The Portland daily press., 1864-04-12
From Washington.

WASHINGTON, April IL.
In the House to day, Mr.. Davis, OF Nd, in-
troduced the following bill, which was reierr-
ed to the committee on Naval Affairs
BE IL Enacted &c.-First, that the chiefs of
bureaus, OF yards and docks, Of equipments,
OF recruiting, Of navigation, of ordnance, of
construction and repair, and OF steam engn-
eering, shall be board OF naval administra-
ton, presided over by the Secretary Of the
Navy, or such member as he may designate.
Second, the board shall deliberate IN COM
mon, and advise the Secretary OH any matter
submitted relating to naval legislation. the
construction and equipment OF vessels, navy
yards aud other naval establishments, and the
direction, employment and disposition Of nav
al forces in time OF war. Ali such opinions
he recorded.
Third, no vessels of war shall be bpilt or
materially altered nor any guns of new con
struction ordered or adopted, nor any vessel
of war adopted or ordered, nor any perma-
nent structure for the naval service executed
until the plans, proposals and contracts, for
the same shall have been submitted to the
Board, and its opinions and advice thereon
communicated in writing to the Secretary.
Nor shall any patented inventions be bought
or adpted for the naval service without first
the opinion of the Board having been taken,
and all experiments directed TO test inventions
and naval plans and structures, shall be con-
Quoted under the Board or members thereof
named by the Secretary and submitted to the
Board for its opinions thereon.
Fourth, all invitations for plans or propos-
ais of any of the works above mentioned, shall
be prepared by the Board, subject to the APP
prova OF the Secretary, aud all bids or propos-
ais shall be opened in the presence of the
Board and the award made by it subject to
the approval of the Secretary
The Secretary may add to the Board from
time to time, other officers Of the navy, eligi-
BILE to the position of Chief of Bureau, not
exceeding three, at any time, for consultation
on any of the above subjects. The Board
may take the opinions OF eminent practical
engineers, machinists and artists, in their re-
spective branches of art or industry, when in
their opinion the public service will be pro-
NOTED by it, and pay them such reasonable
compensation as the Secretary may approve.
The House, also, considered the following
preamble and resolutions, heretofore offered
by Mr. Fink of Ohio, viz
Whereas, in the opinion of this House the
Federal Government is invested by the Con-
stitution of the U. s. with the necessary au-
thority and power to suppress any resistance
to the due execution of the laws, and to en-
ploy the army in aid of the civil authority-to
dispense all armed resistance to the rightful
power and jurisdiction of the United States.
Whereas, in the judgment OF this House
the army and navy, cannot be rightfnlly and
lawfully used to subjugate and hold as con-
quered territory any of the States of this
Union,
Therefore. be it resolved that in this national
emergency, Congress will forget all feeling of
mere passion or resentment, and will recollect
only its duty to the country-that this war
should not be urged in aEy spirit of conquest
OF. straightforward for any purpose of over
whelming or interfering with the rights or es-
tablished institutions of the States-but to
defend and maintain the supremacy of the
Constitution, and preserve the Union with all
the dignity, equality and rights of the several
states unimpaired, and as soon as these sub
jects are attained, the war ought to cease"
The resolution was tab,ed-yeas 81 noes
"a.