Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-03-02
AT THE NATIONS CAPITAL
MIR. FINERTY EMPHASIZES OUR
NEED OF A NAVY.

Little Routine Work Transacted by
the House in a Short SessiOn-Over
S25O,0O0,OOO Paid on the National
Debt During FebrUary-The Coinage
of Silver Dollars
WASHINGTON, March I'm the House
to-day under the call of the committees
the following bills were reported:
By Mr.. Hammond, Of Georgia, from the
Committee on Judiciary-To change the
time of holding the terms Of court in the
Northern District of Georgia. 1t was re-
ferred to the House calendar.
BY Mr.. Wilkins, of Ohio, from the Com
mittee on Banking and Currency-To
provide for the issue of circulating notes
to national banking associations. 1t was
referred to the committee Of the whole.
Mr.. Buckner submitted minority report.
BY Mr. Reagan, from the Committee on
Commerce-TO establish a board Of inter-
State commerce and 10 regulate such
commerce. 1t was referred to the COM
mittee of the whole.
The House at 40 o'clock went into
committee Of the whole, with Mr.. Con-
verse, of Ohio, in the Chair, on the naval
appropriation bill.
Mr.. Thomas, of Illinois, condemned the
system Of comforting relative rank upon
the staff OF the navy, and called attention
to the thoroughly helpless condition Of the
navy, declaring that there was scarcely
nation in the world which could not
the great cities Of the Kt4 9PsFe Sra and acEny Eay
coasts under contribution.
FINERTY CLAMORs POR A NAVY.
Mr.. Finerty, Of Illinois, said that the
Appropriation Committee seemed deter
mined to be economical in the weakest
point of the national structure. The
world was aware that the condition Of
our defensive marine at the present time
was menace to the well-being Of this
country. If, in the event of war, it should
be unprepared to meet any enemy of
respectable strength he was sensible to
the fact that a war navy could not be
built i'm a short time, but that there was
nothing to hinder the construction of
ships which would enable TIE United
States, in the event Of sudden hostility,
to prey upon the commerce OF her antagO-
mist. II made little difference who was
responsible for the present depleted con-
ditiOn of the navy, the fact remained that
virtually the United States had no navy.
He was not a professional alarmist.
who wished to say that we were on
the eve OF war. He did not desire
war. He wanted to see the country
pe2ceful and prosperous, but peaceful
and prosperous should only remain when
she had the means to avcnge an insult, to
defend her honor and to assert the
supremacy Of her national a. 10
wanted t6 see the work beenn by the
Fourth Congress followed up by the
Forty-eighth. Congress might talk about
the Monroe doctrine, but it could hear the
click of the European spade at Panama
as it dug a canal to bind the Atlantic and
Pacific together. What Europe dug with
the spade she would maintain with the
sword. The sooner the country saw tOitthat
it was not left to the mercy of events the
better for the nation. This was The time
to prepare tor danger. Mr. Finertv's
brief remarks were listened to intently,
and at their conclusion he was applauded.
After speeches by Messrs. Belford, An
dersOn and HiscOck the committee rose.
On motion of Mr.. Reagan, of Texas, the
Interstate commerce bill was made the
continuing order for March IS.
On motion of Mr.. Slocum, Of New York,
the shipping bill mas made the continuing
order for March I3.
The House then, at 4:35 o'clock, ad-
jOurned.