The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1859-02-03
gress w b ssion ir tissts maaaths thsy fsurs
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had tIlc soncy in hand Bde aiter the ,Hssg 81 the
deficiency BILL venture 20 say there has not contract
been made for subsistence transportation for any
expense la the separtnient that would not
far as prices concerned command the approval Of
every member of this House Thus sir however much the
march Of the army TO this wilderness country may have in
creased Che expenditures, it did not cost too much tdd
not cost more than Necessary. We have Indian
hostities from the British possessions the Pacific 10
Texas and even extending 10 che peninsula OF Florida
This army scattered all along the frontier 10 protect
our people large portion of the troops have remained
ia the rebeliios Territory OF Utah suppress inanrre
tion IN that Territory if IL shall again break out The
War Department and the government hbored under great
embarrassment in reference 10 the difficulties in Utah
want Of means, which Congress for time denied
them II important that the Instruction should be
stopped promptly But for the prompt action of the gov
erament, that rebellion would have been ia exist
enoe and have continued for years TO come 10 has,
however, been ended but 10 is not prudent is IL
safe TO withdraw the troops, III you were TO withdraw
them now the rebellion would again break ont, in per
haps threatening aspect than it did before. -
i say there has not been one dollar too much money
expended by the War Department I know there are
things included under the head of appropriations
ior the War Department which do properly belong to
IT, and in that way the expenditures of that branch of
the service are swelled up beyond what cqmntely be-
longs to it, For instance the construction Of the squc
duct for bringing water into the city Of Washington,
which will cost 81, 600 has nothing To do with the
army and yet il is placed to the charge Of the War De
partment The items of expense for the construction of
public buildings all the country charged 10 the
war IN tnlS millions OF dollars
charged to that branch Of the service which part
of its legitimate expense. -, ~ q. +
:, but Mr. Chairman ask how are the expenses Of the
that question TO gentleman who clamorng for
reduction of the expenses OF the government Reduce
your army EXPENSES, he replied i asked him how 2
" BY calling in your outposts' We all know the out
posts the most expensive posts in the whole country
because they the furest from the settlements But
ask where is the man who will agree to call in the
posts, and leave the mercess tonaIawk OF the say
he rxyhn has fharot
try L. or one will not consent to do that will vote
an ample amount of money and the requisite number of
men TO protect those who go in the vanguard to subduc
the forests aud settle up county,. There Is no way
Them IN which you reduce the expenditures Of the
army without you call In the ouposti The pay Of the
men in the army, before remarked is fixed by law
their raons arc fixed and when you compelled to
transport them from place to place forced to do it
upon such terms you get you must leave that
the discretion of the Secretary of War; All these opera
tons have been carried under the direction of Major
General Jcsup, who, apprchend is as wise in that
branch Of the public service member Of this House
and not only 80, but he is as honest any
Der of either branch OF Congress 1t has been under the
supervision OF such that all these large cxpend
lures have occurred and they have been such only
demanded by the cxigency Of the public service
Passing from this, to the navy LIN 1898 we
hai livery small navy; only twelve vessels in all We
had six vessels which had been constructed by the rub
lie aud six which had been purchased for the public
In hat ycat the Secretary of the Navy reported to the
House shat for the maintenance of. that navy, and
for the completion of the vessels then the stocks,
s22i2 900 would bc required. AT that time our
coast confined entirely to the Atlantic extend
ing only from Passamaquoddy to st. Mary's; and
the extent of the shore line of the main land meas
nrng the general ndentatons Of bays and sounds,
two thousand six hundred and forty statute miles
The present shore line of the United States including the
western coast is Thousand aud sixty -four miles
and we have now, in all egey-eiyM vessels We have
nearly half as many squadrons had vessels in
1898 We have built more vessels since i have been a
member of Congress than constituted whole navy at
that early day. Our navy wbitens almost every
and it is the only of the service by which the
power of the nation can be felt abroad VIII any gen
teuan here say 1t is too large 1appehend not. They
would rather say from experience that il is too small
Only short time since, under resolution OF Congress-
the President sent fleet 10 demand satisfaction for ini
rs done our citizens by OF the weakest powers
upon the globe So far was our navy from being ade
quate to that service that the President had vessels
TO send and he had to turn the Navy Department into
charter party and charter number of vessels for the
Paraguay expclitiong sdB 10 tsg@a8sag3 adg va
The pay of the officers of the navy seamen and ma
ncs Is fixed by law. To maintain man of war at sea,
the Secretary of the Navy inlT9s, reported to Congress
that it would require than two hundred thousand
dollars year. We have now eight navy-yards and
lightweight vessels The pay as say OF the officers
and men, is fixed by law, so that not dollar be de-
Quoted from that expense; and where ask you, are
you going to money in reducing the expenditures of
the Navy Department. VIII you do it by refusing to
vote sufficient supply to carry the nayyyards If
you do that you might just well bring home your YES
Two million dollars now asked for the support of
these navy yards need not tell you what is the bsi
of those navy yards They the ground work of
the whole navy. Refuse to furnish them means, and
you must tie up your Ships because they be repair
ed and they must have the material which is requisite
to sustain them when they at All those things
constructed at the navy yards The whole Of those
eghtyeight vessels mt sea- and in active service
with the exception of those upon the stocks and
few receiving ships and, far from deducting from
them, ought TO add 70 them because the navy is not
strong enough -
In the present condition of The world with the unset
tied condition of Europe and European dynastics we
know not what day may be preciptatcd into up
the high and il we have not vessels enough
to demand satisfaction of Of the weakest powers upon
the globe for injuries done citizens ask what
condition would be five had to meet The combined navcs
of England and France Our navy il not large as
that Of Brazil and you cannot reduce it, Every dollar
you refuse to furnish to the navy below what is
say you take that much labor from the navy and that
much material which you have TO make up in atcr-days
by appropriation three fold greater than You make
it now.
do not believe then, that the expenses of the War
Department the expenses of the Navy Department,
more than commensurate 10 the demands and require
ments Of the public service. cannot at this time
how less than two million dollars will answer the
wants OF the service in the eight i'm the Uni
ted States reduce t below what is necessary you
only lay the foundation for larger appropriation at
future day There is economy in refusing necessary
appropriations, Keep up your navy yards and keep
your vessels in good repair and you will not only give
efficiency to the service but you will money 10 the
government.
And now rs TO the Post Office Department Our postal
System dates from 1915, when DE- Benjamin Franklin
u D,.l r.