The daily union., 1852-02-14

upon the bec undertake 10 order this dry dock and
men who represented having patent right for il
We have Secretary OF the Navy; we have bureau OF
docks nd yards we have bureau OF construction and
repair have all the atsit and personnel necessary
for the navy and yet whenever dock is necessary we
must have contractor 10 do IT, And yet the pay OF these
men goes on We have engineers, artisans constructors,
and STILL sir, contractors must be employed. Why SIR,
one. half OF the time never find out what is neces
sary for the naval service until informed by gen
tlemen who desire contract. am opposed TO all these
acts OF Congress providing Tor the making OF contracts
This contract system and the contractors have become
kind OF fourth estate. We have three departments
the legislative the executive, and the judicial think
ought 10 have fourth and style il the contract de-
parment." Our government is fast becoming one vast
job
Mr. President. have stated that this basin and rail-
way unnecessary and useless We now have more
docks than there is any necessity for How many ships
repair at these docks lti well known that they
are not constructed for the purpose OF constructing YES
sells they only for the purpose OF repairing They
authorized in 1S4s to be used for the purpose of
pairing ships. OF the line Well, cir, we have eleven
lifeline 70 be repaired once a, n three Years
nearly million in Philadelphia, and nearly million al
Pensacola for this purpose. And now million more is
asked to build basin and railway connected with
dry dock in California II is unnecessary in California,
because vessels will be repaired upon the Atlantic
coast There are no materials for constructing dry
docks and for repairing vessels in California They are
all to be taken from the Atlantic Sates Besides, sir,
provisions and labor are three times high in California
they upon our coast therefore they should be
side.
Mr. President have some statistics upon the subject of
dry docks, from which wish TO show to the Senate how
much we have paid for drydocks during the last three
years From the organization OF the government mp to
about ten years ago we had expended $6524i6 AZ for
docks We spent this sir prior to the commencement oi
the stone dock in New York Well sir, we then paid
So l462 253 80 for the sone-dock in New York, making
together SO 379s,7Ol 49, So, sir up TO 1s4s we spent up
wards of three millions OF doars-neary four millions.
In lS4S this system commenced. Certain gentle
men had obtained patent for the kind OF docks mention
ed in this BILL and have paid to these gentlemen since
that time 49, 594-tha is when this dock paid for
in California, without the basin and railway Yes, sir,
we have paid and given to this particular set of conlrac
tors, for this particular kind OF docksin opposition to
the decision OF the Navy Department-nearly much
the government spent from the time OF its organization
We have expended $6 ,s77295 SO since the organiza-
ton of the for docks and OF that sum three
millions and upwards have been paid to these conlrac
tors, and that TOO, since 1S4sor will be paid to them
when they receive all they are entitled to under their
contracts These, sir statistics obtained at the Navy
Department, and believe them 10 be correct Sir they
unanswerable.
II is said that it is necessary for in time of
What nation wants TO 60 to war with u.s. We fought
the battles Of the revolution with only three millions of
people, and did very well during the war of 1912
with ten Millions without these docks, basins, and
and say to other people, Come adopt principles and
our institutions come, be brethren of ours, we will
your throats" do not think this is the duty poll
icy OF government. Our danger is not from without
Mr. President, have stated that these docks are not
only unnecessary, but useless One OF these dy-docks
recently built at Philadelphia and il TO be CON-
pe,ed and tested with shpof the-lne last June and
what information does the Secretary of the Navy bring
us' Why, sir, in December last he said they had a
dredging machine in operaton preparing II TO receive
shp-of the-llne 10 have ii tested When we came 10
take il out of the contractors hands, they said, Give
money; it is not for to find water Congress or
dered TO construct dry dock and railway and If is
not for us to find water" And they were right find no
fault with them. would like TO know whether dredg
ing machine will have to be constantly kept there TO
der il of any use How will this be filled up, if it
is not constantly dredged out!
have stated that over three millions OF dollars have
been paid to these for this particular kind OF
dockand that too, within the last three yearssince
ls4S. will now give 1t IN detail: They received Tor
building dry dock, basin, and railway, in Kittery in
building similar one at Philadelphia, Ssl3,742; for
building at Pensacola, 1921 ,937; for floating dry
port OF the Secretary of the Navy at the present session
Now, sir il is said that this floating dry-dock is useless
without the connexion OF basin and railway. deny
il, sir say that the basin and railway entirely un
necessary and useless in connexon with it. And am
sustained in this opinion by the Secretary OF the Navy
He says pier is all that is necessary and thai will cost
only $4,000; and that basin and railway will cost a
million and half.
But there is another fact which wish to bring the
notice Of the Senate to sustain the position which as
sumo. This floating dock has been IN use, and pat
ened for the last years, and the basin and railway
have been connected with it in the merchant SER
vice. That Is an unanswerable fact. The merchants
basin and railway. They use pier which costs but
$50 900, instead OF million million and half.
Mr.. President, these are the main objections which
hgye 10 make TO connecting this basin and railway WIN
this floating rydock which authorized at the last
session OF Congress also have objections TO the
details of this bill They OF minor importance. TO be
sure but will state them. have already shown that
the Secretary OF the Navy has informed US that he is
already prepared TO appoint this naval board OF Of
hcers 10 make this location. navy yard may be
necessary in CALIFORNIA; believe is But, sir, we
need not provide for board OF naval officers when
the Secretary OF the Navy is prepared 10 appoint
According to the provisions OF this bill, they 10
ceve double pay, and have their expenses paid besides
WE'LL sir, il these naval officers receive their regular pay
such service they directed TO perform This bill
also provides that shall pay for the lands for the oca
ton the amount TO be awarded by jury in California.
The jury in California is TO say, not how much the State
OF California shall pay for this location but how much
the United States shall pay for II. am inclined 10 think
that shall have pay pretty large II IS true
that the bill provides that the district attorney shall ap-
Attorney General Of the United Sates Well, the district
attorney lives IN California but the Attorney General OF
the United States lives here.
This bill also provides for marine barracks. What ne
cessiiy is there for marine barracks in California; How
many marines shall we have send there We now have
nine or ten hundred Marines perhaps eleven hundred with
the officers necessary for brigade And, sir, we have
marine barracksone at Kittery, Portsmouth one
in Boston; one in New York; one in Philadelphia; one
in Norfolk and one at Pensacola and we have but
eleven hundred marines, sir, and three fourhs OF them
are employed on board OF national vessels. II we
have marine barracks in San Francisco, we shall not
have ten marines TO put into them.
These, Mr.. President, are, however, objections Of
minor Importance My main objection is TO the amend
~. fIt tn.ton tha,