The evening Argus., 1869-02-15

lOE huOLNtTs lutIt lH no oDilEhhNh VI NV
part Of the government to complete the
bridge lie said there is no need now Of
new arsonas or armories. When we do
need them The island Is the place for them.
Several members questioned Mr. Ferris
about the condition Of present armories,
manitions Of war, etc, aud the need of
places to store the latter but he adhered TO
his position.
Mr., Washburn trcp, from Wisconsin said
his constituents had great interest in the
construction Of tie new bridge, the object
Of which ia to compel the destruction OF
removal Of the present Rock Island bridge,
which is nuisance, and causes immense
damage to the commerce of the river above
that point He was surprised that Mr.
Ferris should be unwilling to vote this ap.
proprati5u in which such vast public in.
terests are involved, when it seems that he
was willing to appropriate Sj0o,oOO,OOO to
a private Individual to dig a hole in the
ground in the territory of Nevada Mr., ".
continued
can say to him that had this arsenal been
built, as It shpuld have been, twenty years ago,
| it would have shortened the late war very much
| by enabling u- 10 supply our soldiers speedily
with arms, / ana very familiar myself person
ally with this point. Twenty so,eu yrars ago !
myself personally accompanied II commission
| from the war department consisting OF General
Armistcui Dr. Lawson, surgeon general, and
Col. Long, pt the engineer department, W.T." were
sent 90 InFpcnt this point tDr '.e lIrp"'" oi the
| es'abushmuu'ui ui aud',YnuI arsenal, lrc"yI.o"tiae
! objection which they made to It then VIA that II
was too near tAr British frontier and would Doe too
much exposed The true reason, have no
doubt, was that il was too far removed from the
| peculiar Institution 20 il WA tYp far north
Had they recommended the establishment Of this
arsenal, and had il then been established aud wc
had hal the facilities for the manufacture of
arms which We should have had, the war would
have sooner been brought 10 mn end. / under
take To say that there Is not point upon the
continent U' America 80 well adapted for the
establishment Of h national arsenal 30. thin.
point
] win state further iu answer To- tlo ol lcuupu,
! | think made 10Y tor gentleman from Pouu-yl'a
| mia now before me- Nj WopivarlJ, Boo regard
| To rn sing over She coal hclis Of Pennsylvania
! that this Rock Island is in the immediate vi.in.
ity Of vast notLhri-, and that there j. no point
| IN the country whore the materials for the man.
uacturc of arms can be brought together more
easily and choupIy tban at Rock Island There
| i. not moro beautiful a more fertile ~ u moro
healthy sroton tho face Of fta globe
Mr. Ferris withdrew his amendment.
Mr.. Walker .rep, from Ohio offered an
amendment providing that "no part Of the
sum appropriation for the arsenala and armo.
ry shall be expended upon any building not
now in process of construction
A long discussion followed Mr.. Walker 3
motion, participated in chiefly by Gen.
Logan rep. of ILL.,. and Mr.. Schoheld, (rep.
Of Pa.,j the former strongly opposing and
the latter hvorng the amendment. Mr..
SchoGald dccrcd the item of S2OO,O 900 for
barracks for enlisted men and Of 100000 for
permanent officers.
Mr.. Pile, lrep, Of Missouri offered
substitute for the entire paragraph as fol
lows:
For an arsenal and armory at Rock land, ILL.,,
ia
phrd to the huildingofa u bridge connecting Rock
lslund with the cues Of Rock Island and DayUn-
port, and the remainder to the construction OF
/ store houses for arms and machinery.
Mr., Pile strongly urged his substitute
saying that the sale Of the st. Louis arsenaI
will bring into the treasury more than the
amount appropriated in his substitute for
the construction Of these store houses.
After further discussion Mr.. Pile with
| drew his amendment. Gen. Logan renewed
| the Pile amendment calling the attention of
| the house to the remarks made III the estI.
mates in reference to the proposition
~. The present accommodations for enlisted
men are unsuitable forthe purpose, ,bcingeXtrcme-
ly temporary cold and unhealthy and entirely to
small for the number OF men authorized to be
stationed here, and which ought to be increased.
a. The present Offices are temporary,a and very
cold and unhealthy in the winter season, it being
almost impossible to heat them for comfortable
occupancy.
49, ThoQuarters now occupied by the subol-
tern officers at this arsenal are ora very tcmpora
ry character. are fast dctoriorating, and viii be
entirely unfit for occupation by the time tcmpora
ry quarters can he built.
~ There is no guard house, no dark prison, ,or
means Of properly confning prisoners here 1t
il deemed better to build permanent guard
house and prisons here at once than to build tenn
porary ones now and permanent ones hercaf
ter
Gen. Logan was advocating the necessity
Of coinciding with the estimates when the
hammer fell, and
Mr.. Earnsworth, of Illinois, moved the
following amendment:
And prorided further, That aproportionatc part
of this sum, sufficient for the purpose shall be
applied to the completion OF the Moline water
power at the head Of Rock Island, to carry out
existing contracts,
Mr.. +. said it is now disputed that it is q
part of the existing contract between the
Government and the Moline Water Power
Company tba, that power shall be improved
and he hoped that the government is not
going to repudlate that contract. The Mo
line Water.POwer Company agreed with the
government to surrender all its right to i'm.
prove the water power, and they surrendered
and decided over to the govern.
ment the entire thing, but upon the condi'
ton that the government should 20 on and |
make certain improvements. The eKpendi |
lures the company had made were put in at
50 much, and in consideration thereof, the |
government agreed to spend so much, and |
70 make such and such Improvements to this
power, and the government is then to share |
"''h the Moline company the use of it, the
company to have one.fourth of il. Now,
because the government refuses or pepIects |
tolmprove the water power, thereby augment,
ing aud increasing it, the Moline comnanv |
are prevented from selling or leasing any
part Of the power, as it otherwise migbi
Mr.. +. opposed $3t,O0O to build pTsrd
house, Of Joliet stone. He SAID the manu-
tacturers build heavy factories OF the stone
which they quarry upon the ground; it does
seem little more extraordinary that the
! officer should put il such an estimate As
thls. He nrnnnsns nIsn y, h,nA L-l