National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1879-01-23
SEN.lrE.

Referred.
MIR DORSEY presented the petition Of William
Forsyth, late Surveyor of the District of Columbia
asking Il compensation for his services Referred.
Mr. GARtANp, from the Committee Oh Pnblic'
Lands. submitted minority report, signed 10y HIM
self, Oh the claim of william McGarrNhan to the
Rancho panoche Grande, in California together
with bill placing all the claimants to that rancho
ii..ee Comr o. Claims WIZ the rEt . "ppsII' to
the tnblc. and ordered that the bill and report be
printed.
rect an error in the sundry civil appropriation bill
for the present 6senl year. us to allow the Com
mlssoncrs of The District of Columbia TO pay for
Migrants committed to the Relnrm school,
Bils were introduced us follows aud referred:
ny Mr. DAVIS qlll: TO prevent and punish tho
bnnds, and other securities OF ioreign governments
Referred 10 the Committee on the Judiciary.
By Mr. DoBsEY; Relating to the rank of certain
retired army officers.
Mr.. WnYfr presented the petition OF tho yearly
meeting Of friends OF Maryland, complaining Of
The evils Contemporaries, and asking appropriate
legislation to prevent II.
Mr.. MonlttL called up House bill to facilitate
The reflndjug Of the national debt
lii explanation of the bill he said il met the
unanimous approval Of the Committee Oh Finance
u simply provided that private parties might eX
change their or per cent bonds with the Treas
ury Mt par. and receive interest for three months,
Tho Same as national banks and syndicales had re-
reyed. The bin was then read third time and
passed without amendment.
Mr.. BuRNslpE from the Committee on Army Re
equalization, submitted tabular statements in rcla
Ton to the present and proposed Organization OF
the army. Ordered that they be printed
The Senate then proceeded TO consider bills ON
The calendar and the following were passed:
senate bill to pay Major r 7. 4. Hail. paymaSter
nihe United states army, S3.lil.39 the amount of
which he was defauded by the crininalact OF his
clerk, and for which suid clerk had been CON
ViGtcd
senGte bin to declare certain lands granted to the
Pacific Railroad Companies by acts Of July l. 1867.
aud July . 1851 subject to taxation by The State or
Territory in which they may be locnted
Mr. EDMuSDS moved to postpone the further con-
sidcrution Of the calendar and take up the rtsou-
lions submitted by him on the eth instant, declar-
Ing the thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteenth
smendments of The Constitution Of the United
Mr. BIAINE snid the naval appropriation bill
would come up nj 1880 D. m, as the unfinished bus
ines having been postponed from yesterday at his
request that he might submit some remarks in re.
gard to the amendments lie then submitted. lie
hoped The Senator from Vermont would withdraw
his motion.
Mr.. THurMAS snid If the Senator from Vermont
desired TO make . speech ON his resolutions OF
course there would DC reply from the Democratic
side of the Chamber II, on the other hand. the
Senator did not desire to speak, those on the Dem
ocrGtc side of the Chamber would determine for
themselves whether they would silently vote or
whether they would give their reason.
why the Senator from Maine mir. Blainel should
not proceed with his remarks to-day and therefore
he would vote against the motion of the Senator
ffDm Vermont. IL was custom OF the Senate
When Senator had given notice that he desired
To- address the body to permit him to DO SO az me
time named by him, IL would not be proper 10
dlsplRce the Senator from Maine, especially by n
matter not requiring haste.
Mr.. EDMuNDs said he stated to the Senator from
Maine yesterday, when he gave notice that he
would speak to-day, that he tMr. Edmunds) would
call up the resolutions indicated by him
The motion of Mr.. Edmunds to take up the
uUns was last and lat hRlfpast one D. M the
Senate resumed consideration of the naval appio'
priution bill.
Mr. DAWES submitted an amendment providing
HAT ii the amount appropriated for any item OF
pay OF the Quargruastcrs Department OF the Ma
rlno Corps for the present fiscal year shall prove
insufficient it may be made up from the excess in
any other appropriation of the bill upon the writ.
ten consent OF he Secretary of the Navy Discussed
aud then laid aside for thcpreSent.
