Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-11-24
NAVAL ARCHITECTURE.
Inc Sp@akership Contest, and Some-
thing About Mrs. Logan's Good Eng
1ish.


lish.
correspondence Of the Morning Neacs.
! WASHINGTON, Nov. 22.-Admiral ID. d.
Porter has taken a hand in the question ~
building new vessels for the navy. He re-
commends very strongly that the navy be
built up, but he does not like the wav that the
work has been commenced. He is down on
the new vessels now being built. His princi-
PAL objection to those vessels Is the fact that bv
the manner in which they are constructed the
san power will be totally subjected to
| steam power. He would have the vessels
luily equipped for cracking on every inch Of
| canvas possible, but also with full steam
power. Herein lies the PRINCIPAL difficulty to
getting an agreement among naval officers
as TO how vessels should be built. Nearly
every OLD officer looks with the
inevitable substitution of steam as
the power of propulsion to be principally
relied upon. Such change of course makes
seamanship, an accomplishment dear TO an
old officers, subordinate to a knowledge of
marine engineering. Ever since steam was
introduced into men-Of-war there has
been hot fight between line officers
and engineer officers. The former see
their superiority gradually slipping away
from them, and the road to the
highest honors in the service gradually
SatHg SSelhg the highway for skillful engineers.
Nothing could demonstrate this fact better
than the plans for the new vessels. The old
sea dogs view them with alarm" Admi-
raj Porter being an old sea dog, officially
enters has protest. The skirmishing between
the old officers ard the engineers
and younger officers will very
LIKELY have at least one marked
erect erect on the next Congress. Both sides want
the navy built up, and want lots more money!
The outcome will almost certainly be a wait
to see how the new vessels turn out before
making any further appropriations.
The Speakership is the subject of most of the
talk here. The headquarters OF the several
candidates are visited every day by many who
have votes, but by more who have
adherents of each candidate announce
in the hotel corridors that their man has made
decided "accessiOns." The most prevalent
talk that you hear at the different headquar-
ters consists of anecdotes and "reminiscences.
Next. the friends of each candidate take up
the figures furnished by the other candidates
and ridlcule them. This is a very satisfactory
way OF passing the time. 1t don't
fidence of the deepest dye There is
one feature of the contest that ought to be
mentioned. istelling on Mr.. Cox in the direst
KIND OF way. 1t Is only among his most init
maAe friends and adherents that Mr.. Cox
dares get off joke. This bottling up of his
jokes is changing him rapidly. If the final
settlement of the fight was six weeks of, Mr..
Cox would become as melancholy as Hamlet.
He depends for success mainly on accident
As to Mr.. Springer, it is a mystery why he is
running at all. He rejects with the proper
tons that he only wants an honorary vote and
good committee Craftsmanship. | talked
with Mr.: Springer to-day for half an hour.
When left his roOm-sO well and plausibly
had he put his case-that concluded to make
full tour of the other headquarters to see
how detected the other candidates must
be. Ihe other three showed me even more
conclusively than Mr.. Springer had done that
they were going to be elected. | felt like
going back to Mr.. Springer and seeing how
detected he must look.
hQpO qln to
tional issue into the fight. The effort was Re-
publican in its origin. The good sense of the
Democrats has been shown in a refusal to
have anything to do with such a scheme. Some
OF the followers of Mr.. Randall did
take IL up at first, but as soon as the latter
heard of it he quietly interviewed them, and
time Mr.. Randall has been candidate for the
Speakership, has favored him. He is for him
now, but there Is no sign of his taking any
active part IN the. tussle. The fight is still
evidently between Carlisle and Randall. Car
isles management OF his canvass, though not
as quiet and mysterious as the Randall man
agement. still shows great deal of tact.
IN THE LOBBY OF THE EBBITT HOUSE
to-day small group of men were standing
talking. One of them was an official of the
government printing office, another a citizen
of Illinois, and another newspaper man. In
one way or the other they got to talking
about John Logan and his well-knOwn
antipathy to the Kings English. Said the
government printing Office official: tOfcourse
Logan talks ungrammatieally. 1t is only a
habit, however-not the want of a knowledge
of what is correct. l have handled column
after column of his manuscript as it came to
the office in his handwriting. 1t was all right
did you never" asked the Illinois man,
notice a good many interlineatiOns was in
different hand writing from the body of the
manuscripts"
"Come to think of it, have" returned the
printing office man.
"Ah, / thought so,' said Illinois; "you do
not know what good English scholar Mrs.
Logan, the Senator's wife, is"
THE ADDITIONAL NUMBER OF CHAIRS
and desks to accommodate the increased
number of members have been placed in the
hall of Representatives. This addition
makes no very perceptible change
in the appearance of the hall.
Indeed, to One not very familiar with the ap-
pearance of things in the south wing of the
capitol no change whatever could be detected.
The desks are but little closer together than
they were before the change was made. Each
member Will have ample room, His quarters
will be in no way cramped. This result has
been accomplished by closing the blind alleys
which, dlverglng from the circular space di-
recty in front Of the Speakers desk, ran
half way back through the rows
of seats. These alleys afforded better facili-
ties than now exist for members whose desks
were in or near the middle Of one of the semi
circular rows, getting to their seats. 1t is an
immaterial change, however.
From the way the new members now here
talk the first day in the new House that there
is a call Of States and Territories for the in
PRODUCTION of bills promises to be something
appalling. 1t would appear that ever since
his election the average new member has been
sitting up nights preparing bills on all manner
POTONAC