The Dallas weekly herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1885, 1885-01-08

An Omoisi Communication, WIN Tinct-
fesf if"ny and Indirect rsrtissn
fnslnusti.ns, Concerning
Cash for the Navy.

WAsuiF0Tos, ID. g., January A.
Secretary Chandler. la answer 10 n
letter irOu MIR. Randall, chairman Of
tho house committee on appropriations,
concerning amounts necessary tO
pruporly malntain the naval e--
adjustment, says In part: III VEN
ture u express my regret that
with the Hill bills cOny. nientiy
awaiting tho concurrent action OF the
two houses IL was found impossible To
pass any one OF them before January l.,
lSs5, aud that, therefore. serious emDrr-
rassmcnts have arisen In administering
the naval establishment. May not AK
the earnest attention OF your committee
to the Importance of speedily terminate
ing the anomalous condition OF affairs,
which makes II necessary To maintain
the naval service without the assistance
oI some OF the usual appropriation
therefor? The senate having dropped
all propositions for an appropriation
for additional cruisers aud for
completing the monitors, the
present question In controversy seems
10 be only this; On one sido, whether an
appropriation bill Tor the balance of the
fiscal year shall he framed after cOnsid-
Grafton In detail Of the estimates which
the law requires 10 bs submitted To
congress for The special needs Of the SER
vice for he year, aud whether n specific
amount 10 be applicable TO each object
of appropriation shall he distinctly
named In the bill; or, on the other side,
whether, without such Considera-
tion, there shull be appropriated
in general terms so p1r cent.
of the amounts granted on last years
bill for the various objects specifically
named In that bill. Surely this qnes-
ton is not vital one. The first method
is Undoubtedly the wisest aHd safest,
conforming 10 the practice which has
never been and never should be de-
pNrted from except in au emergency.
The second Is loose, Irregular and dam
gerous, taking from the treasury mil
lions of dollars, with no indication ON the
face of the act ofthe specific use 10 which
any dollar is 10 DO applied, but that Is
certain which may be- made certain, and
IL is better to make appropriations Ivy
statutes, giving general authority 10 the
department 10 spend as much as II
spent last year, than TO place II in po-
silion whore IL is compelled TO struggle
along without any appropriations. An
appropriation by vicious methods is
better than no appropriation ut all,
where important governmental iunc-
tons may come 10 be suspended by
reason of no action 10y congress.
Secretary Chandler gives tabulated
statement, showing the estimated ap-
preparations in the bills to be iusufli
cient, except In the case of tbe amounts
for repairs. 10 wooden vessels,
and concludes rs follows:
w rhe VIII la question of the amounts
needed for the work of construction and
repair, and for steam engineering in the
yards depends up N the national
policy concerning the repairs of wooden
ships. 1t is the duty of ths department.
to apportion through the whole Y ar
whatever appropriations may be made
for the general service aud thus would |
make the work continuous, while pre-
venting defcieEuies, and this course
will he pui sued for the coming half year.
There were last year and have been this |
year no deficiencies which could well |
have been foreseen or avoided.
There were, in fact, none of
any very notice. bic amount, |
except last year Tor the repairs of the
hulks of vessels. Such repairs can not |
always be distributed equally through |
put all ne months of the year, because |
The work can be the most protitaDiy |
done during the longer days, and fur
Ihermore, when repairs are ia progress
IL is always desir tble to haste them TO |
in order that the ) hips may |
ne DromDtly used,