The Lancaster ledger. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1852-1905, 1858-06-30
Remarks of Senator Hammond.

proceedings ut the L. y. Senate upon the
resolution to appropriate $l,2O0,OOO to
tue building Of niue >!u"I> Of war and Il
s.Iewheei war steamcr:
Mr.. IammonJ. My ouly object in
asking il,e question WAS to enable me to
SAY, lhat 50 far Grom concurriug in the
sinking out proposed 10y the Senator from
New hampshire, al! the members Of the
Naval Committee except himsel: are iu
favor Of doubling the nanbcr of vessels;
and as far as am concerned, concur
in the amendment which understand
the Senator from North Carolina Intends
TO offer do not regard this rs a war
measure. think, from the sentiments
uttcIed few days ago in the Senate, it
is understood that am not an ularmis;;
that avn not disposed 70 take any meas
nre that would precipitate this country
into II war with Great Britain, while am
ready 10 meet that war whenever it oc
ours, If | recollcct Alright, the Secretary
ct the Navy, IN his annual report, recon-.
mended that ten new steam sloops should
be built, long before there was any appre
hension Of II difficulty with any foreign
power Ten sloops, therefore, viii be re.
cogni3ed specifically rs u peace measure
rs necessary to sustain the Navy Depart.
ncnt in tine Of peace. Tho opinion of
the Naval Committee is that The recon-
menlation falls short Of the necessity, and
that twenty such vessels are required for
the Navy in :imc Of peace. Ii we were
going into war with u great naval pow
"r like Great Britain, this would ho juta
I"eagrc preparation; yet, Of course, in all
creations OF navy, We must necc ssarily
have an eye TO war; and without intend
ing to advocate these twenty sloops as a
war measure, whoever advocates them
must necessarily DO il with "a view to the
protection Of our commerce, ana Of the
incidents connected with i.
! imagine that there are fey members
playing at sham with navy. Compar
ing our Navy with our commerce. with
our population, and with our extended
and deience!ess coast, it is perfectly redic.
ulons. II 1t were not for the yallantrv
which anlmates tho officers Of the Navy.
and for the fine vessels that we have built
which have commanded the admiration of
the "orld,l would say il was contemplate.
As far AS our navy does go,it is equal to any
other navy; and | would be wiling to risk
1t at some odds against anv other navy.
but when We consider the proportions be-
tween our navy and our commerce, re
peat, 1t sP mere sham. Why, sir, We
have a commerce equal to that Of Great
Britain; our tonnage is equal to hers
She has navy Of twenty-five thousand
guns to protect her commerce. What
haV" we got! We have navv-coun,-
my all the ships in Service, ali the ships
IN ordinary, and all the ships on the stocks
of less than two thousand guns. Wher
ever We NEE: Great Britain, even in our
own seas, she appears as ten to one and
throughout the whole world she is nearly
AS htteen to one. Great Britain. M this
moment, has more guns in the waters of
America, and greater number Of seamen
IN our own waters, than our entire active
nary She has seven hundred and nine.
y-ionr guns surrounding our coast, and
we have but seven hundred and eirrtv.
nine, all told, to meet her
MIR. Mallory. Six hundred and twenty
eight.
"''' Ii'"'"''hi' nave seen an eStl-
mate OF seven hundred and eighty nine,
and wish to state it on the largest scale |
Statements vary. Certainly Great Brit
ain has a larger force in our own waters
than we can control, if every ship we have
was brought together at once. Are we
SAFE do not wish to allulc TO the late
ontrages upon our commerce, forI do no,
advocate this proportion as a war ,..as
ure bat OF decent regard to our dignily,and
to the prospects of peace. Why, sir,
when these Outrages occurred, what had
we in the Gulf? Thirty five guns, all
told. And what had Great Britain q
Three hundred and sixty yuine, that she
could concentrate ut any point Of the Gulf
and we conIi not, by any possibility,
Within any reasonable time, send over
two hnndrel guns there. We are at the
mercy Of England. Ii is well known lhat
England protects our commerce in the
distant seas, /. is well known that, but
l'r me Kindly and notherIy protection
Which 'Teat Britain coniescemIs Ia ar
iora u our commerce would be AZ The
mercy oi the pirates of the world in all |
The distant seas; and yet we set I'M for
great commercial nation and Who,
England insults us, we talk of senJino |
down ships TO capture hers. Where would !
YOU get them from The Senator from
Massachusetts, the Senator from Georgia
and the Senator from New Hampshire.
insist that these beIigerent acts of Great
Britan should be met instantly, and that
force should be sent to sink or capture
her vessels Where is the force to come
'front.' Is there any possibility Of build.
ing ileet as Aladin's palace vas buili,
IN nlght3 Are you to create ships BY
resolution Of Congress2 -
AZ The Senator from Georgia has just
said, With all the material you have, can
you geta navy on the instant 7 You NAV
Fsadlly raise IN army you have nothing