The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1905-12-22
lOvlCfS BY
DONAPARTE

wAsHINaTON. Dec. t-Charles J
nonaparte secretary of the navy, IN
Ah annual report 20 the President
shade public today, saysl
n think the efficiency Of the navy
would be promoted and It's great ex-
panslon. both In size and In sphere OF
action. rather inadequately recognized
ny the creation OF two vice admirals, Of
whom the senior would. under ordi-
nary circumstances. command the At
lAntic fleet and the Junior the fleet
maintained In Asiatic waters. The
rank Of these officers would correspond
70 that Of officers holding commands
Of the same or less importance in for
sign navies. and Is fully justified by
the magnitude OF the interests TO be In
trusted TO their care. II this sugges-
zion be accepted, would further rec
smmend that the number OF rear-ad-
mirals be reduced by two. 10 that the
additional expense Uncomfortable at
most) would become altogether trifiing
I'm the estimates submitted by the
bureau Of navigation there will be
found provision for an addition OF 5000
men TO the enlisted personnel of the
navy This is Indispensable TO provide
proper compliments for the ships
which will be In commission. so far as
can now be foreseen, during the fiscal
year 1867.
II recommend that the congress
make any refusal on the part of the
proprietor of theater or other place
of amusement, an innkeeper, or a COM
mon carrier, to furnish accommodation
TO an orderly and well-behaved person
in the naval service, able and willing
to pay for such accommodation, an Of
Tense against the United States. pun
Ishable by fine and Imprisonment
. OLD FRIGATE CONSTITUTION.
Erroneous or greatly exaggerated
reports as to the condition of the old
frigate Constitution now at the Boston
navy yard led recently to some popu-
lar agitation looking to the preserva-
ton of this ship as a national relic, and
also to much discussion as to the most
appropriate and becoming method of
perpetuating the memory of the naval
victories with which her name Is asso-
slated.
in dealing with this question It is
important to bear in mind that the YES
sci now at Charleston is not the vessel
with which Hull captured the Guer-
riere. Some portion of the materials
from that ship was undoubtedly used
IN building the new one, to which her
name was subsequently given, but
probably only a very small part OF
ial hn identified
with any confidence, and, in any
event, it is quite certain that they con-
stituted only a very small part of the
structure of the new ship. To exhibit
abe Constitution. therefore, as the
genuine old Ironsides,' charging, as
has been proposed, a fee for permits
sion to inspect her, and using the
amount thus earned to bear the ex-
pense of her preservation would moi
only Ill accord with the dignity of the
government, but would amount to OBJ
tainit.g money under false pretenses,
THE further suggestion that she
should be rebuilt on her old lines witt
new materials would involve a per.
tectly unjustifable waste of public
money, since when completed, at a cost
of certainly several hundred thousand
dollars, she would be absolutely USE
less Nevertheless, / think 1t would be
wise and becoming to commemorate In
some proper way the victories of the
aid Constitution, and / suggest that
this be done in the same way in which
II was done when the frigate was re-
built-that Is to say, l suggest that SC
much of the materials of the present
ship as can be shown to have belonged
to the original Constitution, and to b,
also OF some utility or at least of M
detrlment, on board a modern ship Of
war, be transferred TO new vessel tC
be named the Constitution, and thai
the remainder of the ship be broken
mp.
IF, for purely sentimental reasons
II be thought that this supposed vet
eran of our old wars is entitled to q
warriors death, she might be used as
n target for some OF the ships In our
North Atlantic fleet and sunk by their
fire / think the new vessel ought to
be one outside of the regular estimate
for the increase OF the navy, built, first
of all, to perpetuate the memory of the
in all respects she will compare favor
ably with the finest vessels of her type
now afioat.
- This type, 1t appears to me, ought
10 be that Of an armored cruiser, since
the Constitution was not a ship of the
line, but frigate, and armored cruis-
srs of the present day correspond in "a
general way to what frigates were II
her day. l suggest, therefore, that al
Armored cruiser on the general mode
of the West Virginia and Colorado, bu
larger and swifter, and with all the i'm
provements suggested by the lates
phase of naval science, be authorized
to be built and named the Constitu
zion, and that she take the place o
= the present old frigate on our nav!
register"