Mr. RICE, of Massachusetts. I thank the Gentfrom Rennsylvania for asking me that question, because it enables me to state what otherwise might have escaped my memory. From the beginning of the discussion of this question I have had the honor to be a member of the ComNavAffrs, servingfor 2 years upon that committee with my distinguished and valued friendfrom Pennsylvania, [Mr. Moonnmn.] I have carefully studied this question from the time it 1steame before Congress until now. I did so with a desire to inform myself so that I might be enabled to come to a clear, distinct, and definite conclusion on the subject, and the opinion I originally formed remains unchanged today. To make a more direct reply to the gentleman who has interrogated me, I desire to say, if I may be permitted to say what transpired in the committee room and so far as attaches to myself I believe I have that right that when the proposition now before the House, reported by the Gentfrom Philadelphia, was submitted to the committee, I offered a proposition substantially in the form which I aha 1submit to this House at the close of my remarks; and after the reposition of the Gentfrom Philadelphia was accepted by the committee I stated to the committee that I would reserve to myself the right, if I should feel it my duty to do so, to oppose that proposition in the House. Sir, have a right to this whole question and give us the result of oppose that proposition, and I do it without the slightest hostility to the locality which is before the House upon the recommendation 4 of the majority of the committee or toward any person connected with or interested in it. I simplyfecl it to be my plain duty, as a member of this House, and of the committee. which has elaborately examined this subject, to state that I prefer, when the Government of the i U.S. is taking a decisive step, not for g a.day only, but for all future time, upon the greatest question that will arise for a quarter 5 of a century, probably, in relation tuour navul | affairs I fee it my duty to declare, as I do 5 here, that I consider this a mere question of 5 engineering and topography. to be determined by professional men whose duties, whose stnd ics and whose experience have made them better competent to decide such questions than any committee of this House whatsoever. et me add, right here, that, impressed us I am wi'h the importance and the necessity of our having some place where we can secure and lay u the iron vessels of our Navy, nev erthelcss I, think that the selection of such a place should be made by acompetent commission. Yet, if the House should refuse to authorize such a commission, I shall vote for Le ue Island, because I think the necessities of the case would ovcrbalance the disadvan tages of having a decision made in favor of that place. Now, sir, the chief reason why I advocate the appointment of a commission to make this selection is beenuse Ican see no possible harm that can come from it, while there may be vast advantage accruing to the Government from the action of such a commission. If this proposition shall be adopted. a commission will be appointed composed of 7 members, who will be competent to investigate their decision. And the amendment which I shall offer in a few minutes Will be to authorize the SecyNavy to accept that site which shall be designator b the commission as the one best adapted for the purpose. Sir, I think we ought not to travel around in a circle year after year, and 4 years after 4 years, making no adequate pre aration for this great. work. We ought to may 0 some definite progress every time we take hold of the subject. If League Island is the best possible site for a navy yard, then, as has been well said by the Gentfrom NewYork, [Mr. Rsrnoxn] it is highly likely that an in telligent and comtetent commission will discover that fact. nd the amendment which I propose to offer to the substitute moved by the Gentfrom NewLondon [Mr BRAN nconn] is that the SecyNavy shall be authorized to accept the site recommended and proceed with the necessary work 11 on it. And it the commission shallrecommend eague Island he can accept that site, or accept any other site, should they recommend any other. But I was speakin in reference to the construction of iron clal s in the future. A very large portion of our employment during the war has been in the construction of iron vessels. The war is now over, but the question before us is still imminent, for this reason: it is not a question as to what we shall do ten or 20 years hence at the end of some war then raging. The war is over, and we have the iron clads on our hands today, and the question is, what shall we do with them? They must be put. somewhere; it is not a question whether you will or will not put them anywhere; they must be put somewhere. The Government has been forced to send them up the Delaware river and place them in t channel back of League Is and because Congress heretofore has failed to indicate its purpose to provide a definite and fixed place for the storage of these vessels. Whether League Island and its back channel shall be selected or not is a question that should be settled now. Some gentlemen may say, why not leave them where they are for the present? Sir, whether they continue there in the future or not. they ought not to continue in the condition in which they are now placed. There is no gentleman upon the Naval Committee or anywhere else, who has any acquaintance with this subject, who does not know that these vessels are in a very improper condition now, whether in the right location or not. Sir, we must provide a proper place in which to store them. If we so cot that place, then we should do it now, and make the rol er preparations by the clearin outof thate tannol and by the construction of the proper wharves and docks, and whatever else may necessary to protect the property of the U.S., which has cost us so many millions of dollars. And if we do not select that site but some other, the urgency is still as great that we shall come to a decision upon this point, and indicate to the