Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-02-14

eHO ShlkS WHICH, SlOuO nave Deen Dunb. he
was sorry to say that the investigation
showed badly for the use of the money as
affecting the future. He did not wonder
that the people would be skeptical as othe
assertion that we had no Navy, or that
members would hesitate twice before they
would appropriate more money for more
naval expenditures.
The whole point of his argument was
that the blame should fall where it properly
rested: if there was no navy as legacy
from the past, and the country had not now
a respectable naval establishment, they
should not grumble at any expense that
was inevitable. The navy now possessed,
of the $50 vessels that belonged to it during
the war,
40 Only 1zs VesseIs
Of all classes. OF the rest, some had de-
cayed or sunk, or been sold Off. Scores and
ffties Of others he did not know the fate of.
He had not been able to follow them. They
were not on the hands Of the Department,
and the Department was not responsible
for them. They had
Vanished and Faded Away;
and were not to be found or traced. The
navy now contained 179 vessels In all.
These he classified into four classes, not of
strength but Of utility: Glass No. con-
sisted of vessels that were at sea, some sail
ing vessels, some steamers and some iron
clads, and numbered SO. Glass No. 2 con-
sisted Of vessels suitable to relieve those
that were at sea, and numbered IA. Glass
8 consisted of vessels that were worth be-
ing repaired in case of an emergency. If
this country should have war with Spain,
or if the
little Cloud in the Sky,
which had in the minds of some meant
war, should grow and trouble come out of
it, the vessels of this last class could be
fitted out and sent to sea cheaper than new
vessels could be built. This was not very
promising class, but still it was worth some
thing and numbered twenty-four vessels,
including six on the stocks. Below that
class, below any class that could ever be
used in peace or war, was a class of forty
six vessels
Utterly Worthless
and unfit for repair, good for nothing but
to be sold for old material. The remainder
of the vessels, not comprised in those classes,
was made up of storeships and transports,
in all, fifty-odd vessels
In conclusion he defended the present
administration of the Navy Department,
and submitted that provision be made, for
building new vessels for the navy and for
selling out all worthless vessels and ma
chinery.
Mr.. Morgan, another member of the COM
mittee on Appropriations, replied to Mr..
Hale, and charged the Navy Department
with
Waste and Extravaganza.
He denied the accuracy of the figures
qouted by Mr.. Hall as to the expenditures
of the navy before the war, and referred to
the reports of the Register of the Treasury
to show the discrepancies.
Mr.. Garfield explained how the apparent
discrepancy was to be accounted for.
Mr. Morgan denied that the explanation
was a correct one and undertook to prove
to the House and country that there was
Chaos
in the Treasury, chaos in the Navy and
chaos in every Department Of the Govern
ment.
In the course of long speech, Mr.. Nor
gan reviewed the course of the Admins
tration in reference to the public debt and
claiming that there were
Alarming Discrepancies
In the various reports of the Department.
He denied that any official Of the Govern
ment from the President down to page in
the House had any correct idea of what
the public debt was.
Mr.. Beck inquired from Mr.. Garfield
whether the navy, war, and other depart
ments of the Government, were not in the
habit of selling material and making use Of
the proceeds in addition to the appropria-
tons made by Congress.
Mr.. Banks said that was not the case
now.
Mr.. Dawes remarked that the Navy and
other departments did dispose of material
and use the proceeds for the public service,
but there was
requiring annual reports of such sales to be
made to Congress. He agreed with Mr..
Beck that the defect in legislation to that
effect should be remedied.
Mr.. Beck said that the question was
whether these sales should not be added to
the appropriations, and whether they did
not swell the expenditures by
Hundred Million Dollars.
He asserted that such was the case.
Mr.. Starkweather made some remarks
in further illustration of the wretched con-
dition of the Navy.
Without making any disposition of the
the bill the Committee rose and the House
adjourned,