The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1872-02-14
42d CONGRESS.
HOUSE.
EMAsnIRaToN, FebrnarY 1S

lSothut5Vt AUpOAtcu " VII EGNihtuB tue law
relative 70 mlnts, and Mr. MCNRR1Y, a
the sameiite e,fninittee, raised q point tha
the report was not authorized by tl
committee. The question was raise,
amid much confusion, but HoOPER state,
Idistinctly that he had been authorizes
Iby the committee TO report the bill. Tn
bill was made the special order fOrtA
second Tuesday in March. 'l'- 's.31..n ..'
MIR. llALSRY, from tile Committee Ol
Public Buildings, reported bill appro
priating three hundred and my thoIsant
dollars for public buildings at Albany
Mr.. GARFIELD opposed the bill, quoting
the report Of the Secretary of the lrcasa
ry, as tnpracticable for further apprd
priations for such purposes, saying tha
the points Mt which public building wert
most needed were Hartford, Indianapolis
Cincinnati and ST. Louis.
MIR. FARNswoRTII ridiCulel the idea O
the necessary public work not being I'M
dertaken because OF the business engage
ments OF the supervising architect nl. TIN
Treasury, who had so much 10 do d
Washington in tho office 10 which III,
President had appointed him US u mCmbe
OF the Board OF Public Works. The pro
perperson TO whom the erection of the pub
lie buildings should be entrusted was
reputable architect residing in the locality
The bill was advocated by Messrs
SHELL.ABARGER, TYNER and POTTER, ant
1t was stated in the course ofthe discussion
that the bill was q test question 10 be ap
piled 10 other places where public build
ings were asked for, and the aggregation
Of which, according 10 MIR. GARFIELD
would amount to about $20,0OO,0OO.
MIR. GARFIELD made another appeal 10
the House not 10 pass the bill, because
after 1t there would come in bills for Gin
cinnati, Columbus, Newark, San Francis
co and other cities. The Public Work
Of the United States had last year SIS,
4l3,00S appropriated for them, and aitei
the Secretary Of the Treasury had GU
down the estimates Tor the coming yeal
as low as lie thought they ought to Bt
cut down, the total was swelled to $40,
46S,0O0, not including Chicago or Sain
Louis. The cost Of public buildings wa.
already % per cent OF oil expenses Of thC
Government.
Mr.. DoRaEN replied to Mr.. GARFIELD
and argued in support Of the pending bill
and Of like bills for the ports OF Huron
Michigan and other cities. '
Mr., GARFIELD called for the yeas ant
nays, but they were refused, and the bill
passed without division. -f
Mr.. DAWES, Chairman of the Commit
tee ON Ways and Means, reported bill
to repeal import duties on tea and coffee
in obedience TO an order Of the House yes
terday, and he asked leave to make &
statement and to request the House tc
have the bill recommitted.
MIR. MERCUR objected.
MIR. DAWES thereupOn declined to re
port the bill, as he was not permitted tc
make preliminary statements. The
House went into Committee of the Whole
State Union, and took up the naval ap
preparation bill, on which debate was
limited.
Mr.. HALE, whoreported the bill open
ed the discussion. The reduction Of the
government expenditures he said, was de
mande1 by the people and by majority
Ofthe House, but such a reduction was O.
little account if it was merely spasmodic
II must be regular from year 10 year
The total amount appropriated for thu
current fiscal year was SO, ,794,717, being
saving Of about 81 100000 in the flsca
year ending June 30, 1878. 1t was be
lieved that the sum contained in the Bill
would cover all the expenses Of the Navy
Department, and that no deficiency bill
would be asked for. The cost of the navy
for the seven years preceding the war wa.
rs follows: 1856, $14 $4,000; 1866, $t5,
OH 900; 1857, $14, ,4S0 600; 1858, SID, $50,
900; 1859, $15,S47, 900; 1880, $l4,077, 900
1861, $14 $50, 90; so that the average an
nual expenditure for those years in peace
and cheapness of commerce, was abou
$l5.0 100000. He invited comparison
between that rate Of expenditure and tht
present rate. F..g ~. 3.4 ~
Mr.. CONNER referred 10 the fact that thl
navy had been gradually decreasing unit
now VIC had but twentynine vessels Il
commission mounting $50 guns, and III
asked Mr. HALEto harmonic his state
ment with the real fact. +9j..
Mr.. HALE said the gentleman from
Texas was altogether too impatient. II,
would refer to that point when he came t;
1t. He mentioned the fact that the mum
ber ofmen to which the navy was limite(
was $500, while the British navy had 64,
900 men, and ifthe nation should get init
war it would be impossible to send ou
three additional vessels all fully arnet
with the present force to which the nav
was limited. He admitted that there hal
been appropriated $5000O0,000 for thu
navy during the four years OF war, ant
that tho people had o right to know wha
had become OF that money, and of III,
ships which should have been built. II,
was sorry to say that the investigation
showed badly for the use Of money af
fecting the future. He did not wOnde
that people would be susceptible as Il
the assertion that VIC have no navy, O
that members would hesitate twice be
fore they would appropriate more money
for more naval expenditure. The who'll
point Of his argument was that blam
should fall where it properly rested
There was no navy as legacy from III,
past, and if the country had not now
respectable naval establishment the,
should not grumble at any expense tina
was inevitable. OF thesix hundred an,
fifty vessels which the navy was pos
sessed OF during the war, only one hun
dred and seVcnty.nine vessels OF al
classes remain, Of the rest some had beel
burned or sunk, or been sold; OF score
and flities OF others lie did not knov
their fate; he had not been able to fol
low them; they were not on the hand
of the Department, and the Department
was not responsible for them: the,