Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1854-04-03

In the House of Representatives. ON Tuesday
| the committee proceeded Ia consider the special
/ order being the bin Of the House TO authorize
The construction of six steam frigates and for 9th
er purposes.
Mr. BococK addressed the committee in favor
Of the bill. which be said left the question a to
/ whether these vessels and their machinery should
be built by contract or in the Government navy
yards, To- The discretion of the Secretary Of the
Navy This he cont, nded. the part of wis
dom, a the Secretary Of the Navy would enjoy,
for the investigation Of this subject many adYan-
tages which the House did not possess.
II wa. agreed TINT we should have a nayy,and
there never was time when we had too
much of n navy. Including all kinds, we have
now some seventy-two vessels in the nasy.
Thirty. five years was as long a ship Of war
could be supposed to last. 1.-THE navy was to
be wholey replaced every thirty five years, it
would require two vessels TO be built annually for
the purpose Of supplying the vacancies created
BY those which became unseryiceable by reason OF
decay. No vessels had been ordered TO be built
BY Congress since 1sI7, seven years ago. To
supply the decay Of vessels. according to the rate
of two year, fourteen ought to be now construc-
ted.
After having shown that the increase of the
navy had not been in proportion to the growth of
the country and the advance of its commerce.
he said that IL was stated by the Secretary of
the Navy that it not expected we should
keep pace with England and France in regard to
the size of our navy; but we must have some
regard to our position; for with those Powers,
If with any, we should be brought into COMPETE
ton. Our home, Pacific, and other squadrons
were all two weak, and should therefore be
strengthened. The sky indeed darkened
in the East, and we knew not how many nations
might become involved in the great struggle
which is now going on. Ours is Il neutral flag
=
from the possibility of insult. If we should pre-
serve our neutrality firmly and effectively, the
treasures of China, Japan and the bright Orient
would load our vessels and enrich our merchants;
commerce would take shelter under our protect
ing flag. The bridal feast Of liberty and com
mercc IL spread and should we be like the fool
ish virgins who put oil in their lamps,
should we keep our lamps bright and burning,
and enter into the entertainment!
He advanced many reasons in favor of an in
crease of our navy, and declared that their duty
to the country required them to pass this bill
If this should not be done, the just expectations
of the country would be disappointed
Mr.. Lyon said that, representing rural dis
trct, an agricultural constituency, whose int err
ests were deeply concerned in this measure he
should speak to amendment which he intend
ed to offer at the proper time proposing to CON
struei twelve instead of six war steam frigates.
at period when the sublime philosophy of Pla-
To, in relation to a model republic, is more than
realized, with magnificent extent of country
peopled by is hundreds of millions If inhabitants,
enjoying the blessings of free government.
This measure concerned particularly the rep
resentatiyes Of the people. They had been
here four months, with the Presidents
and Secretary of the Nays recommendations
before them, and what had they seen and heardl
-
most every quarter of the world. Look at the
imprisonment of Capt. Gibson in Holland, and of
Richmond in Hungary; look at the otrages in
Cuba. Not ship could b. sent to relieve them;
and yet the chairman of this Committee on Ma
val Affairs had been attempting for weeks past,
aud only successful Yesterday, to induce the
the House To consider the measure now under
consideration. Cuba should have been taken
possession of, and satisfaction demanded after
wards Applause.
lie wished to - diplomacy carried on with
vessels = war; to see ports filled with vessels of
War, and gentlemen did not know how polite it
made foreign nations towards diplomatic
representatives. Laughter.
He also wished the navy in reased because it
was the greatest promulgator of christianity the
world over, and because he desired to see carried
out the sentiment c. the Pres dent, that she must
realize that upon every sea and upon every SOIL
an American citizenship is an invoable panop-
" for the security of American rights" This,
far has been fiction; Let us have these twelve
steam frigates and we will make it fact.
He contondcd that we should have sufficient
number OF ships OF war TO protect the vessels
which bear commerce to our shores and to pro-
tect our nationality and neutrality. We have
the right stuff, but we have not got the ships
Laughter.
The British navy was composed of 468 ships,
with an aggregate burden of 5000 tons the
French navy contained 81 ships, with an ag-
gregatc burden of 800 900 tons while our own
navy was composed of but az vessels. Surely
all must perceive the propriety of an increase of
our naval force.