212 



CONGRESS, UNITED STATES. (STRENGTHENING THE NAVY.) 



E. B. Winans, John Winans, G. D. Wise, Wood, 

 Yaple 1-7. 



NAYS G. E. Adams, Anderson, Atkinson, Barks- 

 dale, Belmont, Bingham, Bisbee, F. B. Brewer, Broad- 

 heacf, T. iM. Browne, W. W. Brown. Cannon, W. W. 

 Culbertson, Cutcheon, G. R. Davis, R. T. Davis, Dun- 

 ham, Ellwood, I. N. Evans, Everhardt, Garrison, 

 Gotf, Hart, II. H. Hatch, T. J. Henderson, Herbert, 

 G. W. Hewitt, Hiscock, Hitt, Holman, Holmes, Horr, 

 Howey, Hurd, James, Jeifords, J. K. Jones, Kean, 

 Kelley, Laird, Lyman, McCoid, Millard, S. H. Miller, 

 Nelson, Nutting, O'Hara, Parker, Payson, Perkins, 

 Peters, Poland, Price, Kanney, G. W. Ray, Rice, 

 Rowell, Ryan, Scales, Shelley, C. R. Skinner, Smalls, 

 Smith, Spooner, Stephenson, Stockslager, Stone, Stru- 

 ble, J. D. Taylor, Tucker, H. G. Turner, Valentine, 

 Wakefield, Washburn, Weaver, J. D. White, Milo 

 White, James Wilson, Wolford, Woodward, Worth- 

 ingtou, York 82. 



NOT VOTING J. J. Adams, Barbour, Barr, Bayne, 

 Blackburn, Blount, Boutelle, Bowen, Brainerd, 

 Breitung, J. H. Brewer, Brumm, Buckner, Burleigh, 

 Burnes, Calkins. J. E. Campbell, J. M. Campbell, 

 Chace, Clardy. Clay, Collins, Converse. Cook, W. R. 

 Cox, Cullen, Davidson. Dcuster, Dingley, Dockery, 

 Duncan, J. H. Evins, Fiedler, Findlay, Forney, Fun- 

 ston, Fyan, Geddes, George. Gibson, Graves, Guen- 

 ther. llanback, Harmer, Ha'ynes, D. B. Henderson, 

 Hepburn, HiljL Holton, Hooper, Houk, Hutchins, 

 Johnson, J. T. Jones, Kasson, Keifer, Kellogg, 

 Ketcham, King, Lacey, Lamb, Lawrence, Le Fevre, 

 Libbey, Long, McComas, McCormick, Matson, Mil- 

 liken, Morgan, Morrill, Morse, Muldrow, Muller, 

 Nicholls. Oates, Ochiltree, Charles O'Neill, Paige, 

 Payne, Pettibone, Phelps, Ossian Ray, Reagan, Reed, 

 Riggs, J. S. Robinson, W. E. Robinson, 'Rockwell, 

 J. H. Rogers, W. F. Rogers, Russell, Shaw, Single- 

 ton, T. G. Skinner, Slocum, Snyder, Steele, J. W. 

 Stewart, Strait, D. H. Sumner, Talbott, E. B. Taylor, 

 Thomas, Throckmorton, Townshcnd, Vance, Wads- 

 worth, Wait, A. J. Warner, Whiting, Wilkins, J. S. 

 Wise, Young 114. 



The measure then passed without a division, 

 but as the Senate non-concurred in the House 

 amendments and the conference committee ap- 

 pointed failed to agree, the bill fell by the way. 



Strengthening the Navy. February 29, the Sen- 

 ate passed by a vote of 38 to 13 a bill to pro- 

 vide for the construction of two cruisers, one 

 dispatch-boat, two heavily armed gunboats, two 

 gunboats, one cruising torpedo-boat, two har- 

 bor torpedo-boata, and one steel ram, at a cost 

 not to exceed $2,500,000. This measure was 

 not considered in the House, and when the 

 naval appropriation bill came up from that 

 body the Senate Committee on Appropriations, 

 among other amendments, proposed the follow- 

 ing: 



