The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-02-16

Congress Yesserday-senaeesial Amenities
The Supply Of Arms to France-OuE
Dilapidated Navy.
Senator Brownlow, of Tennessee, made an
exhibition in the Senate yesterday which
reflected little credit on either that body or
himself He undertook to reply to some
remarks made by Mr.. Beck, of Kentucky, in
the House of Representatives some weeks ago,
in which he (Brownlow) was referred to, in
conjunction with others, as persons who have
stepped from career Of outrage and plnnder
in the Southern States into the position of
United States Senators. 1.-THE time was"
said Brownlow, in the speech, which was
read for him from the Clerks desk, 'that If
Beck had dared to apply such language to
him he would have taken Beck's slave-drivfng
whip from him and laid it over his back"
He went on to refer to Beck as one who had,
abandoned the occupation Of an hostlee
for that Of slavedriver, and as having
sunk so low as to be unworthy of
notice. Brownlow was notified by Vice
President Colfax, before the reading
of his speech was commenced, that the par
liamentary rule prohibited any allusion being
made in one House of Congress to what had
taken place in the other, and when the reading
of the speech had reached this point the Vice
the rule. But Blair, of Missouri, interfered,
and asked that the reading be allowed to pro-
coed, remarking that as there was no prece-
dent for Senator acquiring his seat in the
manner that Brownlow had acquired his, he
could see no objection to allowing him to
continue strain of language that so well
beftted him. And 30 the reading of Brown
lows diatribe was resumed and completed.
But it will require great deal more than per-
sonal abuse or personal justification from
such source to convince the people that Mr..
Beck was very far from the truth when he
charged Brownlow with having made pam
demonium of Tennessee, and when he repre-
scented him and the other carpet-bag Gov
errors of Southern States as having escaped
the Penitentiary by getting into the Senate.
After this episode the Senate resumed the
discussion of Mr. Summers resolution as to
republic during the war with Germany, and
the debate continued till the close Of the ses-
sion, the parties being divided into assailants
and defenders of the administration.
The House attended strictly to its legitimate
business yesterday, and passed the Naval
Appropriation bill. The various discussions
in the House during the three days that the
bill was under consideration have given official
endorsement to the worst representation here.
tofore made as to the dilapidation and utter
worthlessness of the American navy. A
section was added to the bill yesterday pro-
viding for the sale Of useless ships
and material. Mr.. Fernando Wood desired to
provide for a preliminary condemnation Of
the vessels by board of naval officers; but
that was opposed by the member who had
charge of the bill (Mr. Hale, of Maine), and
the Interpretation which Mr.. Wood gave to
that opposition was that it arose from an APP
prehension that naval officers would condemn
every vessel in the navy. Mr.. Swami, of
Maryland, q member of the Committee on
Foreign Affairs, expressed the opinion that
in case of this country getting into war it
had not more than half dozen reliable YES
sells in its navy, and that the danger of war
at this time was very imminent. We hope
that Mr.. Swami is not absolutely correct in
either of these opinions. The Secretary of
the Navy himself has, however, recently
given to the House Committee on Com
MERGE an equally unfavorable report
Of the condition Of the navy: He said
that if we were to get into war
with Spain, for instance, and attempt to land
an army of five thousand men in Cuba, the
only point of attack, we have not sufficient
navy to guard the channel between Key West
and the nearest landing place In Cuba, and
that we would not be able to effect q landing
through any aid to be given by the navy,
although he would trust to manifest destiny to
be able to do it, And now we want to know
where the responsibility rests for the dlapi-
dation of our navy and the disappearance of
our commercial mariner The people will say,
and be justified in saying, that the party who
has had the control of the government for the
last ten years is responsible for the present
condition of our navy and our commerce.; and
the worst of it is that no remedy is being ap-
| piled or devised.
SENATOR WooDIN made the Senate Com
| mittee on Railroads. Let him now make
amends by voting 10 repeal the Classification
law.
How WILL SENATOR WINsLow vote on the
Anti Ring bill introduced by Senator O'Brien to
repeal the Erie classification law2 His con-