The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1839-01-17
THE NAVY.

In our "reminiscences connected with the rise and
progress OF the Navy, il Is neither wish nor in
tention to wound, unnecessarily the feelings of any
| one, whose acts II may be necessary to place in
review before the public Our object will be to state
the facts they occurred and the conclusions to be
naturally deduced thereirom; and If there should
be who exhibited in no very enviable light
they forget that it is history recording their
! deeds.
| The Navy IL should be recoected, Is the offspring
| of the Federal Administration. It's foundation was
laid during the Presidency Of Washington. Its
original object was the protection of our commerce
against the depredaons of the Barbary powers
| Arrangements, however having been entered into
| whereby our Government agreed to pay tribute to
those Governments for the security Of our commerce.
in lieu Of naval protection, the first services which
the Navy was called TO render the country, were
to repress the depredatons of the French Republic
! committed on our commerce during the Presidency
| of the elder Adams These two facts sufficient
| to account for the unpopularity OF the Navy with
The opponents Of the Administration Of that period
| Notwithstanding the Ienown in arms which The
| Navy acquired during that quasi war with France
by its gallant feats before Trpol, and its eminent
success and glory acquired for the country subse-
quenty in the war with Great Britain, as well as
Algiers the Navy still has many enemies, both open
and secret; some through former prejudices; some,
through feelings of party consistency; many, through
an unwllingness 10 grant protection to commerce;
but more through Discrimination to grant the ne
cessary appropriations for its support.
The hurried manner in which appointments in the
Navy were made in 1898, to meet the exigencies of
the occasion, led, no doubt, to the introduction OF
into the service who were unworthy OF the con-
/ n ~. III. Av1. .,,
proper acts originated prejudice and cast an odum
on the Navy, which increased its unpopularity, and
encouraged the spirit Of party violence against it
These, united with democratic consistency, gave a
blow to the Navy, through the act of Congress of
1901, fixing peace establishment, that would have
Frustrated it forever had not the war with Trpoli
come to its aid 1t will be recollected that the Pacha
of Trpol declared against the United States in
| 1901, in consequence of which small naval force
was sent to the Mediterranean, under the command
Of Commodore Dale, and one of their cruizers was
captured by the Enterprise, commanded by Lieut..
| Skerret
Without doubt, the Navy at that time required
some pruning but the one it received nearly pros
trated it. BY the act of 1901 it was reduced to nine
Captains, thrty-six Lieutenan,s and one hundred
and fifty Midshipmen and that reduced scale,
this little band Of gallant spirits compelled Tripoli
TO make peace. The act of 1901 may be looked
upon as the first attempt made to destroy the Navy
| On the termination Of the war with Tripol, near
" all the vessels Of war laid up in the waters
of the Potomac, at Washington city, where several
of them soon became unworthy OF repairs, and were
finally condemned and destroyed twas about this
period that the celebrated Gun Boat system was de-
| vsed, with view to supersede the necessity Of
ships of war. That may be regarded as the second
effort made to destroy the Navy.
The attack subsequently made on the Chesapeake
frigae by the British frigate Leopard led to the re-
pairing and placing in commission the few remain
ing vessels Of war; and TO employing them to aid in
| carving into execution the Embargo Lars the ten
dency of which was, to render the Navy still more
unpopular, particularly with the seafaring portion Of
| the community.
| 1t was about this period, that England instituted
her illegal Observation-Disclosures her Orders in
Council, and persisted in her impressment of Amer
lean citizens in,o her servce-and that Napoleon
issued his Berlin and Milan DEGREES, neither respect
| ing nor excepting any nation from their sweeping
operation The United States found it necessary, at
this iuncture to assume the attitude of begerant,
and TO arm in defence of their honor their interests
having been almost sacrificed to longing desire to
preserve peace, almost any terms, in preference
TO engaging in honorable war, for the maintenance
and preservation Of their rights England was the
foe selected, in preference to our ancient ally war
was declared against that nation, and il was deter
mined by the Cabinet at the instance Of the Head Of
the Navy Department at that time, to lay up our YES
sells of war in the waters of New York; This may
be considered the third attempt to break down the
Navy.
1t may have been supposed at that tire, that moth
ing could Withstand the skill and proves of the
British Navy and that send men OF war to sea,
would result in merely adding them TO the Navy OF
Britain, as many other nations had done previously
This plan however was frustrated by the timely in
reference Of Captains BAINDRIDoE and STEWART, who
came TO Washington and demonstrated against that
policy, and induced the Government to change 1t,
and send our little Navy forth to fight, TO conquer
and gain new aurels for the country. The gun
boats had been stationed in the several waters of the
United States, TO aid the Notifications in their de-
fence. After giving them fair trial, the expert
ment wholly failed, and they proved worse than use
less; for they had killed and otherwise destroyed
great number of valuable officers on board OF them,
who would have proved, in regular naval science,
an honor and an ornament to the country.
| We shall continue the subject.
SENATOR KALAMAZOO resumed his seat in the Sc
nate on Monday.