Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1860-12-11
and prohibits the STATES from exercising AZ

| such power. No State under the Constitution
has the right or power to protect its citizens or
| its commerce on the ocean or in foreign coun.
tries having parted with both By transferring
them to the Federal Government in trust for
the c0luIuon benefit. That we must have n
navy for protection and defence that we mast
have the means Of continuing it In existence
and Of employing it; that the duty OF prov.
! dne both has been devolved on the Federal
| Government are self evident propositions
This transfer OF power to Congress on one hand
and total abncgation Of it by the States on the
| other, creates the strongest possible political
and moral obligation on the part OF this Gov
ernpent to provide and maintain naval force
adequate to our protection.
While we have population OF thirty mil
lions Of souls, scacoast OF vast extent on The AT
lantic and Pacific oceans ! navigating interest
| of five millions Of tons; an annual export and
import trade of six or seven hundred millions
| Of dollars, and home trade not less valuable,
! it would be strange and unaccountablc i'll any
one to suppose that the Federal Goyernmcnt,l in
| providing and maintaining its present navy
has discharged its constitutional Obligation
The constant appeal Of American citizens
coming to US from all quarters OF the world
asking for security and protection beyond what
the government, with its present means, can
afford them, speaks q language to which We
are not at liberty 10 turn deaf ear. 10
be able at any time, at short notice, 10
throw a powerful naval force upon my gwen
point where our interests arc threatened or the
| lives Of American citizens are in jeopardy, is
not only n constitutional duty, but one ot the
safest, most bcneGcent and saIutary powers
that can be entrusted 10 official hands under
republican form Of government; and cannot
permit the present occasion TO pass without
most earnestly recommending the policy Of
gradual, substantial and permanent increase OF
the navy, accompanied by the universal intro.
duction into it of the motive power OF steam.
Such policy is essential to the protection OF
our coasts and commerce, and OF American cit
liens and their property on the ocean and IN
distant countries, to the preservation OF peace,
the efficiency Of negotiation, the genera! ad'
vancemcnt of our commercial Interest, tue
maintenance Of our appropriate position among
nations and the prompt Tindlcation 0. Cur
rights and Of the honor Of the country, and
should be subject TO none Of the ordinary vacli.
lations arising from the varied SUCCESS of poiit.
ical parties.
navy YARDS.
With view to ensure the greatest practical
efficiency, by removing and excluding abuses,
and obtaining for expenditure full equivalent
in labor, the navy yards have recently been
placed under uniform system Of organization,
applied equally to ell Of them which. seems 10
be we'll calculated TO secure these Objects
They are commanded each by captain Of the
navy, who has authority in the yard analogous
10 that of the commander Of ship ut Sea. lie
| is responsible that every man does his duty
lie has the power to dismiss any one for nc
glect or misconduct except naval officers and
! master work men, whom, IN such case, It IS his
| duty to report to the department In order to
! ensure capable master workmcn, they are re-
auired to be examined by a board Of naval o!l-
GERS, who must report them fully qualified fer
their duties before they Call receive their np'
continents They are immediately rrsponsi-
bic for the workmen employed under them,
and therefore they have the selection OF them,
subject to the APPROVAL OF the commandant, nnd
it his duty at all times to limit the number 10
the necessities Of the service.
The duties Of every officer in the yard are
specifically defined by regulation. II has been
the object Of the department TO improve and
| elevate the condition Of the master mechanics
und other civilians, and to increas" their re-
sponsibility. Under this system it is impossl
| ble that abuses should exist without involving
tie commandaut, and. the corps Of nava!
| officers under his command. Even ii it Should
! happen, as may sometimes be the case, that l.
| few men Of the labvrng classes in public en-
ploymcnt, earning subsistence by the sweat
of the brow, should receive somewhat more
than on equivalent for the labor Of their hands
! it would not by any means be the greatest
! evils that happens under government, nor be
! sufficient reason for abandoning Convenient
! and necessary public works. All history
shows that the class Of working men do not
usually receive too high reward for their ia.
Dor, aud if government never suffers pecunlaT!-
| " except by them, the extent of the injury
will not be alarming
NAVAL ACADEMY.
The Naval Academy under the supernten-
dence of Captain George S. Blake. is in adml'
rabie condition. Twenty.f five acting midship.
men graduated In Jure; one hundred and thr-
ty.fve were permitted to be examined; thirty.
| six failed to present themselves or were iound
i DISQUALIFIED, and ninety. y.nine We're examined
and admitted.
The measure adopted year ago placing the
fourth class on board the sloopofwar Ply.
mouth. attached to the Academy, has proved
entirely successful have caused the trigate
! Constitution to bc substituted for the Ply
mouth, to bc anchored in the harbor ot An
napolis for the accommodation OF the fourth
class The historic reculeclions associated
with this ship will exert sulutary influence
on the minds OF youth devotng themselves 10
the naval service 1t accommodates all tic
sections Of the fourth class with study and re-
citation rooms, and the officers and acting mid
shipmen, and the crew of the ship, with sleep
ing and mess apartments.
a Board of officers, consisting Of Commo
dore E. \. F. Lavnllette, Captain William N
Glendv, Captain Cadwalader Ringgold, Com
mander Cicero Price and Commander William
Rogers Taylor, was appointed in May, 10 wit
ness the examination Of the isses oil uctlnt
mdshipmen, and to enquire 10 the state o
the police discipline and gen II management
of the academy. They have ..,ade a favorable
report on all the subjects su'rnitted TO them
On their arrival at Annapolis the fourth clas:
had already been examine, lu hasten their dc
parture in the practice slip. The hrst, secont
and third classes were examii'"din the presence
of the Board, and made most gratifying ex
hibiton OF their acquircmen'S in the academic
studies. and the practical cT.rcses OF gunncry
fcld artillery, infantry la',.rs and broad an'
small swords The Board Observed with plea
sure the progressive advancement in pr6tes
sonal requirements from the lower TO the high
er classes, und particularly The proficiency o
the graduating class, which has left the instI
tuition with groundwork Of professional edu
cation promising great future usefulness TO th
, navy and to the country.
The police and discipline Of the institution
have been most carefully preserved The re
cord shows gradual dln;uution Of tie mum
Der found deficient at the examination sine
1855. II that year those found deficient wer
twenty.three per cent Of The whole number
in 1856, nineteen and half per cent III 1857
eighteen and Il half per cent; in 1855, httee
and half per cent; in 1859, fourteen and
half per cent, and for the first half Of lsoo
{ TN ner cent The grounds uubc building