The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1861-07-11
Our Merchant Marine.

At TIE Close Ol OuE " dI WIN
and Oh the advent of Mr.. Jefferson tc
power 10 1901, Congress authorized hin
sell the eutiro Navy, except thirteen frig
ates named in the act. This apparently
suwise measure of reduction was greatlJ
exaggerated by the partisan tendencies
of the day. but its advocates justified il
on the erouud that as all the cruising
vessels bad been brous sht iuto the Navy
and were no longer needed. they should
be disposed of, aud should war agait
break out, others could DC readily pur.
chased from the merchant service. Many
ships we're accordingly sold. and numer-
Gus officers dismissed from the service
This fact shows that in the very first war
after the RcgolutioD, the Cover ment re.
sorted 10 the mercant le marine for the
promp: creation Of navy. The Grst
ship Of war that ever got to sea since the
present organization OF the Navy, was an
1udiaman. bought for the purpose, and
armed With twenty four guns. Numer-
Gus other vessels, many of very small size,
were purchased and armed, as the war
with France was copfUed principally to
ctases and conflicts with the eneDy's pri
vsteers, who sEarGcd upon our coast, es-
pecialIy around the West Indies for which
these light vessels were very efficient
Some of these vessels played havoc with
the pirates of that day, firing iuto aud
sending then to the bottom without Wai-
ting for the slow foruality of trial.
Between this reduction in ] Sol and the
beginning of the war with England in
1872. not single frisate had been added
to the Navy OF the thirteen retained in
lsOf, only une were st for sea in 1872;
yet in that Interval of eleven years, scarce
day passed without some violation of
our neutral rights by France or Englani.
War With the latter found US wholly I'd
prepared for it. Our merebant vessels
whitened every sea Rith their canvass.
yet while England, with navy Of a thou
sand and sixty ships, stood ready to sweep
them from the oceaD, we possessed but
seventeen cruising vessels, Of which nine
were of class less than that of frigates.
This criminal exposure of oar commerce
is accounted for By the then prc7alent be-
lief that England was ipviucible on the
ocean. Madi.on aud bis Cabinet we're
satisfied of it. They resolved to embar-
20 the entire Navy; not ship should be al
lowed to sail for fear of capture Captain
Charles Steward, who had been trained
in the ID nefcb ant service, and Who yet ,ur
wives at more than eighty, gallant and
patriotic rs ever, in company with Capt
Baiubridse, protested TO Madison against
this scaudaloas coHardicc. aud dem and
cd that the Navy should tie sent to sea.
The CabiD,t li-teoed to them, but we're
iu6exible. Madison they convinced, for
he remem bered Paul JoDes and his gal
laut coDpeers Of the Revolution; our fri
gates sailed, and En- ceased to be
inviucible.
Iu the three year. contest which sue.
ceeded the mrrchsUt service acted as con
Spicuous part as the Navy it-elf. Ii is
a popular belle! that all f. btiug must be
done By frigates in the regular way, and
that no couqucsts are worth noticing un-
less achieved by national ship. Hence
the brilliant victories won by our mer;h
ant marine during that war have been o.
verlooked, and the capabilities of that
now idle power appear TO be unknown to
the present Government. But the supe'
rio- arriviitJ Of private enterprise is nntn.
rious. While the Government, 10 1912,
bought merchant ships as they bad done
swelye years previously. and thus created
navy almost Immediately, privateer'
were fitted oat With astonishing rapidity
In three weeks after the declaration of
war, every New England seaport was a,
live with activity iu getting them ready
for sea. This city was equally active
Smart schooners were armed, manned,
and of 10 single week. Two or three
guns we're all they wanted, while 10 pun
berless cases single long tom was all
they asked for. The next week brought
them back with from Que to half dozen
prizes. The dash and daring Of these
vessels was incredible, and showed that
in the merchant service lay the great ma
tioual reliance. They secured every sea,
haunted every coast of both England and
ireland. Some of their exploits have
never been exceeded by any performed 10
the Navy Of any country. The priVateer
Paul Jones, of three guns, captured the
ship Hassan Of fourteen. The Teazer, a
mere cockbost with two guns, gallantly
took the ship Osborne of ten guns, and
500 tuns burden. She afterward cap
tured the Clark, much larger vessel.
with sixteen guns, having carried her in
few minutes by boarding. The Frank.
lin, of this port, captured seven British
ships in a cruise of two weeks, all of
which we're armed. The John of Salem,
took eleven 10 three weeks. On one oe-
cssiou an armed whale boat captured an
Ennlish hrin. on whose deck the boat was