SecyNavy what is the opinion of Congress upon this subject, and authorize him to accept some place in which to place these vessels, so that they may be in a position which will be a credit and not a disgrace to the Government, as at present. Now, sir, there are 2 points to be observed in the selection of a site for a navaltation. One of them is that which I have just indicated, to secure a place for the storage of iron clad vessels. An let me say that among that which has entered into the consideration of this subject has been all the discussion and all the theory and all the testimony from various quarters as to whether fresh water is the best or salt water is the best or brackish water is the best in which to store an iron vessel. And then there are others who say that neither fresh water nor salt water nor brackish water is the proper place for an iron navyto be laid up, but that you should draw them out of the water altogether, and place them upon ways and cover them over so that they shall be protected from the action of the weather as well as from the action of the water. Well, sir, I do not intend to enter into that discussion; I do not intend to review all those details I simply call the attention of members of the House to them as having been suggested in the course of this discussion, to show that there is no concentrated opinion upon this aulbject upon which we can at present securely rev. Therefore, sir, the public interest demands that this subject shall be given into the hands of a competent commission, who shall take into consideration this whole subject matter and report to Congress what in their judgment the public interest and the future welfare of the country demands. The other branch of this particular point is that the place that may be selected for the stern e o iron clad vessels will also as a matter of course, to a greater or less extent, and probably to a great extent, become the head uarters for the fabrication of iron ships and the collateral material of war. Now, Mr. Speaker. it will continue to be necessary for us to build vessels. Notwithstanding the fact that we are no longer in a time of war, we do not propose to close up our navy yards and cease buildin ships, neither can we dispense with the builing of iron ships because pence has come to us with its blessed auspices or sir, among the results of the war, to which I alluded, and which we have inherited, is a greater proximity to the questions that disturb the Powers on the other side of the globe and the intermeddling interests of those Powers with the interests of countries on this side of the Atlantic. We must be able to maintain the position which we have assumed, not only in relation to what we will do within our own borders, but also what we will do as to assert ing and carrying out at any and every hazard the declarations that we have made in relation to what shall be done and what shall not be done with regard to the other Powers dwelling on this hennsphere. And, sir, not only must we be engaged in the buildingo fships in prep aration for new complications that may come, but we must have the building of our iron ships go on in the same way that we have continued to build wooden ships heretofore, so that we may be prepared at any and all times to meet any foc that may appear, whether at home or abroad. I should have been very much gratified. Mr. Speaker, had the House determined to enlarge the existin navy yards when that subject was before the House. I am glad, sir, that it did decide to enlarge the nary yard at Portsmouth and the navy urd at NewYork; while I regret very much in eed that it did not decide to enlarge the navy yard at Boston, contiguous to my own district. But, sir, I have no interest in that yard, nor in any other yard that can influence me one article in the action which I will take upon this question. I want to see an adequate navy ynr established somewhere. It is a public necessity that we shall establish such a yard somewhere; and the whole point of what I have said, if I have succeeded in making myself understood, is that this House should take definite action upon this subject; that it should take such action as shall secure to the Government an examination of all the sites upon the Atlantic coast that may be supposed to be eligible for such a work as this; that the commission which may make this exanimation shall present to the officers of the Government the resnlt of its deliberations and investigations; that, furthermore, (and this is the point of my amendment,) the SecyNavy or the President shall have the right to‘acccpt as a gift to the U.S. whatever site shall be selected by that commission. Thus they will be able to go forward with this gl cat work, and the subject will not turn u at every session of Congress to be discusse anew, while the interests of the country are suffering because nothing whatever is done. Having said this much,Mr. Speaker, and remarking, in conclusion, that I am acting in perfect good faith toward the committee whom represent, and thatI am discharging a public duty to myself and to the House by advocatin that which I believe is entirely safe to all, and that which, in the nature of things, cannot be injurious to any, I submit the following amendment to the proposition of the Gentfrom Connecticut: Strike out of the amendmenttho following: And to report to Congress the comparative advantages and disadvnritagesof each and by the sclect on ofwhich the public interestswill best be promoted. And insert in lieu thereof the following: And the SecyNavy is herebyauthor Iled to receivon ndaccept.on be ulf of the Government of the U.S. for naval purposes.the Rigto the site which shall be recommendedby ama pf!!! ofsuid board as best adaptedfol said purposes: roouled. 1‘hnatperfect and indcfcasiblo title shall he uaraiitied to the U.S.of such an amount of arid, apd the exoliisivo use and control of such riparian rights and privileges, andsuchchannelsand waters adiaoentasin the judgment of sanl board may bonccessary and sufficient for the usesof the government lor the purposes contemplated.