Mr.. BLAINE then had reOd the amendments Of
which he gave notice yesterday, providing for The
appointment of q board Of three naval officers 10
Inquire as to the number of officers required for a
navy of 1900 men, aud also whether any of the
present nayy-yards may he dispensed with provid.
Ing further TINT from aud after July l. 1888. only
such number of graduates Of the United States
Naval Academy shall lie entitled TO appointment n'
mdShipmcn as are required 10 I'LL vacancies al
that grade existing on the LIST of July In each year
those entitled TO appointment 70 be determined by
The academic board, oil the basis OF their standing
In the graduating class.
Dlr. ED,IuNi,s reserved the right to object to the
amendments, on l!e ground that they proposed
new legislation. lie would not ask 70 have The
point decided now he did not want 10 cut on the
remarks Of the Senator from Maine (AIr Blaine.
Mr.. BLAINE said lie desired 10 say in advance
that in the remarks lie might make he did not In.
tend to crCise any administration of the Navy
Department, either present or past aud st les, by
corps of officers of the navy. should he reflect upon
my Department of the Government 1t would be
upon that OF which lie had had the honor 10 be q
member for a considerable number OF years. II
was the duty Of Congress to make reforms and cor
rect errors aud not leave the matter 10 the Secretary
off, he Navy and Bureau officers. AT the same time
he would speak his mind freely about the present
condition of the navy, and especially the large
number of officers. Congress had limited the mum.
Der of men of the navy at 1900, and for that 1906
men we had total of2O20 officers, or one officer "a
The British navy, which has 800 steam vessels
md a total of 19i vessels, had 1890 officers, with
In commission about 2i3 vessels, and available fol
service quite five times as many MS we have. 1t had
nine or ten times as many sailors and Ave times
many ships, but only about two and half times u,
many officers as We have. The French navy had
529 line officers and in point Of number of yesseb
that navy was almost as large as the British navy
of course all know II wos not so effective. These
facts were worthy Ofattention For the great navy
pfGrcat Britain, the largest and most effective HI
the world there were two great nGyy-yUrds anC
two subordinate ones
France had three great yards and two Subordl
nOo ones while We on six degrees of coaSt latitud,
had seven nOyyyNrds The one vt Pensacola wa,
necessary for Gulf uses, and certainly the one OF
The Pacific coast was a necessity The pay of thc
officers of our navy ON the active list amounted u
over 1854 GOO Annually For those on the retlrct
list sob 800 while the Pay Of petty officers aud sea
of course the top.he0yy condition of the service
From the Naval Academy We were now turninl
out annually an average of fifty officers. Now h,
asked that from and after 1883 the graduates from
the Naval Academy should not be entitled to com
missions except upon merit, and TO Ill any
vacancy which may at the time exist
Pass the law now mud every cadet In the academy
would understand that his entry into the service
depended upon his stm,ding at graduating. n,
matter how many should graduate let those Onl!
enter the service who stand highest upon the list
by dispensing With surplus officers and useless
nSvy-yRrds we could largely reduce the expense
Of the navy, We are trying the experiment o
building IL navy nom the top
Mr.. EATON, And the result VIII be that It will &,
down, Laughter
Mr.. BLAINE Qesuming) argued that was impoSsl
bic TO make navy by graduating cadets from TN
Naval Academy, You could not improYiSe sailO
my more than you could mpruyise a mountain
He has TO grow. Unless there was Il Commercial
marine TO build from wo could have no navy
There never was navy which did not grow out o
Rcommercial marine, ana IN lh0, respect we wer
Badly deficient
The commerce Of the world had entirely chnngc,
within the past twenty years, and We might us wei
arm our soldiers with bows and arrows as to ne
build the mercantile marine with sailing vessels
We stood Today furnishing almost as much oceaI
freight as any two countries of the world aud gain
Ing nothing from H. so little that II only serve,
10 point the moral. We paid Ia one year SIS 10000
gold for freight aud he said 10 the chairman Of tn
Committee on Finance that II would not hc posi-
bic thing for this country 10 maintain specie ne
sumption with that drRn upon It's resources Ill
spoke OF the resumption Of specie payments il
1901, and said wo resumed upon freight none,
wl LIT 10 Al. IA