The Lancaster ledger. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1852-1905, 1858-06-30

to do but to light the beacon fires from
hill top to hill top, and an army will
spring up as if by enchantment but n
nav> cannot be had AZ call. You cannot
season wood, you cannot put it together,
YOU cannot obtain practical searneu in
moment Seamamship, unlike mere sol.
diershp, is profession and a nation
which intends to protect itself, its right,
and its commerce, must be moro or less
prepared with n navy at all times. The
little State Of Denmark, whose commerce
might be annihilateG from the ocean, and
it would never he missed of whom most
OF us IN America never heard until the
question about the Sound dues arose. has
navy superior to ours. Sweden, an
other small State, has II navy five times
stronger than ours. Even Spain, Of whom
we talk with 50 much contempt, every
stump orator in the country thinking i, a
small matter to seize Cuba and to chas.
tSe SPAN II she resis.s-.Spain has ma
w twice as large US ours; vet what did
that perform in the late Crimean war =
! The navy OF France is seven times as
large rs ours. Are we to pretend to be
great people, to pretend to compete
with England III the onl Legitimate com
petition for the mastery Of the seas, in
! commercial tCuna1e, yet have such II con-
temrtlbe navy rs this, SO that we can be
inSultcd anywhere and everywhere with
out any power of immediate resistance {?
Sir, teei these insults iu the West Indies
| as much rs any man. feel that we have
been stricken IN the face. DO not feel
| that mere apology without reparr:ion
| Will =" satisfactory. wish we had the
force, and 90 hope that fortune will SO
favor us that some of our vessels may cap
,ure or sink one Of the British vessels with
or without orders, for that is almost ne
ceSSary to pat us on an equality IN any
negotiations that may happen.
NJ. Mason. You are lllibustering.
Mr. Hammond. am not flhbustcr-
ing; | am only lamcnting that our Navy
Is 50 weak that whatever we say here in
iAe way of defiance will be considered
empty braggadocio. 1t can mean moth
ing else in the present condition cf our
| Navy.
Mr.. ToombS. would ask my honor.
able friend from South Carolina how ma
ny ships we had ailoat when our fathers
declared war in 1922
Mr.. Hammond. | DO not know what
number we had ailoat; bur when we dc,
cIarei war in 1912, England WAS cmgag
el in war with France. Her ships were
all we'll employed. She could not afford
| Il, 4 Al
met her single handed at sea.
Mr.. Toombs. will say to my honor.
able friend that France had not II vessel
on the ocean at that time. They had all
been taken away before then.
Mr.. Hammond. 1t is of no comse
Iucnce whether she had vessel on the
ocean or not; England had to blockade
the French ports 10 prevent the FreLch
vessels from Comcing out. But have
said 10 not put the necessity for these
vessels on the ground Of war. In tn,
Chinese seas, which swarm with the boal
they are utterly incompetent to any good
purpose, and ~ this moment we are hi.
ring small steamboat there at Il cost OF
$4,000 month in order TO effect anythino
whatever. In Puget Sound the Indians
come down in their large canoes, with
nifty or sixty Indians in them, and land
Oh the shores and commit any depreda.
tons they please. A shallow stcamLoa,
placed there would save US hundreds OF
thousands OF dollars from the Treasury
every year, and save the lives and prop.
| erty OF thc people there. What are we
10 do for all the insults that we are con.
Stanlly receiving in the shallow waters Of
South America! We have 40 vessels 10
get 'hcie. Our commerce may I've inter
rupted anywhere 10y any little State, and
if war should come upon us We have
scarcely one vessel that can enter more
than two orthree ports south Of the Chcs-
apeake.
1t is agreed by all who are acquainted
with these matters that light steamboats,
Suc:: as have been described by the non
orable Senator from North Carolina
which can go into shallow waters, which
can escape large vesseIs-ac,ivc. spry,
effective - are Indispensable to every
squadron on every station which our flag
visits; and therefore | advocate these ten
siooPs, and the twenty which the Senator
from North Carolina will propose as
peace measure distinctly, vet, like all
peace measures connected with the Navy
with Il view 10 war At the same time
! will say frankly, tha, | DO not wish the
Unite! States to become great naval
power. We have 40 desire for NAVY
for conquest; we lave no dosro for n Ma
w to hold the balance OF power among
The great naVies Of the world; but, in peace
ana !" war, we must have aNavy large
enough to at least enable us to prcloni-
nate at all times in our own seas. In
''T',t' honor, safely, demand that much.
Mr.. Pugh. The Senator from South
Carolina said the Navy was sham. If
misunderstood him | shall he hoppv 70
he corrected.
Mr.. Hammond. Is,iI co,,nor,,;I