The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1852-04-02


OF freight and passengers will DIVE the merchant ma
Tine from the sea-then think the thing IS all wrong
But we have entered upon the scheme, and y y now
in process OF being tried would not interrupt the expert
ment until it is fairly and duly tested Aud. this ex-
pemen is 10 be ed hope this amendment will not be
adopted Tor il there Is any one thing that commsnds
these mail steamers 10 the country than another IL
10 the fact The preienceand The petence 10 just as
good as The fact until il is verified and proved 10 be
fact but preeDce Is the TACT, the pIelence that
they are convertible into vessels when the govern
Inen them such We have not tried the expert
menhal time has never come; but we have proceeded
upon the idea that they convertible and though
such may be the fact YET il no opportunity pre-
SCENTS itself TO prove that they are mol So we shall do just
well as il they really were vessels OF that character
My friend from Kentucky Mr. UKDERwooD1 says that
he hopes shal have the chance to Try The
pertinent, and hope too. But, if TO keep up
this experiment, hope we will not depart from the idea
upon which these vessels oginaed-and that s, their
capaby OF being converted into war vessels II had
not been TOR that dea these lines would have been
established this great expense BY the government would
have been Incurred il it had not been based upon
the idea that the vessels thus brought into service by The
use OF The national treasury convertible INTO yes.
sels-of. it had not been for thar these lines would
never have been esablIshed and II you give up that
idea-if You abandon il to-dayyou cannot justify this
system before the country, and il will not stand II you
abandon this idea you mus, abandon The syslem and
must go down. for the country will never consent that
the national treasury shall be drawn upon for this great
expense upon an idea utterly faacious. And, if you
abandon this idea Tor tins ne you virtually abandon II
for the rest for it is good for the Tor the other
and il is good for this line is not good for any
Ii you abandon this idea for this ne you abandon the
whole foundation upon which your whole steam marine
stands.
For these reasons, il are TO have this line-and
suppose for take i these mail steamers are like
our railroads--they are kind OF manifest destiny !"
the manifest destiny OF this country 10 give lands for
railroads. and 10 give mail steamers TO the different por
tons OF the couDlryt is all to be considered kind
OF manifest destiny But am not going TO wage war
upon that see The honorable senator from Tennessee
[Mr. JoNEsl is in his seat and will not trespass upon
that subject further but leave him undertake nves
gate this matter of "manfest destiny" For these
sons therefore, il we TO have this line, let lis add
here to the idea upon which the system started
Mr.. MALLORY. | hope this amendment will be
adopted The peculiar views OF the honorable senator
from New Hampshire MIR HALEl upon the navy may be
judged OF very accurately BY The nterogaory which he
puts as 10 the utility OF expanding $i0.o00000 for our
navy. No one will be surprised thai he should question
the propety oil Judging OF the expenses OF the navy
from the practice OF placing the expenditures OF the navy
under particular heads il is this practice Of establishing
lines OF mail steamers which has grown up among us,
and sweed the expenditures OF The navy so enormously
without our deriving one iota OF benefit from it.
Now, in reply to the honorable senator from Mary
land GMr PRATr] as TO why this amendment should be
adopted can remark briefly that this clause in the
tract for mail steamers has been uniformly put in under
the presumption that these vessels, when constructed,
would De III for war purposes know OF no other pur-
high with guns presume that is the meaning OF
the term "war purposes The honorable senator asks
what motive can exist for striking that clause out when
is in other contracts understand that he attributes
TO the idea that it is from wish that the South should
have weaker vessels than the North. He seems as
the fact that because they to be lit for pur
poses they necessarily be stronger than if that clause
did not exist that il ii was stricken out OF the contract
these vessels must necessarily be weaker That is all
an assumption because there is not single vessel al this
day which has been constructed under these
that is ut for war purposes. might here appeal 10
every ofcer OF our navy to the three old commodores
al the head OF the Naval Bureaus this city, 10 slate
whether not they consider them fit for purposes
or to morrow they TO be called into service OF
that kind the government would not be under the
sy OF expendng hundreds OF thousaEds OF dollars upon
them before they could put battery upon them This
clause induces an immense expenditure OF money it is
the given for the expenditure OF great amount
Of money. II is mere shadow-not apariicle OF sub
stance in it, We have steamship, with many more IA
cites than there in any other steamer IN the county,
running upon OF the most dangerous routes the
couniry-from Charleston TO Havana. She is not made
for war purposes no idea was held out when she was
built that she could be convertible 10 purposes, and
she would not support single gun to-morrow-not one.
| do not speak OF those small guns which are carried
board OF passenger ships for protection. When you
speak oil war purposes you have reference TO the means
adopted by maritime nations when carrying war; 9TH
erwise you would not adopt them in your navy at all
II is an assumptions gTatuIous assumpuon--to say
that the 500 600 named in this bill must necessarily be
pended upon this route because that named in the
bill. We say that The officer Of this government who
s TO contract for these steamers 10 make the contract
upon the best terms for the government Now, unless
he his duty he will not set out with the
assumption that he is to expend the full amount named in
This bill II that 10 be the assumption, then the other
words have no control over the matter and might well
be stricken out III the clause calling upon the Post
General TO make the best contract for the govern
that he elect, Then TINS
mere limitation which he cannot exceed. When he
gives fair and due notice for the bids, then he himself
likes the character OF the vessels and he determines for
himself the strength OF the vessels When the term fo
war purposes left out, he is unembarrassed by thou
sand offers which he would otherwise for con
sirucng the machinery below the water line, &C. from
persons who construct machinery. Persons will then
make proposals more with reference 10 the accommoda
lion OF passengers and the transportation OF the mail
strictly. You may have vessel actually better and
stronger for those purposes than il you required for
purposes because, in building vessel for purposes
you strengthen her particular parsn her beams
her carlines her knees &cso that she may be able
support battery and in vessels intended for the
portaon OF passengers and mails only, that would be
useless expense.
j These vessels, which have been made under these
contracts containing this clause have not been proved
be TIT for war purposes they have been tried in
actual war Reference has been made to British steam
not steamers; such design was promulged in
their construction. All the British war steamers now
constructed have their engines below the lne and
are, generally speaking, propeers. Now, under this
CONTRACT whoever makes it, will be called upon speci
fy the size OF the steamer, and will be limited 800 tons
which is sufficiently small for this dangerous coast
Mr.. HALE Is the honorable senator from Florida
Mr MALLORY correct in saying that the contract made
for the Cunard fine and ether British steamers was not for
war vessels likely to be turned to the admiralty at
any time they may want them
MI. MALLORY. do not say what the contract was
put say they are not war vessels The British admiralty
are now constructing different kind OF vessel for war
purposes Now, the opinions OF the old val command
ers are taken--if the opinions OF those competent 10
judge are takenyou viii find that they do not consider
e. H.. I