common TO bothhan the exposure of the machine
ry My information is, that regards the proRel-
le in scarcely single has one OF them ever been
constructed in which the entire machinery has been be-
low the water line and in is it 80 with side
wheel conclude therefore. that the Collins
steamers will answer for some OF the purposes OF war;
and that they built in pursuance OF our policy ac
cordng TO the terms OF contract made by executive
department. and sanctioned by that department suitable
vessels and those which were adapted to the purposes OF
war.
But the senator from Virginia tells that their capac
ty this respect is all humbug, and that despatch
vessels and vessels for supplies they might be useful
but that il would not be necessary 10 MAINTAIN them Tor
these purposes, because could always command
sells enough for these purposes from our commercial ma
rne Before this policy was adopted how did our CONNER
cal marine stand regards steamers was there
a single going American steamer upon the ocean, Sir
The fate of the Home and the Pulaski and the melan,
choly catastrophe which attended their destruction, viii
OF the necessity Of the clause adapted to
purposes" II tends TO give strength and security
10 these vessels Then you have, in my vew the bene
fits OF your policy fully developed IN this line, which has
been constructed under contract Will you now abandon
those who in pursuance OF that policy, have constructed
these vessels a runous loss arising out OF Their fah-
ful adherence OF their contract Is that worthy Oh so
great a nation these United States
Passing from this Quesion-for will not further en-
large upon it, would consume too much OF the time
OF the Senate subject which has been aready exen
sively discassed- come to the use OF these steamers
for the purposes OF the transportation OF the mail That
is the prolonged usehat is the principal use TO which
they intended TO be applied at the time you author
zed their construction. come TO the question of their
the postal service OF the country because your pol
icy had double object II was not tor war purposes
alone that you built these You contemplated
the contingency OF war but the principal object was
their utility during the continuance OF peace for the
transportation OF the nails and Tor that purpose their
utility not questioned and it is uRquesioaab The
mail service in this and in all countries, land. is a
government Duty and with all great maritime nations
which have the power 10 control that service on tbe
I.xtxF .hara fhotr
me interests concerned, where their extensive CON-
merce is concerned as on land the proper uanspofa-
ton OF correspondence. The mail service with iofegn
countries, any principle that appreciate, Is as
much governmental duty. and demands much the ex-
pendture and the attention of the government as the
transportation OF correspondence IN the interior oil The
country. This suppose 10 be the principal object o
your policy Certainty and speed essential TO the
transportation of the mails. II cannot be doubted then
that these vessels t for the service Compare the
propeers with the side wheel steamers and what Is tue
result OF the comparison reasoning not upon opinion bu
upon fact? Ii has been tired over and over again Inc
average voyage of propeller (and there have been some
very fine built in England, and some here) is from
eighteen 10 twenty days between this country and Eng
land; and the average voyage OF side wheel steamer
taking the Collins line the Cunard ne IS from eleven
to twelve days-a difference OF more than one hall
Does the senator suppose that vessel which could BY
half less time The would not command
the entire transportation OF letters and passengers TO the
exclusion OF vessel which dragged after her at the rate
OF two days for onel The argument need hardly be
urged in that point OF view.
| But lei me compare for moment the system which
you have adopted land and for the duty the
regards the transportation OF your mails whether
land at seawhether the waters oil the INTERIOR
on land in the interior, or on the ocean The transpor
tation OF the mails is government duty. On and what
your system Where your post Offices are located be-
tween points sparsey populated and there Is no sufficient
travel Justify expenditure for transportation IN post
coaches you adopt transportation holseback and N
that event the entire cost OF transportation, as well az
the po6t OF the carrier be paid by the government
Wherever population is sufficiently dense, and your com
mupicaton OF sufficient Importance then 10 save your
selves expense in the performance OF avoved duty o
the government, you employ and you pay
them such reasonable compensation IN addition To The
emoumenis the contractors may derive from passengers
will enable them To- transport your mails Post coaches
used for the transportation OF the mails alone, bu
aso Tor the transportation OF passengers Your object 10
this mode OF transporting the mails s 10 save expense
the government and there other object whatever
Distinguish Il II you can, in principle, from the applca
ton OF IL on larger scale 10 the payment oil a line OF
ocean for the purpose OF transporting your ma
across the ocean--a line which could not exist IRON ~
costiness, unless the government aided IN its establish
ment
IL has been objected that these grants create monopo
lily. That the argument OF the honorable senator
from Virginia, though he did not much enlarge upon II
has been repeated to the Senate more ,han once
By the honorable senator from Ohio, tMr WADE,l who
last addressed you. II the argument be true ask you
II does not apply with equal force to the transportation
Of your mails on the land ask you ", when you Civ,
contract for $1,000 year 10 ne OF post coaches, yor
do not, the principle, create monopoly on the
part Of the for that line, and prevent Others
running in opposition them between the same points
Then the whole government action is series OF monop
oles regards the Post Office service That Is the an
swer the argument But the argument itself comes toe
late. The objection OF monopoly u true, existed a.
strongly when the policy was adopted IN lsa7, which