The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1868-10-19

E,tt Ea tk.t Anaars, t4ttE A44IH
An American humorist relates an anecdote
Illustrative of the stupidity Of navy dignitary
in neighboring republic wh,sh ID not without
its application nearer home. An army onicer
required transportation by water for three
hundred troops and applied to the Secretary
of War. That official referred him to the
Secretary Of the Navy, and the latter again
referred him TO the commander Of q certain
government vessel The commander in let
ter to the Navy Secretary reminded him that
his was sixty ton schooner and had not room
to carry the number Of men designated. The
Secretary replied, Throw overheard your
tons and make room"
This anecdote is Indicative of the amount Of
sense that has governed our marine affairs
both in the departments and in Congress for q
number Of years past. All Congressional
legislation on the subject has been of the most
shameful and bungling description, so far as
commerce is concerned, while the action of the
head of the Navy Department has been of like
character in regard to war vessels. The stu
pidity of Congress has done more toward Grip
ping American commerce than could twenty
Alabamas. 1t has driven our merchant YES
sells from the seas, it has paralyzed the
the shipbuilding interest," and has lent
encouragement by tacit delays and per-
plexities to the establishing Of near a dozen
lines Of foreign steamships from this port
alone. In the midst Of all their folly and
fustian about the everlasting niger, Congress
men have utterly lost sight Of the great strides
commerce Is making in the way of modern
improvements and new inventions, and of the
rapid approach our country is making toward
becoming the focus Of the great trade of the
world with China and all the Indies They
seem to De !egislating for an age of sailing
luggers, wooden sea tubs and stage coaches,
instead of an age of steam, electricity, thousand
horse power engines and locomotives of
unparalleled strength and velocity. They
seem also to have no idea of the progress iron
is making in supplying material for ship
building, nor of the necessity of 80 modulating
the tariff as to nourish the shipbuilding
interest End encourage the establishing of
American ocean steamship lines. Instead of
considering the great and paramount interests
of commerce, these Congressman are legislating
upon some trifling, contemplate mercantile
matter. Among these is that Of requiring
owners Of vessels to have the numbers of their
craft engraved in a certain place in the
vessel, in a certain style of lettering,
and painted in a certain kind Of color. Unless
this silly regulation be complied with the
vessel ceases to possess American nationality,
and may be treated as pirate by every naval
Power in Christendom. Thus If by any
accident this number may be lost-for in
stance, by collision, shipwreok or damage of
any sort, or may have been accidently omitted
to be placed il the exact spot described IN the
reguations-the vessel loses the protecsio.. =.
the American flag, clearance is denied her
at the Custom House, and no new marine
papers will be issued to her nor old papers
renewed. This is harsh and arbitrary
regulation at best but 1t is especially onerous
when we reflect upon the different classes Of
vessels upon which it is intended to operate.
We mean particularly pleasure yachts. To
classify yachts in the same category with mer-
chant vessels is simply absurd, and to require
their owners to comply with regulations like
that upon which We are comnienting Is the
height of official stupidity. AS well might
Congress require the owner of every private
carriage to have certain number stuck in
huge black letters on the PANELS or upon a
certain spot In the inside Of the vehicle as to
require the owners Of pleasure yachts to
comply with this purely mercantile fiat.
These pleasure yachts are as much national
vessels as any men-of-war in the navy and
should be entitled to like immunities. They
are the models upon which our fastest war
vessels have been constructed; they sustain
our reputation as a go-ahead, progressive
people-witness the feat of the renowned yacht
America which polished off our English cou-
sins so handsomely; they are supported en-
tirely at private expense, which any one
knows who has tried the experiment is no
bagatelle; they engage in no traffic of any des-
cription; their friendly contests and displays
are matters Of pride to the whole country, in
spring in our youth love for manly aquatic
sports and duties aud imposing spirit of emu
latio1 AMONG all classes who have business on
the ocean and to al who are obliged to ''go
down to the sea in ships" Hence we hold
that 1t is not just that this class Of vessels should
be in included all the arbitrary and stupid man.
dates that may emanate from the Treasury De-
partment under the ignorant legislation of Con-
gressmen who, perhaps, never saw yacht in
their lives. We trust the department will see
the necessity of excluding pleasure yachts
from the operations Of this order otherwise
the Secretary will stand confessed before the
community as not whit wiser than tho nauti-
| cal dolt who presided over the naval destinies
Of the neighboring republic we have referred to.