St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-05-04
posToFFIoE AUTHORIZATIONS.
A Severe Assault on the Navy by MIR.
Vest.

WASHINGTON, May Sin the senate to-
day Mr.. HOar (MaSs.), from tile COM
mittee Oh privileges and elections reported
favorably Senator Ingalls, joint resolution
proposing an amendment to the constitu-
ton providing that April 80, shall hereaf-
ter be substituted for March 4, as the COM
mencement of the official term of the presi-
dent, vice president and congress. Bills
were then reported as follows: To repeal
all laws providing to the presumption OF
public lands, laws allowing entries for tim
Der culture and for other purposes; provId-
ing for the collection in suitable reservoirs
for the benefit of invalids. of all the water
flowing from the hot springs of Arkansas
not now being used by bath houses and
which is running to waste: amending the
Notifications appropriation bill; appropria-
ting $40, 600, 900 for the construction of
Notifications and other works
OF COAST DEFENSE.
The postoffice appropriation bill was then
taken up and Mr.. Vest proceeded to speak
upon the amendment appropriating $780,
900 for the transportation of foreign mails.
He maintained that the provision would
prove destructive to the American merchant
marine. 1t was now proposed to change
the existing statute which permits cOmpeti-
ton and substitute in its place declaration
that none but American steamships should
carry the mails. He cited statistics to show
that in recent years the country had paid
four times as much to American steamship
as to those Of other countries for transport
tation of foreign mails. yet the merchants
marine and navy had steadily dwindled
away. Abiding to the recent naval display
at Pensacola by five old wooden hulks and
few torpedo boats. he said one of the yes
sells. the Brooklyn, took fire and it took all
the balance of them to put the fire out.
When the torpedo boat advanced to the at
tack of the frigate the latter was found to
be without electric lights and was COM
PEELED to send up bombs to enable her Of
ticers to
SEE THE ATTACKING PARTY
Since 1866 congress had appropriated 1885,
600, 900 for naval purposes, and to-day
the country had these old wooden hulks
that would not last one-half hour before
one single armed vessel of second class
naval power. In answer TO a question,
Mr.. Vest said of course the money had not
gone into these old hulks altogether, that a
large sum had gone to the support of Off
GERS who for twenty years had been nauti-
Cdi ldlllp pOSto III tliC City VI w doiilHS tUl,
ornaments of shops, routs and assemblies,
and who had no ships to go upon, but not
withstanding this, congress was expected 10
increase the mail pay and turn away from
the real cause of the decline. Increased
mail pay would not. however, meet the
question. He believed in an honest mail
service, but this amendment violated sound
principle. The whole principle of leyying
money upon any American citizen over and
above the necessities of the government for
revenue was robbery under the forms of
law. A lengthy debate ensued upon this
subject, and at its conclusion the senate
went into executive session, and when the
doors reopened adjourned.