The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1882-07-29
LATEST I'ELEGRAMS.
XLVII CONGRESS
REGULAR SESSION.
SENATE

TleTS passed.
The Senate bill for the publics
ton OF the tenth census passed.
The naval appropriation bill wa
read for action on committee amend
ments.
Miller, of California, moved al
amendment to portions regulaGin,
the active list of staff corps Of thu
navy by substituting a provision fol
a commission to consider all matter,
relative to a proper reduction of the
otiicial list of the navy, and the ad
ju3tment Of the several grades anC
corps, and report next session.
In points of erder by Hale enc
Rollins, the chair ruled that al
amendments made by the Senate
committee changing the House
general legislation were out Of order
on appropriation bills.
Call appealed and the Senate re-
fused to table the appeal.
The committees act dividing the
140 surgeons on the active list into
three classes was then ruled out OF
order by the chair and the decision
was sustained by the Senate.
Hale endeaVored to secure an un.
derstanding by which the question
Of order would be avoided as To
other committee amendments in
volving change in the existing
laws, but objection was made and nc
arrangement was reached. The bill
was proceeded with as in committee
Of the whole, the amendments
making changes in respect to there
tirement of naval officers and pro-
motion on the retired list, and allow
ing any vacancy among rear
admirals to be filled by the Presi-
dent. The nomination of Captain
Wall as commodore was accordingly
ruled out. The amendment making
prohibition against promotion to
the grade of commodore immedi-
ately operative, instead of on July
lst, 1888, as proposed by the House,
was objected to by Williams, and
voted down by less than a quorum
of Is to Is. Upon the question Of
order being voted upon as to other
amendments, Allison, of the appre-
priatiOn committee, construed this
as an attempt to accomplish by in
direct ways the purpose sought to
be accomplished by the recommittal
OF the bill, to which the Senate had
refused to assent. In urging the
bad policy of this he said if the Sen
ate did not amend these provisions
it will be cut off from any jurisdic-
ton over them hereafter in confer
ence committee. This would prac-
tically compel the Senate to take the
bill exactly as it came from the
House. The committee amend
ments in regard to the number and
promotion of lieutenants having
been ruled out, the House provision
was conse quently restored.
Hale moved to make the number
225 instead of 200, so the subject
might remain an open one between
the two houses. Agreed to. The
provision passed in this shape. The
various changes reported by the
committee in the itenaS of appro-
priation were agreed to without de-
bate. The amendment was dis
pensed with. The civil force at the
navy yards was agreed to, but the
question of order was raised upon
the proviso that not less than two
navy yards shall be maintained
upon the Atlantic and Gulf coasts
and one upon the Pacific Coast, and
this was ruled out. The question of
order was raised by Blair upon the
item limiting the repairs of wooden
vessels to those upon which the cost
of repairs is not over 80 per cent. Of
the appraised value. The commit
tee had amended this by fixing 20
per cent. as the limit.
The chair, Harris, ruled the
amendment out.
ingalls, said the United States had
three great elements in a great navy
"a corps of skillful, trained and
efficient officers, some heroic tradi-
tons and a great abundance of
water. 1t had 21,009 miles of I'M
defended sea coast, and in case Of an
invasion it could rely upon the as
sistance of 40 vessels Of all
dimensions, of which but thirty
seven could possibly be rendered
effective in case of war.
1t had been said the condition Of the
navy was attributable to the parsi-
mony of Congress. A complete re-
futation of that statement could be
found in the fact that since the war
more than S30O,O00,OOO had been
spent upon the navy, for which the
country had to show only thirty
eight effective vessels. The reason
there was no navy was because the
money that had been appropriated
had been misappropriated and
souandered. He was in favor Of
putting in this bill some limit which
would prevent the extraordinary
waste and profusion which hereto
fore prevailed, and in consequence
of which the United States had
only this beggarly account to show.
On motion of Hoar an amendment
was adopted providing that nothing
herein contained shall deprive the
secretary of the navy of authority
to order repairs of ships damaged in
foreign waters. -
Doot orava Dotioa Of n DroDo5ad