Year: 1872

REMARKS OF HON JOHN LYNCH.


The bill for the construction of ten new steam


war vessels being under consideration last
| Wednesday, Mr. Lynch said:


Mr.. Speaker, am in favor of the passage of
this bill, and shall vote for it as step in the
right direction for re-org snizing the avy :but
regret that the views of the Secretary of the
Navy, which have been SO often and SO we'll ex-
pressed in his reports to Congress, advocating
Government aid to the mercantile marins Of
the country as means for increasing the eff
cheney of the Navy, have not been recognized
and provided for in it. This bill provides for
tho building of ten vessels of war, which. un-
dersatnd, are intended to be of about fifteen
hundred tons burden each, and are to carry ten
guns each


The cost of these vessels built during the war
as basis of calculation, viii be about S4OO. .OOO
each. Probably they can be built somewhat
cheaper at the present time on account of the
diminution in the cost of material and labor


But estimating their cost 100000 each we
have total of $4, 900, 600 to be appropriated for
carrying out the provisions of the BILL When
built it would probably cost to run them at
least 100000 year each, or 81 ZOO, 600 per an
mum to maintain these ten vessels in the SER
vice.


This, to be sure, is not an amount to alarm
any one, and recognizing as do the import
ance of the Navy as means for our nat


Defense and the necessity for placing it in :
fcient condition, should vote for the bi
if it involved much larger appropr


But what desire to call the attention of the
House to particularly in connection with this
matter of appropriations for building naval yes-
sells is the importance of providing at the same
time for the restoration of our merchant shin
ping as the only means by which our Navy can
be re-enforced and sustained in any emergency
when it may be called into actual service.


The loss of our merchant shipping and the
Importance Of providing some means for its res
toration has been repeatedly called to the atten-
tion of Congress since the close of the war bv
the President in his messages, by the reports az
the Secretaries of the Treasury and the Navy
and by reports OF committees of this House,
and think the conclusion arrived at is that
the merchant marine of the country is so nti-
mately connected with the Navy and so neces-


sary to its efficiency in case of war that Some
provision should be made for it in connection
with the naval appropriations; and "a this il
the first bill introduced into this House since
the close of the war for the building of naval
vessels | think we cannot do better than make


provision III the same bill for building class
of merchant vessels which may be used for
commercial purposes sin time Of peace and be
taken by the Government for its use in case of
war And with that view hope / may be per
mitted to offer as an amendment the bill re-
ported from the Committee on Commerce at
the last session, which think had the approx
al OF the Secretary of the Navy, as l know IL
did that of the Secretary of the Treasury.
That bill provides, first, that the Secretaries
of the Treasury, Navy, Interior and the POST
master General, shall be constituted n hoard of
commissioners, 10 be known as the board Of
commissioners of commerce. whose duty shall


be to execute all contracts in which ii severn
ment of the United States is inter ted. and


which may be authorized by law tol made in
aid of foreign or domestic CONNER g of the
United States, to see to the due exc ltion and
enforcement of all contracts made the pro-
motion OF commerce, and to the faithful per
tormance of their duties by all officers having
duties to discharge in aid of commerce in
Guiding officers having charge of immigrants
and American seamen, to collect, arrange and
report from time to time, and at least once in
| each year, to the President, to be by him pre
| sented with his recommendations to CONGRESS
all such information and statistics concernins
| the commerce of the United States and otheS
nations calculated to show the wants of Amer
lean commerce, together with such recommend
ations as they may deem proper in aid of such
commerce, and to discharge all other dutias
which may be by law deyolved upon said boar5
IN relation to the commerce Of the JIn;tad
States. iseu
Second, that there shall be established ,,,,,.


directions of the board of comm;ss;on'ana e
commerce, at least one line of steamsh;rs III
tween some port or ports in the United States
ana one OF more of the principal morris Of the
continent OF Europe; also lines between New
iork ana the West Indies and Mexico; be-
tween new Orleans, the West Indies, Mexico
anu brazil between San Francisco, Australia,
IN ana new Zealand, and other Islands of the


Ihlrd that a bounty of not exceeding fif-
teen dollars per ton shall be paid each year for
period OF five yea sfor the construction of