Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-01-05
CHANDLER ON THE FIGHT.
The Secretary Defends the Stand Taken
by the Senate in the Naval Controversy.

The Secretary Defends the Stand Taken
by TN Q Senate in the Naval Controversy.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 4. - Secretary
Chandler has written a long letter to
Representative Randall, Chairman of the
Appropriations Committee, in reply to a
communication from the latter, asking
whether the amounts proposed by the
Senate for the pending naval apprOpria-
tiOn bill will be sufficient to maintain the
naval establishment. Secretary Chandler
says: "ln making the investigation
necessary TO answer your inquiry, my at
| tentiOu has been drawn not only to the
bill II. R., No. 1871, but also to the bill
/ II. R., No. 4,716, and to the bill II. r.. No.
| 1910, all three of which have passed the
/ House, have been amended in the Senate
and are now pending between the two
houses. 1 venture to express my regret
| that with these three bills thus convent
emily awaiting the concurrent action of
the two houses, it was found impossible
to pass any one of them before Jan. l,
1885, and that, therefore, serious embar-
easements have arisen in administering
the naval establishment. May l not ask
the earnest attention of your committee
to the Importance of speedily termin ating
the anomalous condition of affairs which
makes it necessary to maintain the naval
service without the assistance of some OF
the usual appropriations therefor?
THE BONE OF CONTENTION.
''The Senate having dropped all the
propositions for appropriations for
additional cruisers and completing the
monitors, the present question in cOntrO-
versv seems to be only this, on one side,
whether the appropriation bill for the
balance of the fiscal year shall be framed
| after a consideration In detail of the eSti-
mates which the law requires to be sub
mitted to Congress for the special needs
/ Of the service for the year. and whether
/ the specific amount to be applicable
/ to each object of the appropriation shall
/ be distinctly named in the bill, or, on the
other side whether without such con-
sideratiOn there shall be appropriated in
! general terms 80 per cent. of the cunts
/ granted in last years bill for the ''Ous
/ objects specifically named in thai bill.
/ Surely, this question is not vital one.
/ The first method is undoubtedly the
wisest and safest, conforming to a prac-
/ tice which has never been, aud never
/ should be, departed from except in an
| emergency. The second is loose, irregular
/ and dangerous, taking from the Treasury
/ millions of dollars, with no indications
| on the face Of the act of the specific use
| TO which any dollar is to be applied. But
! that Is certain which may he made cer-
tain, and it Is better to make appTOpria-
! LloLS Uf a oldLutt ~ lli@ ACuGAoA hubuuIl-
/ ty to the department TO spend as much as
it spent last year, than to place it in a
| position where it is compelled to struggle
/ along without any appropriations. An
/ appropriation by vicious method is bet
| ter than no appropriation at all, where
| important governmental functions may
/ come to be suspended by reason of nom
/ action by Congress-"
He then gives detailed tabulated state
mant of the amounts proposed in the sew
eral bills for the respective bureaus of the
/ Navy Department, followed by estimates
of the amounts actually required. He
thinks that the amounts proposed by the
Senate will all be insufficient, except
/ those for the Bureaus of Construction and
Repair and of Steam Engineering, which
will be ample, unless the present 20 per
cent. limitation upon authority to repair
wooden ships is enlarged. The whole
/ question:" he says, ''Of the amounts
needed for the routine work of cOnstruc-
tiOn AMI repair and steam engineering in
the navy yards depends upon the national
policy concerning the repair OF old
/ chi