Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1879-02-05

UARY 49, 1879,
On the bill making appropriations for the
naval service for the year ending June 80,
1850, and for other purposes.
In any remarks | shall make on the naval
appropriation bill, Mr.. President. desire to
say in advance that neither in word or spirit
do intend to- criticise the administration of
the Navy Department, either present or past
and still less do intend bv the remotest poss-
iblc implication to make any reflection upon
the corps of officers who make up the Navy of
the United States. have no desire nor have
| any grounds to reflect on either, and If
reflect on any department of the government
it will be on that of which I have had the
honor to form part for considerable num-
ber of years. If there be anv fault to be
criticised. if there be any practice to be re-
formed, If there be any reorganization that Is
desirable and demanded, it is for Congress to
do it. and if it should have been made before,
il is the fault of Congress not TO have made
il, and not the fault of either Secretary or
bureau chief. or line, or staff warrant Off
Ger in the Navy
At the same time Mr.. President, / must
speak my mind very freely about what | CON
slider the present condition of the Navy, and
first and especially about the large number
of officers the Navy contains. We have linn
tied the Navy by law to 900 men, and for
those 100 men, taking in commissioned Off
GERS of staff and line AMI warrant officers,
and not counting the retired list, of course.
which should not lie brought into the discus
sion, we have total of . ,l20 officers. or we
have to-day one officer to three men and
fraction, in the Navy. That is excessive. |
should infer without any knowledge on
the subject, and of course as to the organiza-
/ . q t1,A n l.
much; but should infer on the mere state
ment that it was excessive: and to prove it
must be excessive, | have here the last regis
ter Of the British Navy. Our Navy, as |
have said, is limited to 1900 men. We have
in all in the Navy to-day 81 vessels. We
have 3s to-day, | believe, in commission, as
the term is, and we have, as | have already
remarked, 2,020 officers Take the British
navy, which has 500 steam vessels of war,
and a total, including all that belongs TO the
Navy, ofi94 vessels. They have $3.50 officers,
with something over 10000 men, in the navy.
They have available for naval service more
than five times the vessels in number, and
far more than that proportion in effective
force; and while they have between nine and
ten times as many sailors as we have. they have
less than twice and a half the number of Off
GERS. Or, if you choose to take it in another
form, throwing out the warrant officers and
taking simply the officers of the line, reject
ing the staff, we show a total of about 800
and counting the cadets who are counted al
o0o and ,ho Dr;,i.o .[o,, an,.;,,s, th.. 10.
1900.
| Tho comr,r;.on il anita os d;,oouro,;,,, e
welnnt ~ th, Erorcl, nav which no. 81 ~
limo ot,cors ~ :, ,oo and I al'n hold ,ha
French naval register in my hand, or a book
which contains the statistics The French
noy, in ,n;n, of n,,n,har nf voss,I. i .iv,"1.
~ larga ,s ,,,o nr;,;sh navv of onursn ,,,a
all Inow tbat II i no, a. ctf,c,;yo I'm, i i
mem times n. iaryo as onrs .,nd ,,,t ,ha I;no
officers of ,ho n,vv of France il no, mora
than ,,onh,a ,hn In. ofi.ar, ,e ,l' ro.
| ,hn Tn;toJ S,,,os noss;hIr -. sha,lo mo-, ,ion
,Ionhlo I ;,fnr ,I,at thog, f,n,s .ro ,ror,i,,
| az ,,,r .,,,n,;o,, ;nfor ,hnt no., 49,, L;
n navy far moro numerous in the denortmnnt
of nfcars than ra rron;ro IN tho nnm,hnr ~
| .L;ns nr t,,n ,u,,bor nf ,,,o ,,h;oh Lo,n
limited il hv Inv
Takc tbe novv-vords For tho immcp.e
navy nf Cre,t Hrit.i, the I,rgc.t ,rd most
effective in tho world tbero aro IN ,Lo ,LoIa
island two ,,root n,yv.yor1. ch,tho,,, a,1
pnr+u.uth aud tyrc suhor,;n,,n nnns ot
SLo.rnoss and Dnyopnort ,n,l; IN III ,,,,r
Tho Erench nav has tbrna nr;nc;noI rarJ.
Chnrhorrg Rro:t and 'ron,on anj ,u,o snh'
nrIiroto g. ., pnchat,rt anJ 7 ar;an. W.
harnon ,h;s on.st fron, la,i,nio a. do,r.oos 80
latitude a degrees on G degrees ofcoast lati-
tnJ. sovon nayv.y,,Js Wnhavoonaatwn
;npton ono at Zorfnlk ono ot pbiIadoL,hi,
ono in Now YorL ono j., ,oss. ;f No, =, ssss
NJ Now IonJon nnn ,t Chnrln.,nn and onn
-, Ei,tor, mr. portsmontb 0f course th.t i
hevond all nossihIe requirement of our M
W. Webavconc at Pensacola which itis nre-
snmod is necessary IN retain far tbe Culfuses
and certainly the one ON the Pacific coast i.
absolutely essential but that anv nerson can
in,er that ON s;x drgrees Of nur coast lat;tudn
we need seven navv-varls is n vast stretch
of imapinution.
Imight have said whom was discla;m;,g
any nossible intention of either arra;,nipg
the civil dcnartment of the Navv or the l;pe
officers themselves that have ma ;ntantinn
nf making .nv n,r,is,n accusat;on and stiIl
Lose any Intention nf m,l;nr am, nor,iso,
rorfns.ion Jo NOT Jns;ro tn ;ncrInoto
c;,hnr n,rt, mr. to oxcn,nata o;thor AMI so
Cav III tIosa .,,-,,aris avoo,,t a., -, "
ono a. Nn,r Inn,,on aro oonnarraJ tho,
,nn,o do,n ~ ~ frou, ..,ho ,,onI Iii J.vs of
1,,,,>,an.,,;n -, W. G;rIan;tol H.,
| w '.''' ''''N y. w ""''' W "'''' ~" '''f