Mr. KERR. Mr. Speaker, on the l6th day of December last I had, the honor to submit the following resolution, which was referredto the ComNavAffrs: Resolved, That tbe Committeoon Nnyal Affairs. when appointed. be instructed to inquire into the i tics and expediency of providin by law tbstpll pl ots engagedin the nboat or at or naval 801W!“ of the Government min: the late war, shall be doomed to have beenofficerswithin the terms of . the rules and regulations of the servrceon that wheat, and entitled to the some extra pay and rations as other otiiccrsin the samoservicewhoscmonthly compensation was thesame; and that thesuid committee report by bill or other wtse. On the 18th instant that committee, by Mr. DARLING, submitted the followingi report: which was laid on the table, and ordore to be printed: That any further or new legislation on the subject is ine xpodiout. The committee find on investigation that a very lame proportionof the persons intendedto be benefited by further legislation were and are now. living in the Statealatel in rebellion, wereprior to the lat. war enfaged in l cling vesselsIll theOlVllSOXVlOinS! these i totes. ("it were u mnnyinstunce s forcedinto the service of piloting the war vesselsof the U.S. against. their wishes, although they were Gen orally out of employment. The committeealso find that it is not just or expedient to classsuch persons with thoseofliecrsof the Navy whovolunteeredtheir servicesin behalf of the Government and they submit that ifthere are any exceptions t therule aboyotuted. such casescanonly borcached yspecu the gis ution. The committeealsofipd that all personsemployed in the servicespecifiedIn the resolutionhave beenas well paid by the Government ruttbey werebefore or have beensincein thocivil service: and that so for from havimrbnoniuunously aflbetedb thowar. their businesswas generally increased. an in many in stance s theyhave beenmaterially benefited. My present purpose is to ask the favor of the House to take that resolution and report from the table, and commit them to the (. ommittec on Military A ifuirs for further consideration and before the motion is put, I beg the indul gence of the House while I submit a fc whro marks explanatory of my reason for umkmgit. I will not for a moment believe that the ComNavAffrs would intentionally do the slightest injustice to the class of person s But their report must have been made upon an entxrcmisap)ID hension of facts, tbr, in my judgment, it cos 546 January 31, very great injustice to the class named, besides den ng to them what I conceive to be an obvious right. The Nav Dept, some time in July, 1865, in reereuce to the gunbont service on our western rivers, directed that officers should be allowed one monthsleave for each fyear of service, and it was the expectationo the dots engaged in that service that they won d be treated as officers, and receive the benefit of the same leave. But the law was otherwise construed by the SecyNavy, and I do not now question the legal propriety of that decision. The pilots, however, apeal to the Government to be placed upon as uvorable a footing in that one respect as other officers in the same service. The kind of service rendered by them was fully as onerous, important, and responsible as that performed by any officers of subordinate ranks in the western naval service. Their capacity to render that service with eflicienc and safety to the Government was the result o long years of patient labor and observation. It was not acquired in a da, and in the conduct of the vast commerce of a western rivers, piloting is justly esteemed a callin of great importance and respectability. It wi I surely not be retonded that they were subjected to any less an ger in the discharge of their important duties than the officers of the boats they were piloting. They were exposed, in a greater degree, than any officer of the boats to the deadl aim of the rebel sharpshooters who, infested the banks of the rivers they were piloting. They were liable at almost any moment to become the victims of unseen enemies. Their positions denied them the ability or right toard their own safety, and compelled them to e mindful only of the security of their vessels against the dangers of the rivers, and often under circumstances demandiu the very highest degree of selfpossession an bravery. They received for their services $250 permonth, and rations worth 30 cents perday. It cost thembut little if any less than one dollar perday to live. In the merchant service, I am informed by several ilots of the hest credibility, they could at the same time have tten from $600 to $750 permonth, with oarding. These facts alone sufficiently explain any reluctance that any of them may have man ifested to leavin" the merchant service for the naval service. but a large majority of them entered the latter service voluntarily, and continned in it until the close of the war. They will certainly learn with 511 rise, “that so far from having been injurious y affected by the war, their business was generall increased, and in many instances they have been materially benefited.” But I should not have felt disposed to ask any further attention to this subject now if it were not made my duty to do so by the reflection which is contained in the report of the committee against the loyalty an patriotism of the pilots. I respectfullybut earnestly protest that the remarks of the committee do them great wron in these particulars. If they have any foun on in fact to sustain them, they must rest upon the merest individual instances, and certainly do not justify reflections affecting so injuriously a whole class. So far as I know the pilots to be benefited by the desired legislation in this case, not one of them resides in a State lately in rebellion and as to the ilots as a class, I esteem it alike a pleasure an a dutyto assure the House, upon my general knowledge of their character, derived from a long residence near the falls of the Ohio river, that there cannot be found in the country any class of men inere unee iuivocally loyal, patriotic, and gallant in their ehty to our country and Government. As a fitting and somewhatauthoritative answer Ito these reflections of the honorable committee ask attention to the opinion of Rear Admiral Davrd D. Porter, as I read it from the report of that officer to the SecyNat, under date of April 14, 1864, at page 622 of Iessuge and Documents, Navy Dept, 186466: "Th0". ll o o. la. of men who have durlnl thilwar shown a good deal of bravery and patriotism, and who have seldom met With any notice from those whose duty it is to report such matters. I speak of the pilots on the western waters. It but any hope of future reward. throughfame or in a pecuniary way, they enterinto the businessof piloting the transports through dangers that would make a faint henrtedman quail. Oecu sung the most exposed positions, a fair mark for a s arpshoqter. they are continually fired at, and often hit, without so much as amention bein made of their gallant. On this expedition the have been much expose and boys shown great3a lantryin managingtheir vessels while under fire in this, to thom, iinknown river. I beleave to be this small tribute to their bravery an zeal. an must say. as a class. I never know a braver set of men.” This riport was written upon the Baaship Cricket, ississippi squadron, 08Grand Loore, LouIisiana. now move the reference to the ComMilAffs. No objection being made, leave was granted, and the report was taken from the table, and referred to the ComMilAffrs. CONTESTED SEAT.