To enable the President to strengthen the naval es- 

 tablishment of the United States the sura of $2,500,000 

 is hereby appropriated, to be expended as follows, and 

 under the iollowing limitations : For the construction 

 of one cruiser of 4,500 tons displacement, one cruiser 

 of 3,000 tons, one dispatch- vessel of 1,500 tons, two 

 heavily-armed gunboats of 1,500 tons each, and one 

 light gunboat of 750 tons, and one gunboat, not to ex- 

 ceed 900 tons, to be built on plans and specifications 

 to be furnished by the Admiral of the Navy, and un- 

 der his supervision and directions, subject to the ap- 

 proval of the Secretary of tho Navy, one steel ram as 

 recommended by the first naval advisoiy board, No- 

 vember 7, 1881; one cruising torpedo-boat, advocated 

 by the same board and by the present advisory board 

 in its memorandum of November 21, 1882; and two 

 of the harbor torpedo-boats recommended by said first 



board and hi the report from the Bureau of Ordnance 

 of November 1, 1883, all of which are recommended 

 in the annual report of the Secretary of the Navy. 

 And, under existing law, it shall be the duty of the 

 advisory board appointed in conformity with an act 

 making appropriations for the naval service for the 

 fiscal year ending June SO, 1883, and for other pur- 

 poses, approved August 5, 1882, to advise and assist 

 the Secretary of the Navy, in his office or elsewhere, 

 in all matters referred to them by him relative to the 

 designs, models ? plans, specifications, and contracts 

 for said vessels in all their parts, and relative to the 

 materials to be used therein and to the construction 

 thereof, and especially relative to the harmonious ad- 

 justment, respectively, of their hulls, machinery, and 

 armament ; and they shall examine all materials to be 

 used in said vessels, and inspect the work on the same 

 as it progresses, and have general supervision thereof, 

 under the direction of said Secretary. But said board 

 shall have no power to make or enter into any con- 

 tract nor to direct or control any officer of the Navy, 

 the chief of any bureau of the Navy, or any con- 

 tractor. Neither of the vessels hereby authorized to 

 be built shall be contracted for or commenced until 

 full and complete detail drawings and specifications 

 thereof, in au its parts, including the hull, engines, 

 and boilers, shall have been provided or adopted by 

 the Navy Department, and shall have been approved, 

 in writing, by said board, or by a majority of the 

 members thereof, and by the Secretary of the Navy ; 

 and after said drawings and specifications have Leen 

 provided, adopted, and approved as aforesaid, and 

 the work has been commenced, or a contract made for 

 it, they shall not be changed in any respect, when the 

 cost of such change shall in the construction exceed 

 $500, except upon the approval of said board, or a 

 majority of the members thereof, in writing, and 

 upon the written order of the Secretary of the Navy : 

 and if changes are thus made, the actual cost thereof 

 and the damage caused thereby shall be ascertained, 

 estimated, and determined by said board ; and in 

 any contract made pursuant to this act it shall be 

 provided in the terms thereof that the contractor shall 

 be bound by the determination of said board, or a 

 majority thereof, as to the amount of the increased 

 or diminished compensation said contractor shall be 

 entitled to receive, if any, in consequence of such 

 change or changes. And for the construction of all 

 which vessels and their armament the Secretary of 

 the Navy shall invite proposals from all American 

 ship-builders and builders of machinery, who shall 

 show to the satisfaction of the Secretary of the Navy 

 that within three months from the date of the con- 

 tract their ship-yards will be equipped for building 

 and repairing iron and steel steamships, and con- 

 structors of marine engines, machinery, and boilers ; 

 and the Secretary of the Navy is authorized to con- 

 struct said vessels and procure their armament at a 

 total cost for each not exceeding the amounts esti- 

 mated by the naval advisory board ; and in the event 

 that such vessels^ or any of them, shall be built by 

 contract, such building shall be under contract with 

 the lowest and best responsible bidder or bidders, 

 made after at least sixty days' advertisement^ pub- 

 lished in five of the leading newspapers of the Lnited 

 States, inviting proposals for constructing said ves- 

 sels, subject to all such rules, regulations, superin- 

 tendence, and provisions as to bonds and security for 

 the due completion of the work as the Secretary of 

 the Navy snail prescribe ; and no such vessel shall 

 be accepted unless completed in strict conformity 

 with the contract, with the advice and assistance of 

 the naval advisory board, and in all respects in ac- 

 cordance with the provisions of the act of August 5, 

 1882, except as they are hereby modified ; and the 

 authority to construct the same shall take effect at 

 once : Provided, That the Secretary of the Navy shall 

 utilize the national navy-yards, with the machinery, 

 tools, and appliances belonging to the Government 

 there in use, in the building of said ships, or any 



