The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1866-06-14
League Island.
MR.. Pixies REMARKS IN THE HOUSE OF REP
REsENTATTvEs.

MIR. PIXIES REMARKS IN THE HOUSE OF REP
REsENTATIvEs.
. We give herewith MIR. Pixies statement of
the League Island case, as it appears in the
Congressional Globe of the, Sth inst Mr..
Pike thinks it quite possible to accept the title
to League Island as proffered by the city of
Philadelphia, and refuse to pay the expected
equivalent by building up great ironclad
navy yard there. We agree that it is possible
but it is exceedingly unlikely. If the Phila-
delphia terms is accepted the Philadelphia
conditions will ultimately be likely to follow.
Mr.. Pike said,-
Mr.. Speaker, propose to say but few
words on this subject. 1t has been perhaps
fully enough discussed; but there is one point
wish to make. The gentleman from Com
necticut, Mr.. Brandegeel wants a commits
sion to examine the different sites for navy
yards. The point 1 wish to make is this; that
we already possess all the knowledge, statisti-
cal, geographical, or typographical, which can
be obtained by any Commission to be sent out,
and to-day this House is as well prepared to
act on proposition for q navy-yard as any
House of Representatives will be in the whole
tide of coming time.
These sites have all been examined. League
Island has been examined by commission.
New London has been examined Thoroughly,
Full reports setting forth in detail every i'm
aginable advantage and disadvantage are be-
fore the House. have no doubt members
have possessed themselves fully of all the
knowledge concerning these important points
which has been so amply spread before them.
Doubtless members know the number of feet
and inches OF water vessel can carry into
New London or into Philadelphia. They
know all about the Delaware river, the ebb
and flow of the tide, the shoals, the shifting
bars, the kind of river bottom, the number Of
days it is obstructed by the ice, in fine, all the
difficulties and advantages OF that important
position, and equally well-known is the fine
harbor of New London and its accessibility.
l have no doubt they know the whole thing
Certainly if they do not it is their own fault.
They possess as large means of knowledge as
any subsequent Congress will ever have Why
then, l ask, when we possess this various III
formation, will the House send out O new
commission over the country to examine all
tllo sca-ports, going around begging people to
offer site for naval station to this Govern
ment, and deluding them, may add. with
the expectation that the best one is to be
adopted
believe my own State, among others, has
s Ina. IN IN Maine the Government son tiRa tfisfe
IS no better harbor on this continent than
Portland, except, perhaps, some one near it,
Along coast line of over twenty-five hum
dred miles we have harbors with abundant
depth of water, land-locked, secure, and sur
rounded with land well adapted to navy
yard. But suppose the commission goes to
Portland, suppose these seven gentlemen, part
of whom are engineers, come back to Congress-
and say that Portland is capital place for a
naval station, suppose they pass extravagant
encomiums upon it, as they undoubtedly will,
are we to be deluded with the idea we are to
have another navy-yard in Maine? SA /
hope we are not so green as that.
Why, Mr.. Speaker, in the great bay of
Maine, with Cape Cod for its southern head
land, We have now two navy-yards, one with
in my own State. 1t is perfect nonsense for q
man to talk about another navy yard in Maine
nor do the people of Portland expect it. There
is an admirable chance to lay up iIon-clads.-
For small sum OF money Government can
have the rare advantage of dry-dock larger
than the largest Ofthe greatdocks at Cherbourg.
Forty acres of dry-dock can be obtained for
100000, it is said. Here the iron clads could
be laid up perfectly free of water, and of course
could be kept freer of rust than in any other
way. And whether League Island be accept
ed or rejected, this experiment should be tried.
1t is certainly for the interest of the Govern
ment to do SO. But that is entirely aside from
the matter under discussion.
The truth is, all these navy-yards were To-
Gated intelhgently Along the shore of New
England, north of Cape Cod, we have dis
trict which produces more sailors and ship
wrights than any equally large section of this
country. We have two navy-yards capable of
doing most excellent work. According to the
statistics of the Navy Department, work is
done cheaper at the Maine navy-yard than at
any other in the country.
Now, that was the first great section for the
establishment Of navy-yards in this country
What was the second2 Long Island sound
and the bay of New York. That was the
section of the country which called for such
an establishment; and there is the great navy
yard of the county, and there it always will
be. The commercial metropolis of tho evur-
trv is there IL L. ta.o crnJer of our commerce.
Is1sts The Immense tonnage which is the prop
er foundation for a great navy. 1t is idle to
talk about its having any rival in this country.
Some gentlemen talk about hayward on
the Hudson; we might as well demand anoth-
er in Maine. They cannot have it, and we
cannot have it.
Where is the next point? Delaware bay
and Delaware river. There is navy-yard
there, and there it is demanded by the inter
ests of the Government in that locality.
The next point is Chesapeake bay. The
Norfolk yard represents that section, and it is
OF no use to talk about the Patapsco river or
any other place.
These four sections of the country need Just
the supply of navy-yards they now have.
This is not in obedience to the "shrieks of
locality" or for the purpose of distributing the
patronage of the Government That has
nothing to do with it. The great law of sup
ply and demand settles this question as it does
many others.
Duimg the wars these yards employed twen-
y tnousano men, gathering them from the
shlpyaius Al Their respective vicinities. The
great yard at Brooklyn had eight thousand. =
But the necessities of the Government are in
terInlttent. Ihey can give no steady emnlov-
ment. In time of peace thew emnlov b,,t
four or five thousand, all told. Ofco,,r.e than
you must locate these yards where tbe ,yori,-
men in the neighborhood can 20 and come
floating out and in as the Government desiraS
The New England yards accommodate the me.
chanics north of Cape Cod. New York takes
the stretch to the capes of the Delaware
Philadelphia supplies its own yard, and Nor
folk must take the Chesapeake bay including
the large city of Baltimore. 1 make no &C
count OF the Washington yard, because that is
devoted to purposes peculiar to it, and has
nothing in common with the others. Such
being the case, lay out of view all the inter-
mediate places. New London, the Hudson
river, and the Patapsco river must 90 with the
rest. When we have come to have hundred
million people and ten thousand tons of shin
ping we NAV begin tn dunl;cat 70 ,,,r :, 90,