, 1862-03-17

public service By which to maintain the na.
tiouai Integrity and defend the National honor.
History teaches als that every nation that has
depended upon navy for protection has been
comparatively free by the side Of those which
have placed their reliance upon armies. I
need not 60 back to antiquity to prove this. /
point to Holland and EnGland in modern
times. The former, while she continued to
be the power on earth, was the freest Govern
sho4n % of @ her % n5erIies lies and ny ct ' hsr teuits en- e.
n when she neglected to maintain her
deats. England, the most liberal Of Ill
Government save our OVID, il in no small de-
gree Indebted for her present position to the
force on the British Islands, and relies upon
her wooden walls as means Of attack and de-
fenEe. She puts no faith jn large standing az
mics; and will not until: her people shall be
prepared to surrender their freedom. With
R@9z the
ceed l20,CoQ men France, Austria, Russia,
and Prussia, maintain large standing armies
On their own soil, and in those countries the
liberty Of the people is measured BY the will
Of the soFereigns. The freedom they enjoy i:a
g1atuity ofEmperors and Kings; the seFgitude:
they endure Is enforced by the presence Of
standing armies. The people Of tits country
can never accept the rights which they enjoy
Is the gift Of any being inferior to their Crsa-
tor. I do not believe that anybody but the
the numerous and well appointed armies We
lave raised. yet no one Of US is prepared to
say that with IN army much longer isolated
from home. scenes and home ideas, eoncen-
trated in large bodies and taught the most i'm
plicit obedience, danger to our free instltu-
lions might not arise. No such danger can
arise from the existence Of . navy, however
large or however commanded. Seamen are
cosmopolitans. Always employed and gener-
ally ahoat they never become, as armies some
times do, as dangerous to friends in time Of
peace as to enemies in time of var.
might 20 on to show that, situated IS all
our large cities are upon arms Of the sea or
upon navigablc rivers, the navy might be
/ made more efficient in suppressing domestic
| insurrection as well as repe!liug foreign iuva-
| notwithstanding much that has been said by
| professed stati5ticians, the support Of j navy
| Is much less expensive in comparison with the
| service it renders to q maritime nation, th1n
that Of an army, but shal not detaln the
Senate by entering upon soch an nezposition at
| this time.
AsI sald at the ontset, my purpose in rising
| to address The Senate 1T this Time was TO call
| the attention Of the country to the success
ful operations of the Western hot11a, bat !
cannot refrain from a1lnding for one momeat
to the successes OF our nary elsewhere. TIE
swept by the fleet Of the gallant Dupont, and
is now efectually held By both an inside aud
IN outside blockade. The enemy have been
driven from toe waters Of North Carolina
By Gold6horough and their coast town:
few days, at at tho flrthest, Intelligence
viii reach US that the forts at the mouth o
the Mississippi river have been captured, ant
that Fa1ragut and Porter are. or will soon be
in possession Of New Orleans. Put the start
Hampton Roads attract, as they ought, TIL
attention Of all. It won1d be we'll for us t
reflect upon what these events have clearl
| demonstrated, VIZ:
/. That in modern naval warfare, woodel
sailing vessels are perfectly helpless and harm
less.
2. That even the modern stone Gorti6cation
are DO obstruction to the entrance Of iron-c cla
vessels Of war into any Of our harbors, bu
that such vessels can hold every commercia
. city on the continent at their mercy.
8. That We can now commence the creatio
Of proper navy upon footing Of elualit
| with nearly all tho naval powers Of the Worli
: Dir. President. no man sympathizes with til
| relations and friends Of the gallant dead VIII
, pe1ished on the Congress and Cumber1ao
more deeply than I do. Perhaps their 10:
was necessary to teach Us our true path Of dut
| BILE lives upon such worthless vessel
| and While ne dep1ore the loss Of $
! many braye meh let us rejoice til:
20 many are left to the service who are wilIiu
TO Gle LOT Lnc1f counLI3- Especially let
give. thanks for the brilliant example Of cou
! age, seamanship and patriotism furnished
the country and to the world By that mate
i 1ess.ofticer Lieutenant John l.. Worden, ar
: the officers and men under his comma,
= on board the Monitor. In that unexamplt
!; engagement OF Sunday last after a terFib
EptIoeatipg and dangerous passage from Ne
j. York, without sleep, with an undrilled ere
: handling an untried experiment, Lieutcna
i Norden and his 1nen performed prodigies
. skill and va1or that will render. ali on boa
- the Monitor immortal. They will be imms
= tal not for their yalor alune. Th
q battle reyolutionized in one hour bo
- naGa1 architecture and naval warfare. #
!, shall undertake to estimate the influence
will exert upon all the maritime nations OF t
earth ? Who shall undertake to tell the NIL
BIER of homes to which the news of its succc
4 full action carried quiet, which had been !
~ hours disturbed by the most distracting fear
!, Mr: President, the country has cause to
!, proud Of the navy. Let it be honored and p