The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1893-03-10
PEERLESS PLAIN BILLY
The Record Of Mr.. McAdoo
Makes Him a Ruler of
Uncle Sans Navee.

VA ~ -"
brings into prominence again the SER
vices which Hudson's brilliant repre-
sentative performed In reforming and
building up Uncle Sans martini 9
power. For eight years Mr.. McAdoo
served as a member Of the House Naval
| Committee. He was made a member of
this committee at a time when its Inn
| pOrtauce was comparatively small, IL hav-
ing then no authority to MAXI a%ppropria-
lions. At the expiration of his dou BILE
term, there had been added to the lists OF
the new nav more than thirty ships
of war.
The association OF Mr.. McAdoo's name
with the authorization I'M construction
of the new navy is a matter OF record. 1t
is at the same time conceded In Congress
| sional circles that probably no one Con-
gresham did more toward obtaining for
the country a modern navy than did the
New jersey Representative.
EARLY WORK.
Mr.. McAdoo's name first became prom
| ineDt in connection with naval matters at
the close of the Arthur administration.
| Congress had authorized the construction
| of two new cruisers. No money, however,
| had been made available for their con-
struction. The session was rapidly draw
| ing to q close. The Naval Committee was
| opposed to further expenditures. but
after an all-night session, Mr.. McAdoo,
of New jersey, and Mr.. Talbot, of Mary
land, succeeded at four O'Clock ia the
morning of President Cleveland's in
auguration in securing the necessary
money. For the service rendered that
| night, William G. Whitney named the
two cruisers Newark and Baltimore, the
| former In honor of Mr.. McAdoo's State
and the latter in honor of Mr.. Talbot's
State.
AT the very beginning of the construc-
ton OF the new navy the House Naval
Committee was inundated with measures
relating wholly TO the personnel. At Mr..
McAdoo's suggestion a special sitting
was had OF the House Naval Committee
to consider some plan of action. AT this
sitJing Rear Admiral Simpson addressed
the members on. the defenceless condi-
ton of the country aud the inability OF
the United States to produce war mate
rial. The Admiral graphically outlined
the weak condition OF the navy aud the
absolute necessity for new ships. Not
once did he refer to the personnel.
DETERMINED THE POLICY.
AT the close OF the Adm1ral's address,
Mr.. McAdoo rose and moved tnat during
the term of the then present committee,
all measures relating to the enhancement
of the personnel and the advancement of
personal interests OF naval officers be
postponed, and that the attention of the
committee be devoted exclusively To float
ing a new navy. when we have OBJ
tanned new ships and modern ornaments
1t will be time," he argued, "to consider
the personnel. The personnel, will have
to follow the material. First let us get
new ships"
Mr.. McAdou's motion was adopted. IL
is noteworthy that during the period COW
cred by the operation of his policy more
ships were authorized to be built for the
United States Navy than i'll any period in
the history of the country other than that
of the war.
During the first Administration Of Mr..
Cleveland the House Naval Committee
was made up of three district circles,
First came the extremists, who favored
the building of an enormous navy, on a
par with that possessed by England. Next
came a number of conservative mem bers,
who favored the building of n navy ade-
quate to the needs of the United States.
Lastly came q no-navy-at-all set. McAdoo
was from he first a conservative, yet he
recognized that, in order to effect good re-
suits, it was necessary to ally the conserv-
alive members with the extremists. This
was done, and the ideas of the extremists
were greatly modified by the views Of
their supporters.
Mr.. McAdoo at an early period of his
career introduced a measure providing
that naval apprentice lad should be af-
forded an opportunity to obtain ava
commissions. This measure met with
determined opposition. In his speech in
its favor, Mr.. McAdoo argued that not
until the highest rank in the navy was
open to American lads could the naval
apprentice system hope TO draw upon the
best blood in the country.
CITIZENS ONLY.
It was about this same period that Mr..
McAdoo introduced a measure, and car
ried it through the House, providing that
49, D,,t A pooriaop. oifizanG chnuld ha
enlisted III the navy. Prior to the intro
ductiou of this measure the proportion OF
American sailors aboard United States
war ships was seldom over 90 per cent.
Que ship in the navy was known to have
hailed from Boston on a foreign cruise
with a crow of twenty-one different ma
tionaliUies and a foreign proportion of 80
per cent.
At an early period in Mr.. Whitney's
administration Mr.. McAdoo tool up the
cudgels of the Navy Department, aud
fought for the concentration of the vari-
Gus bureaus, the doing away with much
red tape. and the adoption OF business
methods. The advantages secured by the
passage of the administrative reform
measures are seen in the admirable Navy
Department general system today.
Mr.. McAdoo's record as a member of
the House Naval Committee was national
in its aims from first to last. The author
lXdblUn VA t1O OAoo Wv Va ~ naval
dockyard on Puget Sound was due main
ly to his efforts. He visited the extreme
Northwest, and returned to Washington
impressed with the idea that the cunning
power of England on the Pacific, and in
particular in waters contiguous to Il
own, must be offset. The Puget Sound
dockyard, now building, will be far
superior when finished to the British
dockyard at tEsquimault.
LOCAL SERVICES.
In his own Immediate home locality,
Mr.. McAdoo deserves a large share of the
credit of establishing as a ~permanency the
magnificent stone dock at the Brooklyn
Yard. In the winter of 1886 serious
defects developed in this great dock, and
it was apparent that nothing short of the
Immediate appropriation of SIPS, 900 would
save the dock. Mr.. McAdoo obtained the
appropriation.
In the early part of the present Admin
istration Mr.. McAdoo came out as a
strong advocate of the monitor type OF
ship, The Navy Department desired bait
tie ships. Mr., McAdoo did not oppose
the building of such. blu he did advocate
the construction OF a number of low-free-
board vessels, heavily armored. When it
was found that Mr.. McAdoo'S opposition