Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1859-04-01

the service which are no part of It's le-
gitimate business.
But, Mr. Chairman, how are the ex-
pensos of the War Department to be re-
duced? A few days ago / put that ques-
ton to a gentleman who was clamoring
for a reduction of the expenses Of the
Government, "Reduce your army ex-
ponses," he replied asked him hor :
-" BY calling in your outposts. We all
know the outposts are the most expensive
posts in the whole country, because they
are the furthest from the settlements -
But, | ask, where is the man who win
agree to call in the outposts, and leave
to the merciless tomahawk Of the savage
the pioneer who has gone there to open
up the country? I, for one will not con-
sent to do that. will vote an ample
amount of money and the requisite num-
Der of men to protect those who go in the
vanguard to subdue the forests and settle
up the country There is no way, then,
in which you can reduce the expenditures
Of the army without you call in the out
posts. The pay of the men in the army,
as before remarked, is fixed by law,
their rations are fixed, and when you are
compelled to transport them from place
to place you are forced to do it upon such
terms as you can get; you must leave
that to the discretion Of the Secretary of
War. All these operations have been
carried on under the direction Of Major
General Jcsup, who, apprehond is as
wise in that branch Of the public service
as any member Of this house and not
only so, but he is as honest a mau as any
member of either branch of Congress.
1t has been under the supervision Of such
a man that all these large expenditures
have occurred, and they have been such
only as were demanded by the exigoncy
Of the public service.
Passing from this l come to the navy.
In 1898 We had very small navy, only
twelve vessels in all We had six YES
sells which had been constructed by the
public, and six which had been purchased
for the public use. In that year the
Secretary of the Navy reported to the
House that, for the maintenance Of that
navy and for the completion of the YES
sells then on the stocks, $2, 2l2, 900 would
be required.
At that time our coast was confined en-
tirely to the A dantic extending only from
Passamaquoddy to ST. Mary's; and the
extent Of the shore line Of the main land
measuring the general indcntations Of
bays and sounds, was two thousand six
hundred and forty-ono statute miles.
The present shore line of the United
States, including the western coast, is
seven thousand and siAty-four miles
and we have now in all cighty-eight YES
sells. We have nearly half as many
squadrons now as We had vessels in 1913.
We have built more vessels since | have
been a member Of Congress than consti-
tuted our whole navy at that early day
Our navy now whitcns almost every sea
and it is the only arm Of the service by
which the power Of the nation can be
felt abroad. VIII any gentleman here
say it is too large? | apprehend not.
They would rather say from experience,
that il is too small Only short time
since under a resolution Of Congress, the
President sent a feet to demand satisfac-
tion for injuries done to our citizens by
one ofthe weakest Powers upon the globe
So far was our navy from being adequate
to that service that the President had
not vessels to send and he had to turn
the Navy Department into charter
party and charter a number Of vessels
for the Paraguay expedition
The pay Of the officers Of the navy,
scamen, and marines is fixed by law
70 maintain a man-of- war at sea, the
Secretary Of the Navy, 10 1898, report
cd to Congress that il would require more
than two hundred thousand dollars a
year. We have now eight navy yards
and lightweight vessels. The pay, as
! say, Of the officers aud men is fixed by
lay, 50 that not dollar can be deducted
from that expense and where, ] ask
you, are you going to save money in req
ducing the expenditures Of the Navy
Department? viii you DO it By refusing
to vote a sufficient supply t, carry on
the navy yards? II you DO that, you
might just as well bring home your YES
sells and tic them up and say you will
have no navy. Two million dollars are
now asked for the support Of these navy
yards. They are the groundwork Of the
whole navy. Refuse TO furnish them
means, and you must tic up your ships,
because they must be repaired, and they
must haye the material which Is requisite
to sustain them when they are at sea. --
Al those things are constructed at the
navy yards. The whole Of those eighty
eight vessels are now at sea and IN active
service, with the exception Of those now
upon the stocks and a few receiving ships
and, 50 far from deductng from them,
we ought TO add TO them, because the
navy is not nov strong enough.
ia the present condition Of the world,
with the unsettled condition.of Europe
and European dynostios, we know not
what day We may be prccipitatod into
war upon The high seas and il we have
not vessels enough now 70 demand salts
faction Of one Of the weakest Powers on
the globe for injuries done our citizens,
] ask what our condition would be If we
had to meet the combined nayics Of Eng
land aid France? Our navy is not as
large rs that Of Brazil, and you cannot
reduce it. Every dollar you refuse to
furnish to tho navy below what is nocos-
sary, you take that much labor from The /
navy, and that much material which you
have to make up in after days by an ap-
preparation thrco.uld greater than if you
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