New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1859-10-15
AN uNArswERABLE ARGUMENT,

Il h.s nan one Of the marked peculiarisies Of the
;,, q i.te Aam;nistrations not 10 spend one cent
mov Il lie public fund il the So1th than they are
eh.ouely obliged to, but to distribute peoples casn
where Il pays better, In the crowded localltles o.
The North, This feature Of governmental manage
oeut has been most notable in the matter Of the ex
pendsure Of the naval appropriations for ship build
Ing and other works at the various navy yards. At
pensacola Navy Yard, on the Gulf, there is every
facility for the cheap and rapid construction Of yes
sells Of war, yet Government has preferred to trans
pcrt the timber for ship building from Gulf coast
forests, almost within hail Of the Pensacola yard
to the distant Northern stations at great expense
there to use 1t in the construction of vessels which il
would not permit to be built in the South where the
material was right at hand. The pleas and argu.
ments Of Southern members for equable distribution
Of public moneys in this matter Of expenditure have
always been neglected the reason alleged being tna'
the cost Of building would be much heavier IN tne
South, and deaf ear was always turned 10 tne
representations demonstrating that such was NOT
necessarily the case. a. =.
So the money for ship building continued to be
expended in the North where most OF the iaVors u,
the Federal Government are always dstriouteo' anu
where Il served to maintain an important any 70 tne
natom House. sustaining In readiness Tor service al
election times at each OF the great naval statlons'
large bodies Of mercenary voters, being the anorefs
81 The Yards and the many other employees. Ships
a the eulf stations needing repairs have almost IN
variaby been dispatched to the Northern YARDS ~
great los Of time and money, and to the injury OF the
service, frequently leaving the bay Of Pensacols
whom in an unsesworthy condition Tor the voyage
theurh they might have been repaired right where
they were lying at the splendid navy yard OF that
statiop. The votes Of large number Of workmen
ara not worth cent to the Democracy in Florida
that State being without their assistance, an unds
puted possession Of the party but they are OF gres'
va]ue as al aid to the Custom House in New York
in Philadelphia in Richmond, Norfolk, and at othel
points. st
Finally, an opportunity has occurred of disprovini
by practical demonstration the falacy Of the argu
ment that the expense Of ship building is mucl
greater in the South than in the North, for by tn
efforts of Hon. Mr.. Mallory. Senator from Florida
Who fortunately happened to be Chairman OF tn
Committee on Naval Affairs, the building OF one
the new steam sloops Of war and one OF the gun ves
sells was secured for the Pensacola navy yard. No
only have these vessels been built more quickly an
in most superior manner, but. the figures Of cos
1 show, much more cheaply than those constructed
Northern yards. Let us compare the figures gSlnl
the cost OF the bulls of the " Pensacola" and tn
% Seminolen built at Pensacola, and OF the R'cn
mondr and Dacotah," built at Richmond. Thong
the tunnace Of the two Pensacola vessels exceed
that of the two Richmond vessels, the cost OF tn
former was ST. 1865 less, the bills for the Richmon
vessels being $199 1886 and for the Pensacola vessel
sl22,569 The cost of the Seminole" being bu
aae 651 II Will be seen that if all four of the vessel