Mr. GRIMES. I do not think it is possible that anybody can be induced to vote for this proposition except the Senfrom Massachusetts, who offered it. It avoids all the questions that are at issue upon this subject. It does not propose to establish a navy yard, and it does authorize one to be selected. It does not authorize these men, if they choose, to remove the navy yard from its Present location in Philadelphia to League Island or to Red Bank or to any other place, or to NewLondon; it merely says that these distinguished gentle; men, all of whom save one know nothing of nautical matters, shall be authorized to select a place for the storage and repair of iron clads; that is all. Nothing else can be done. Of course the Senfrom Massachusetts is not desirous that all the labor to be done in the navy yards of the U.S shall be done in the yards in NewEngland. Of course he could not be influenced by any such consideration as that in offering such a proposition as this; but such would be the effect of his proposition. You would thereby virtu ally H.with the Present yard at Philadelphia, that only embraces 13 acres of available land, where all your buildings are cluttered up together and liable to destruction from fire within and fire without, and where you are obliged year after year to rent wharf room for your vessels to lay, where there is no room today for more than 2 vessels to lay up on your water front. Does he want to dispense with that and have all the repairs to your wooden ships, that will be your cruisers in time of peace, done at Portsmouth, Charlestown, j'.York city? Let me read it: That Admiral David G. Farragut, Lieutenant general William T. Sherman, and Mr. J. E. Hilgard be, and they are hereby, appointed and constituted a commissionto selecta suitable site on or adjacent to the Atlantic coast for a naval station for the storage and repair of iron vesselsand iron clad vesselsof the Navy, and for other naval purposes; and the SecyNavy isherebyauthorizedand empowered to accept such selectedsite on behalf of the U.S.: Provided, The same shall be conveyedto the U.S. as a free gift, for their exclusive use and benefit, by a valid and indefeasible title. And the SecyNavy is hereby further authorized to take possession of and occupysaid site for the purposes herein indicated, and in the preparation thereof to use such amount of money as may be necessaryout of any unexpended appropriations for the Navy. There is no limit as to the amount of land that is to be secured. These gentlemen may, if they choose, demand of one locality a large amount and of another 2 acres or . acres or ten acres. Then it confers upon the SecyNavy unlimited power over the Treasury to expend just so much money as he chooses in order to put this navy yard that we authorize these gentlemen to select in working order. I confess that I never heard of a bolder proposition Presented to the Senate than this seems to me to be. Mr. President, the country does not want another navy yard. Neither the SecyNavy nor the POTUS has ever asked for one. We have navy yards enough today. A simple proposition came to us from the Navy Dept, asking that the Present yard at Philadelphia should be enlarged; and the question was whether we should enlarge that yard by acquir. ING the adjacent property, taking it out of the business property of the city that is necessary for commercial uses, or whether we should move it a mile and a half off to another locality. We decided that it was best for the government to move it to another locality; and then the question was where that, focality shoud be, whether we should move it a mile and a half off to League Island, or further down the river to Red Bank or to Chester. But as to the propriety of removing the Philadelphia yard and a larger establishment there there cannot be a question. We have been enlarging our yards ever since the foundation of the Government. In 1798 the Navy Dept was established. An act of Congress was passed authorizing the construction of 6 frigates. At that time Benjamin Stoddard was the SecyNavy. There was never any authority of Con. to establish the 6 navy yards that we had in this country; but Mr. Stoddard, under the latitudinarian notions that prevailed in