National Republican., 1883-01-22

bill as one Of the most important ever sub
mitted in regard to the naval service of the
country. 1t proposed large expenditures. II
proposed what was claimed to be land what
in some measure was) a reform in the service.
The present condition of the navy was la
mentally weak and defenscless. He concurred
in the views expressed by Mr.. Calkins, that
the legislation in the bill should not have
been inserted by the committee on appropria-
tions. One might well inquire what were the
offices and functions of the naval committee
Why was It that these measures, which appro-
priately should come from the care and labor
and study of the naval committee, did not come
from 1t. The effect of the proposed changes
in this bill was TO disturb the harmony of the
service, to breed jealousy, to promote favor
itism, to increase tho retired list, and to en-
hance the pay of the navy. He opposed
and CONNECTED upon several provisions
of legislation in the bill, especially
attacking the retirement clause, which
would discriminate against the line and in
favor of the staff and would foment discord in
the service. That clause, he contonded,
would increase the retired list of the navy to
such an extent as to bring the service into
disrepute before the country. The bill seemed
to appropriate S15,000,000, but he could show
that IL in reality appropriated over $23 600 900,
and the difference would have to be provided
for as n deficiency by the next congress. Ho
called attention to the appropriation of$l50000
for the completion of one of the monitors by
contract, and TO the further provision that no
contract shall be entered into for the compile
tion ofany of these vessels until the terms
thereof shall be approved by the board, which
shall approve only such contracts as may be to
the best advantage of the government, at the
total cost not to exceed the amounts estimated
by the advisory board. Tho clause was in
tended, in his Judgment, to confer authority
on the secretary ofthe navy to complete the
H.. a nAn OAA IPn nnn N
would he necessary for that purpose.
Mr.. Hiscock said that the bill intended to
complete but one monitor and If the Ian
guage which the gentleman quoted might be
construed differently he would assent to its
being amended.
Mr.. Whitthorne expressed himself as con-
tented with that answer, but stated that
there would be large deficiency in tho
appropriation for the construction Of the new
cruisers.
Mr.. Harris inquired whether Mr.. Whit
thorno was ready to vote at the present time
the full amount necessary to complete the
vessels and received an affirmative answer.
Mr.. O'Neill said that his objection to this
section was that IL was in the line of closing
the navy yards in which these vessels could
be properly built.
Mr., Thomas, n member of tho naval corl-
mittee, made statement as to the labors of
the committee in attempting to determine
upon some manner of reconstructing the navy
and the Indifference shown by the house to
the reports which had been submitted as q re-
suit of these labors After going into ex-
haustive and interesting details as to the
weakness of the navy, Mr.. Thomas drew the
conclusion that the United States possessed
only thirty-eight vessels capable of going to
sea, and many of those were old and time
worn and redoubtable only in time of peace.
In view of this humiliating condition of
;g
he thought that adequate appropriations
should be made for completing the new ves-
sells adequate for the needs of the country
He then referred to the tOpheaviness of the
service, and was interrupted by Mr.. Hiscock
with the question as to how he would remedy
that evil
Mr.. Thomas replied that If the committee
on appropriations had not usurped the rights
of the naval committee but had consulted
that committee as to what should be DONE the
gentleman from New York would not now
have to interrupt him to ask such q question
The pruning knife should be used in earnest
at the long list of useless officers who incum-
bered the naval register. Whether ships were
built or not this dead wood ought to be cut
out He commended the action of the COM
mittee on appropriations in abolishing the
rank of commodore as being q step in the
right direction, but he expressed his disap-
proval of the retirement clause.
Mr.. Knott said that he wished to call the
attention of the house to some curious facts
disclosed by the naval register There were
in commission thirty steaming vessels, and
for them there were 293 engineer officers at
an aggregate pay of S642O0O for sea duty
Though these gentlemen might understand
their duties theoretically he undertook to say
that with the exception of a few men like
Melville, none Of them had ever had n mon
key wrench or an oil can in their hands since
they had been in the service. Twenty-Five
officers of this engineer corps were so loaded
down with rank and dignity that there was
not ship in the navy big enough to hold
them. If some indiscreet secretary of the
navy should order n chief engineer, q pay
director, and a medical inspector for duty on
the same ship the vessel would inevitably
sink. There was not craft afloat which
could sustain sOmuch official rank and dignity.
Laughter.1 He then proceeded to compare the
pay of the staff officers with that of the line in
order to show that line officer received $500
less pay than the staff officer, two grades
lower in rank. There was another corps of
which the country had heard great deal
the marine corps-which had long list of
officers. The duties of every one of these
officers could be as well performed by an
officer detailed from the line of the navy, and
if he had the opportunity he would offer an
amendment looking to that result. He would
also offer amendments for the gradual abOli-
tion Of the pay corps, and for reduction in
the engineer corps He opposed the provision
in the bill for sea service requirement. and
for compulsory retirement at stated ages, con-
tending that taken together and enacted
into law they could virtually destroy
the line of the navy, and would demoral-
iZe the young men of the service.
Mr.. Harris, of Massachusetts,, chairman of
the committee on naval affairs, said that, after
eight years experience on that committee, he
had hoped to have brought forward q bill
which would be of benefit to the navy; but
the bill which had been perfected with so
much care lay upon the calendar and would
never be reached. The naval committee had
never been accorded one hour to discuss the
important bill which it had reported. He
did not complain of the appropriation COM
mittee, but he did complain of the rules
of the house, which put it in tho
power of that committee to crush out all
other committees. The naval committee
had recommended the construction of two
steel cruisers of the largest size, and had also
recommended an appropriation sufficient to
complete and arm those vessels. Tho latter
recommendation had not been agreed to by
the committee on appropriations. There was
no use Of building ships if tho government
had no ordnance to put upon them. England
had armed herself with the Armstrong
gun and all Europe with tho Krupp gun, and
our officers ought to know what gun the
United States should put on her ships. Tho
truth was that tho ordnance bureau had gone
to sleep Mt the end of the war and had not yet
awakened. There was an appropriation of
100000 in the bill for the purchase of torpe-
does He protested against that appropriation
hppaugp hp hplipvpd that the entire suIn tvnuTI