The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1852-03-25


he inference that, needed no deiences 10 pfosc
our coast and commerce then, they are useless nop Inc
senator has certainly not looked al the commercial pro
sress oil this country since the close oil the war oil 1914
Dc he would have drawn such inference nave ex,
AHMED the statistics OF commercial mane ana una
hat since 1915 twhen the war with Great Britain closed
0fs50, have built "a 792 vessels. with tonnage OF
t47 39l 0i5 tons The registered whale nsery LOT the
last twelve yearslo viii from $40 to isoi-had ION,
mage OF 2O3s.l77 The registered whale fishery ior 1921
II is known that, perhaps with the exception OF a
single ship that visits the Greenland seas, Inc whale
fishery is confined TO the Pacific and Soath seas ne
proceeds OF the sea Tor The year ending June ~ iooo
IRON the whale fishery alone, amounted 10 $9,3lS,o24
Are means TO be provided for the protection and en-
OF this valuable traffic And are our pos
sessions the Pacific coast 10 be deprived oil all nose
facilities which aid in the exatation OF State or natlon
through miserable. parsmoDous policy on the part OF
the general government which refuses TO extend 10 us
proper aid when advancing with giant strides ~
in all that constitutes real worth and greatness 80
much for what the government has failed TO do to build
up the commercial greatness OF her Pacific possessions
And when We look into the interior OF the country, we
have but little hope that liberal policy will be
pursued toward that section OF the Union We have no
reliable evidence that we are to receive grant OF land
encourage the great railway system that will yet begir
this oceanbound empire, in order that we may do our
part in improving State developing It's boundless re-
sources and connect with the Atlantic, by commune
cations, as we are in principle in all that concerns the
Only twenty five years have elapsed since the railway
system began in the United States AT the end OF the
$2s6 455 07s. There up the close OF 1851, by
estimate, l06S miles, and 10 the end OF 1852 we have lis
extent estimated at l2600more than hall the circumfer
ence OF the globe Does any suppose that this great
system OF land communication will stop until il reaches
the Pacific ocean! Then. with proper system OF de-
fence upon the coast. which will give us permanent
commercial ascendency the Pacific and Asiatc seas,
the carrying trade between Asia and Europe will be
within territory, and enable us 10 control the com
and exchanges Of the world Congress has dealt
literally and Justly with the East in land, money, and
INN manfa ,pt hem
West we ask nothing more.
The senator says that the numerical marine does not
in New York to build one to avoid the expense Of accu
mulang docks, to meet the wants OF our commercial
marine The senator also objects TO the mode of COM
psg the I'VE to- the site 81 me ans
ted States He need be under no approximations on this
subjects for the location Of the navy yard will greatly
nance The value Of s Is, =. Il nd
most willing to give quit-clam to the United States for
any Of land needed for this purpose doubt very
much whether there is man in California who would
risk his title in contest with the United States Land
titles in that country not SO perfect as to court an
issue OF title with the United States for lands selected
for public purposes This part OF the bill was intended
do away with the necessity OF further legislation as 10
the selection Of site The senator says this country has
no necessity for national defence. because no nation
wants 10 go 10 with This may be true now, but
will it always remain so? III the senator the en-
peror OF the world and should issue his edct that there
should be wars, then there would be neces-
sty for national defences here elsewhere Unortu-
nately for mankind he has not this power; and prefer
adherng TO the time honored policy of this government
to prepare for in time of peace" The question
now is, shall we make this preparation on the Pacific
coast OF the United States Arguments IN favor oil the
expenditure OF public money in any State OF the conied
eracy have less weight when they come from repre-
sentative OF such State than when they emanae from
entirely dsinterested source.
II is fortunate for me that can bring high authority to
my aid in favor Of this bill, by reading from able
port made by the Naval Committee OF the House al The
last session:
The next object which has engaged the attention Of the
committee 10 thar which relates 10 the naval defence OF
1.-THE acquisition of California and the occupation OF
Oregon have extended front from the Atlantic
the Pacific ocean. The national deences be provided
for those distant shores must of necessity be almost en-
trey naval The approaches from every other direction
except from the sea are difficult and Doubtful, and may
hostile approaches tho front fellow citizens
the Pacific that IL is within the reach OF third fourth
rate naval power with whom the Gnitcd States may be al
greatly harsss and annoy them. So dependent
they upon ships for supplies OF all kinds that blockade oil
her principal for few months would reduce the State
OF California TO a starving condition.
The population OF California, for the last year,
%ay be Is, estimated q. so0o and %s be assumed thai
scripons which entered her ports This estimate is su
ceny accurate to show how entirely dependent that coun
try is upon the and how vulnerable from that quarter
for IL proves that IN the average, ship required TO
supply the wants and necessities OF about hundred Cal
fonansso little do they produce except gold and so de-
pendent they upon foreign makerts The world would
not afford vessels enough al rse 10 eich aud
does the world afford another instance OF people
dependent Tor supplies upon the exposed and
utterly helpless In OF attack by the people
OF California In their present condition.
blockade Of our Atlantic ports might interfere with
abroad but IL could bring the people
here such degree OF suffering dist and misery
would DO inflicted on the people OF California by block
ade OF their coasts. The voyage by hence TO Caor-
MIA and Oregon the longest voyage known navigation
and far the naval defences oil that State and Territory
concerned, they colony In the distant part
Of the world, which In the navy has TO protect and
the route ihrongcd with the enemy and
beset with dangers.
"In providing OF naval defence, planning
OF naval policy, regard must DO had to the situation
and condition oil other nations.
Seeing, them the means OF attack and knowing the
tent OF their and own the bet
ter judge the degree and kind Of preparation which IL
behooves 70 make
lowing TO the great naval resources OF the States upon
the OF the Atlantic, II has been aud never
will be consistent with the true policy OF the country
keep In standing navy IN proportion 10 the stand
ing nayies other Hence, though find the
United States the FIRST commercial nation Tor tonnage she
only the fifth In actual force. The navies of Great
Britain, France, Russia, and Turkey, all carry guns
than the American navy, and the Egyptian navy has only
seven guns less
In proportion to commercial MARINE the navy Of the
United states 10 the smallest navy in the world. The
toas OF Europe support naves that twenty
OF omnercisl shipping; whereas mount, the
rather less than Great Britain has France
ten Russia twenty four guns for 900 tons OF ship
ping owned by their merchants The naval force 70 be
kept ordinarily commission should not In the judgment
reach such figure these
present do the public interests require that In times OF
profound peace should exceed onchird one-lourh OF
the lowest OF these rates
s'As commerce expands and increases, the demands
upon the navy for service also increase therefore, there
exist somewhere ratio between the OF
commerce and the guns Of armed ships which. II Il cosid
be discovered, being turned TO the degree OF
arat lOnO Ter