Southern standard. [volume] (Columbus, Miss.) 1851-1856, 1852-03-06


toughfares, and becoming thereby head and shoul-
ders taller than all the nations in the world No,
never.
Moreover we are bound by that golden cord
which never has and which as far as it depends up
on the people from my part of the country, whom
now address, never can be tarnished weaken
ed, by the faith of this great nation we bound
to maintain the neutrality of those high ways
That may do this, that we may be true to our
selves and rest in the possession of that great
edifce of commerce, of wealth, grandeur. and
power, the very keystone of which you have as
sembled to put in--the naval supremacy and com
mand of the Gulf of Mexico, mare claRsuEl, and
an American sea, is sine qua non
1t will never do to let Great Britain or any other
power, command that sheet of water with her ships
IN
To whom shall its defence be entrusted but to
the people of the south and west who have so much
at stake there
Therefore fortify the Tortugas and build up the
Navy Yard at Memphis. The south and the west
have been Hinsble riqged out of that work The
law has made it a naval depot OF dock yard. 1t
has been converted into rope walk-and thereby
it has become a byeword and reproach, if not
an eye-sore.
l repeat here what | have recently had occa-
sion elsewhere to say upon the same subject:
''The enterprise of American citizens is about
toopen one or more commercial highway across the
Isthmus The access to them lies through Amer
lean waters. They will be the channels Of COM
muncation between the distant shores of the ma
ton, its great highway from one part of the Union
to the other The faith of the nation has been
pledged touching the neutrality of some of these
communications The country will expect its navy
to keep them open in war, and to preserve unsul-
lied the national faith
The way to these thoroughfares, and the road
| to market from the Mississippi Valley run side by
side through the Gulf of Mexico.
| No system of measures for providing for the
common defence, can be considered either com
plete effective, unless it the command to
us of this mare clonSam. Its commercial impor-
tance already great will in a few years more be
paramount
Already the natural outlet for millions, it is de
stned to surpass all other arms of the sea fol
its commerce, its wealth and its national impor-
| tance.
! The currents and winds at sea are such as tc
unite in the Florida Pass, the commercial mouth 0
the Amazon, with that of the Mississ ipIi.
The market way across the seas from the valley
of the Amazon the Oronoco, the Magdeleha, the
Atrato the Coatzacoalcos, the Rio Grande and
the Mississippi, passes through upon the borders
of this sea
The works are projected which will turn in that
direction the commerce of the East and all the
ships engaged in it, whether from Europe or Amer
ica will sail through the Gulf of Mexico and Car
rbbean sea, passing by our door both coming and
going.
Through the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean
sea the country will require safe conduct in wal
for its mails, its citizens and their merchandise
as they pass to and fro from one part of the Unior
to the other.
The natural outlet to system of river basins
that include within their broad dimensions, 70e
of latitude, the most fertile lands in either hem,
isphere, and an area of them exceeding in extent
the whole continent of Europe-this arm of the
ocean that is spread out before our southern doors
occupies that position upon which the business
of commerce is to reach its fullest Development
! Here is to be the scene of contest between mar
itme nations in war Here are the gateways o
the ocean and the power will hold the keys there
of, that has the naval supremacy in the Gulf 0
Mexico The great sea fights of this country are
probably to take place here.
In the valley of the Mississippi nature has pla
eed the means and our free institutions the mer
for defending that Gulf and the interests connect
ed herewith. Unless we avail ourselves of these
resources now it will be difficult and expensive t.
command it in war.
Therefore, in providing a system of national de
fenses for our interest in that quarter of th'
first steps is to complete the Navy Yard at Mem
phis, and make of it establishment worthy o
its object and capable of giving force and effect il
time of war, to the immense naval resources, pow
er and strength of the great Valley of the West
To Memphis, Pensacola, and the Notifications a
Key West and the Tortugas, out to be entrusted
the defenses of the Gulf of Mexico
1t has been said ''It is too expensive to build
Navy Yard at Memphis piles will Lave to he dri
ven at the edge of the river" yet it would seer
It's not too expensive to drive them in the bottor
f of the sea at New York, and build there doc
which the Secretary of the Navy, in his last annu
al report tells the country has cost So 146 255 81
l do not comprehend the logic which makes
E too expensive to provide for the common defenc
in the Gulf of Mexico, the most vital part in ou
4 whole system, when it has been by no means to
\ expensive to provide defences for the Atlantic
Provide as effectualy, or Intellectually, cal
not which, for the common defence of the Gulf
4 Mexico as for the common defence of the Atlanti
h All we want is justice.
According to the report of the Secretary of W.
Il Just presented to Congress the subject of fo
! tiications, the amount expended upon the Arm
and Navy exclusive of Dock Yards in providn
for the common defence since 1916, has amour
}. ed to upwards of $75, ,000, ,00O. How much
V this has been expended upon Gulf defences, or Fl
q the benefit of the people whom I address ? Pr
z cious little We all know the Atlantic States ha,
: enioved a double benefit from this expenditure
first of having the works in them and secondly
st drawing the money from the south and west al
$ spending It in the north and east
in To me, gentlemen, it is immateria whether
il "a proper naval establishment Memphis will &C
one or twenty millions of dollars to found it ;
r a L