The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1879-01-23
CONGRESS.
RlaIne and Beek Discuss the Naval Ap
preparation NH.
WASHINGTON, January %.
EPNArr

10 OpOStpOnetnelr turtner consideration ant
take up his resolution declaring valid tn
Thirteenth, Fourteenth aud Fifteenth
amendments.
Several Senators objected, as Mr.. Blain,
had given notice that he would speak to
day on the naval appropriation bin.
After some remarks by Mr.. Conkling II
favor OF Mr.. Edmunds' proposition, III,
Senate rejected 1t, and the consideration
OF the naval appropriation bill was re
sumed.
Mr.. Blaine spoke in favor OF his amend
ments submitted yesterday.
Mr. Blaine said that he desired to say II
advance, that In the remarks he nigh
make he did not intend to critiCise an,
administration OF the Navy Department
It was the duty Of Congress to make re
lorins and correct errors and not leave The
matter TO the Secretary OF NAVY and
Bureau officials. He spoke OF tho large
number ofotficers inthe navy, saying thai
We had one officer to little over three
men. BY dispensing with the surplus
officers and useless navy yards we could
largely reduce the expenses of the navy,
There never was navy which did moi
grow out ofa commercial marine, and in
that respect We were sadly deficient,
We stood to-day furnishing almost
as much ocean freight as any two
countries OF the world, and gaining moth.
ing from it, or so little, 1t only served 10
point the moral. We paid IN one wear
Wy, 100000 in gold for freight, and he
(Blalne) said to the Chairman OF the Com.
mittee on Finance (Morrill) that It would
not be possible thing for this country to
maintain specie resumption with that
draft on its resources. In the last ten
years we had sent and brought between
SIl ,000, 100000 and ST., 900 O0O, 900 worth
OF products, and the freight, with the pas.
sengers attached thereto, paid over s., ,I0O,.
100000. Out OF that the European
nations got i00O,0O0,OOO, yet we
continued appropriating for our ma.
w to protect the commerce which
did not exist he asked that Congress would
give TO the revivaloi commerce, some part
OF the sum now being wasted on the navy,
He believed that four or five million dol.
lars could he taken from the navy without
impaiting It's efficiency, and this four or
five million dollars would turn fifty mil.
lion dollars into our Golfers. The Govern.
ment OF the United States should give to
any man, or company Of men, aid from
the Treasury OF the United States, II he or
they would establish and maintain a line
OF steamships TO any foreign port; he
might limit 1t to any European, South
American or Asiatic port. He would in.
vite competion from all over the country,
Mr.. Beck said he felt some amazement
that the Senator from Maine should in.
dulge in such q TRADE OF abuse against the
bill for free ships which he Beck intro.
duced. The Senator (Blaine) was a mem.
ber OF the Committee on Appropriations
as well as himself, and that Senator had
failed to lay before the committee a single
grievance Of which he complains now. He
had no right to seek to introduce new lee.
lsIation on the appropriation bill. The
Senator was member OF the Naval Com
mittee, and he could properly bring the
subject before that committee. He made
the point Of order that the amendments Of
Alr. Blaine could not be considered, as
they proposed new legislation. There
were six hundred ships in our navy when
the war closed. Most OF them we're sold
Tor scrap iron, or disposed of in way un-
known, to Congress. The Senator from
Maine was in the other house then. but
did not raise his voice against the abuses.
Mr.. Beck defended the present Secre.
try of the Navy, and said we had now
for the,firsttim in d number az wears n
Secretary of the Navy who obeSed The
law, whether he liked it or not; he was
the first Secretary that he (Beck) knew of
in the last 10 or 10 years who had paid
back into the TreasIary balance from
the appropriation for his department, in.
stead OF coming to Congress for millions of
deficiency. With the smallest appropria-
ton made for the Navy Department dur.
ing the last l2years, the Secretary for rhe
year, paid balance Of 100000. II other
executive officers OF this government
would be us economical in their respective
departments as the present Secretary of
the Navy, there would be general re.
form. Mr.. Beck spoke OF the 6ill which
ne introduced to grant American registers
to foreign built ships, and said it
could not be whistled down the wind,
Let our people buy their ships where
they could get them cheapest and com.
pete for carrying the trade OF the world.
VI all the great ships leaving the port OF
New York for ports beyond the Atlantic
not one carried the American nag. We
could not build ships because everything
that entered into their construction from
the smallest nail to the bunting at the
mast head was protected by a high tariff.
The Senator from Maine appealed to the
House to go into the Treasury and sub.
sidize line OF steamers and thus tax the
people. The bill to pay arrears OF pom.
slons,, which passed tho House u few days
ago, ho (Beckl believed would take
one hundred millions from the Treasury,
Was an income tax to bc be levied
TO meet oil these expenses. Five
per cent upon the incomes q all the
persons In this country would hardly nav
arrears OF pensions. We could not i'm.
pose additional taxes on our people and
call upon them to Give! Give! Give! He
(Beck( sought to make the American flag
supreme on every sea, but he would wipe
out all protective tariff laws. Five and a
half millions Of dollars had been paid for
llshorles for tho hoH0(t OF Now Ehplsnd.
but he would not object to that. Ken.
tucky paid s, ,S0o, 900 interest and revenue
taA IAst SeHIt Mullc MHlHc palu SIv,O01;
but kentucky asked nothing.
Mr., RlalnO said tho Senator from Kon.
lucky had supported the general legisla.
tive amendments to appropriation bills,
and so had the Senator from Vermont
Mr.. Edmunds. "'' ~
Mr.. Elmunds in reply, said he thought
Tor the hast tten years, he would not he Cor.
tain as TO the tune, because he dill moi
study his own rOOord as some people do,
who are more prominent Ia National az
fairs, and who have larger expectations
[Laughter.1 he had not voted ior any
general legislation on the appropriation
bill, but there may have been one or two
occasions In times Of high excitement thai
he voted for such amendments, and Inc
rule now existing, prohibiting such amend
ments should be RAhered IA IA,
lluring the colloquy between M[essrs
EdmunIs and Blaine, Blaine said that h
did not know anything that OCCURRED
which the Senator from Vermont did no
Nj. Edmunds-rhe Senator Is mistaken
do not even watch the Senator, becaus
] know 1t Is perfectly safe TO lot him rul