New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1852-04-28

Colirs and bis associates and the evidence L. complete
thst Il has been faithfully carried out The honorable
Senator now denies the sourdness 1.-THE principle se
and insists that merchant steam vessels cannot be con-
stTuoted be practically useful for wafiike pur-
poses reply first, that having. on such careful ex-
animal ion and with such veighiy examples adopeu inc
piinciple we could not now wisely abandon II without
proof by practical trial long hope to be desayec tnht
it IL erroneous. Secondly, no ship OF war, however
constructed Is adapted 10 oil the exiyencies OF naVu
service while these steamships certainly adapted 10
some OF them. Commodore Perry, on the 10Th OF FEB
ruary 1852 reports to the Secretary OF the Navy tnst
these steamships (of the Collins ne may be converted
az an expense Of S0O0 each into steamers OF the
rst class and that each Of them could carry four ten
inch Psixhsn guns rivos fore and att oil the weight
Of those in the model ship Mississippi and tenlnch
paixhan guns the sides and that this armament
would not incomnode the vessel and that lin the gem
ersl operations of niaratime they would render
good service and especially that from their great speed
tey would be useful dispatch vessels and Tor the
transportation OF troops, being always capable OF attack
and defense and OF oyerhaulng and escaping from an
The Secretary of War reports to the Senate on the
Goth Of March, 1852 that the readiness OF these steam
err TO be used the shortest notice. their capacity as
TRANSPORTS of goods and munitions of war, and their
great CELEBRITY of motion enabling them to overhaul
merchantmen, and at the same time escape cruisers
would render them terrible as guerrillas."
7Airdlg: Great Britain has already more than ~
steamers of all classes armed and capable of armament
What would be situation in The enersencyoi war
If we were unprovded with similar force tor defense
and ageressionf -.
a collateral and contingent feature of the enterprise
which will stand safely on its accomplishment OF It's
postal and mercantile ends II that feature should
prove yaules. Three steamers at least are built and
In use. They accomplish their most important pur
poses We may correct system in future operations
Thus, Mr. President II appears that the enterprise was
wisely adopted And now pray you to take notice that
has been rendered unwise impraccabe by any
change of circumstances of public interest Everything
in this respect remains was, except that we have
increased ability and increased need to put it forth in
the struggle for the freedom Of commerce, and com.
mand Of the seas. Now does the expense complained
OF affect the question of perseverance, The excess OF
expense above the estimate results from the sure policy
of building better ships than was at first contemplated,
whereby in achievement we have not merely equaled,
but exceled Great Britain Nor is the expense OF the
American disproporonae to that OF the Brit
ish, although all know that for time might well
be So because the rate OF interest and the cost OF labor
and Of skill higher this side OF the Atlantic than
on the other and because higher insurance must be
paid on more valuable vessels. Nevertheless the Gu
nard steamers, seven IN number, have an aggregate
capacity Of ~ 252 tuns averaging 80 uns for each,
and they the Atlantic eghtyour times annually
Thus the whole tunnage worked by them across the
ocean is liS, $50 tuns.
The Collins steamers have aggregate tunnage OF
$780, averaging 342S tuns for EACH and the aggregate
tunnage workedac the Atlantic is 49, Their
cost to the Government is $4,000, not exceeding in
proportion to the work they perform the expenses OF the
Cunard line At the same time they exceed the Cunard
in speed The shortest westward passage OF
the CunaTd 10 days and % hours and the
shortest eastward passage 10 days and II hours; while
the quickest westward passage OF the Collins steamers
was days and - hours and the quickest eastward pas
cage days and hours.
Nor is The expense dsproporionate TO the benefits
ceived The first effect of the enterprise was Postal
Treaty with Great Britain and under that Treaty in lieu
Of receiving steam ocean postage as before we now
receive postages amounting in round numbers to
S4OO GOO And this must SWELL and is actually swell
ing, at the rate of 100000 annually Thus in the first
place it is clear that in two years more the postal reve
nue. alone will deiray the expense And secondly there
lies very near to us in the future what my friend from
Massachusetts, (Mr Summer SO justly denomnates and
what every patriot and phanhropist earnestly seeks
the great boon of cheap ocean postage.
And now while we maintain postal communications
to every part of country at matter how great
expense provided that the revenue OF the whole system
shall equal the cost OF all its parts desire to know why
should depart from principle SO enlightened In
forming postal foreign connections which are auxiliary
TO commerce. to immigration and to political influence
and power But we change the terms OF the question,
will be easily solved What them shall we not
lose by arreng the enerprisei We shall lose all the
postage on mas and all the hopes Of cheap post
age and all the profits ON passengers and reghts trans
ported by steam
1t is not easy to estimate these losses But have
some knowledge of the profits OF Great Britain arising
Fl, the monopoly she enjoyed before our competition
The duties received into the Treasury annually from the
A. ga 1aI Great Britain paid the for carry
inc the mails five ycars, S210O0O ana received posi-
ages in return amounting to - c3o,eoo, giving ner
clear profit the postal service alone OF SocoooV,
li,tle less than "a million year. Onehalf at least OF
what benefits Great Britain has lost by reason OF our
enterprise, we have gained. Lesthat monopoly be re-
stored and established, and so much, at least VIII again
he lost and with it we shall the potage and reights
and rates of passage raised TO their ancient standards
and continually adjusted equally to lnure our prosper
ty and to promote the interests and crafty the ca
price of Great Britain What then, may we expect Dut
decline of trade and industry with long train of com
mercial endorsements and national hunlliatonst
AT most we can save by abandoning this CT ,erprise
only about 00O0 in two years. Could we not more
wisely retrench to that extent in some other quarter
We can save much and by laying up one OF our
igaes in ordinary during the same tme and twice as
much by burning it to the waters-edge No one would
advise this and yet II would be FAR Tess oisasIro than
the retreneEment proposed.
Sill Sir the argument that tho expense exceeds the
estimate Is pressed Well there is nothing new In 'haI
This is deficiency bill 1t makes appropriations OF
some millions supply deficiencies IN the Customs SER
vice in the construction of public edices, IN the I'M
proyement and Establishment OF the Capitol, In the De
partment OF Indian Affairs In the Department OF the
Territories and in the Department OF Foreign Reauons
And lust such deficiency bill comes up from the House
of Representatives at the middle of every session OF
Congress as punctnally as the estimates Tor the year
come in at the beginning and as the Appropriation ois
based these estimates appear at the close Sna we
then abandon the customs the public edinces the seat
of Government, the Army and the Navy, the Indian
tribes the Territories and all foreign intercourse De-
cause we can estimate accurately at the beginning
the cost of maintaining them throughout the sca year
BUTT is said tina. the enterprise departure from the
princiule of free trade Sir it is departure from the
principle; but not divergence from the fixed and an
cient policy of the country. Widely, ana think uh
wisely as we have differed among ourselves about tue
policy of protecting agriculture and manufactures to the
fndiaDce of the growth of commerce itself, yet we
have fr,m first to last, uncompromsingly and unwa
veIngly adhered TO the policy OF protecting
We Inherited it from England whose Navigation ACT,
passed by the Long Parliament and succeeding ner
establishment OF manufactures, broke the monopoly
of Holland and secured to the British Islands the com
merce Of the world and the command OF the ocean.
If this measure enhances the protection Of our nava
ton because Brtsh argesses enhance the protec
&ion Of her navigation Let her revert to her old meas
Of protection and we can al once safey reiufh"
ours. -.
The Honorable Senator from Virginia tells Us tnat
would be vie to give up now because the system Des
Improbable we shal be obliged to give up at last Du.
this is only temporary contest, not yet fully declueu