Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1884-12-26
NAVAL AFFAIRS.
Extracts from the Report Of Sec.
Rotary Chandler.
nc Three New Ships II chcd-Thc No
cessity for Torpedo Boats-Too Many
Navy neutrality-suspicious. and Es-
tinates-Suegcstions.
SECRETARY cnASDLEn's REPORT.

port of the Secretary OF the Navy was made
public yesterday. Secretary Chandler says
three new ships have been successfully
launched. and it has been sl,owa that our
stcel-makers can readily furnish excellent
material in large quantities, its high quality
being assured by the tests adopted. The de-
partment is confirmed in the opinion tina
the criticisms advanced last year against
The new ships were OF lite moment
or based upon theories at variance with the
progress of modern ship-building. Compar-
iSons of the speed of the new cruisers with
that OF the great transatlantic racing
steamers are unfair, because the latter at
tain their speed only by a sacrifice of the
qualities that are essential to a ship-of-war.
They are unprotected, unwieldy, and enor-
NOUS in draft and dimensions In a number
of them the pressure for very high
speed is small, and the new cruisers could
overtake nincty-siX per cent. Of the mcr-
chant steamers of the world. 1.-THE rates of
speed assigned to the new ships are based
on a very conservative calculation of their
probable performance, and they will UNI
doubtedly exceed the estimates; but the
first unarlned cruisers of the new American
fleet arc not intended for comparison in
tINN't NiAii NisN sbiI'i'NNNSN' itSNiliS SIiilbo Va
enormous size, or in defensive power with
the modern iron-clads.
The department. i'll adopting the recon-
mendation Of the Advisory Board for addi-
tional new vessels, calls special attention to
the necessity for torpedo boats. In general
the Secretary recommends the construction
OF seven modern cruisers annually forf
period OF ten years. Such u plan, he says
while conforming to the conservative de-.
anands OF our National policy and atforting
ample time for adopting every new device
81 construction, would give the country, at
81 moderate cost, a navy adequate to train
It's officers and maintain its safety and
honor.
In regard to the existing navy Secretary
Chandler says:
1t appears from the condition of the fleet
llat at The end of fifteen years the only cruis-
lne vessels in the present list remaining will
Alert and the Ranger. The real explanation
OF the diFproportion between the expenditures
end the results accomplished in the naval nd.
lninistration is TO be found i'll the policy of ut.
tempting at great cost to rchabilitate worm
out structures under the name of repairs,
Repair and construction in the absence
terchAngeabse, and the published state
ment of expenditures under the
first name d>ring many years shows that it is
only too apt TO mean the second. Tho bu-
heaus are Unrestricted i'll their expenditures
for repairs except by the gross amount of
their annual appropriations. The practice of
tcconstIucting vessels under the name of re-
pair is only Il preteXt upon hitch our over
grown nnvy-snrd establishments could be
justified, and it appears that instead of main-
tanning our yards for the advantage and ben
Cit of our ships, have dragged out q protract-
ed existence for the benefit OF tho yards.
Concerning. the navy yards, the Secretary
holds that only two naval workshops should
be maintained on the Atlantic coast and
AM ON t1,a 11ooit;o rNho Nnu, o-la. ...I
should be restored to Connecticut and
League Island yard to Philadelphia. The
Boston yard should be sold or reduced in
size. The Pensacola and the Portsmouth
yards may be kept fornaval stations. The
workshops would then be at New York,
Norfolk and Mare Island. These needed
certain Improvements in their organization:
First, all politics should be excluded from
their management; second, the RESPONSE
bility for the work must be more definitely
fixed.
The G%un-foundry Board was ]reconvened
IN April to decide on full plans and csti-
mates to carry out its recommendations. 1t
has obtained information that there are re-
sponsible steel manufacturers in this coun-
try who, although not provided at. present
With the necessary plant, are willing to
construct the same and to make bids for
contracts with the Government for a supply
OF material for the heaviest guns, if guar
anteed that orders Of sufficient magnitude,
with a positive appropriation covering Il
series Of years, shall be made by Congress.
Secretary Chandler next details the facts
connected with frauds i'll the Bureau of
Medicine and Surgery. The amount OF sus-
pected vouchers is S124, 1876, extending over
u period from 1876 to 1854. The Surgeon
General neglected to require the customary
,n1i1nrao fb11 fh0 roads l,,l ),oo, o.,:,.
The frauds were made easier by the fire.
fluent use of the exigency clause, under
switch the purchases are made without ad-
Vertising.
The expenditures of the department for
the fiscal year ended juno 30, 1884, were
$780, COL The estimate for the ordinary
purposes and public work for the next fiscal
year is S17,SG0,65S, and the estimates for
the increase of the navy, $15,O7l,572. OF
this latter sum about onc-half will be need
ed for the coming fiscal year.
The Secretary comments severely uDOn
Che existing practice of securing the solic-
itation of persons possessed of political and
social influence in behalf OF officers,
whether for the purpose of obtaining agree.
able duty or OF etfecting the restoration, by
legislation, OF those who have been dis
missed for drunkenness or other miscon-
duct, OF for incapaclty. He says that
such RESERVATIONS demoralize the sevice.
Public opinion should sternly condemn
all who have been guilty Of miscon-
duct. as well as those who lend themselves
to efforts for. the restoration of officers re-
HnoycM- In discussing this subject he refers
80 the Presidents veto message Oh the Fitz
John Porter bill as pointing out the UNI
constitutionalty of such legislation, and as
showing that the Constitution has provided
an e~ffectual barrier to any restoration by
legislation of particular officers"
III conclusion the Secretary dwells upon
the close connection between the improve
rnent of the navy and the development of
the merchant marine, and shows that to
make the latter commensurate with trade.
the coast line, and number and wealth OF
the commercial cities, it is necessary to have
great lines of ocean steamships of high
speed and large capacity, carrying
the flag to the most distant lands,
and saving to the American people
the vast profits of the carrying trade.
The only way to accomplish this result,
Ale says, is through direct encouragement
given by the Government, either in the
form Of bounties upon the construction OF
by payment for carrying the mails, so thai
American capitalists will be induced to en-
bark in the business. The recent enactment
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