, 1870-04-23
OUR NAVY.

The bill before Congress for the support
OF the navy for the year 1901 appropri-
ates SIG, 500, 600. This is eight or ten mill
ions less than the Navy Department asked.
In the course Of the debate on tho bill, Mr..
Washbnrn, Of Wisconsin, a member of the
committee, declared that the present eon-
dition of cur naval ships was discreditablo
to the country, ut home and abroad. He de-
sc1ibed the navy as in most humiliating
position, the WIZ ships being the derision
Of tie world. The iron commercial navy
of England, could, in case OF war, be con-
rerted into ships of wnt, and sweep onr en-
tire commerce from the seas in 80 days
He said it ought to be well considered
whether it wonld not be better to take part
of the money now expended for nayAl pur-
poses, and empty it IN building steamships
that will be useful in both peace aud war.
AIr, Washbu1n and many others in Con-
g1ess bewnil the destruction Of American
ship-building, and wiring their hands over
the national dishonor and the national loss,
but refuse to vote the only practicable
measure to remedy the evil. Everything
needed to construct steamship is so taxed
TINT it is much cheaper to hire foreign
vessel than to build one and the result is
that none orc built. All that Mr. WASH
burn has to do to set every shipyard in
tho United States at work, to put all the
iron steamship shops in renewed motion,
and the engine and boiler works in full op-
Grafton, is to reduce the taxes The taxes
on the materials Of ship-building are so
great as to bc prohibitory, and the govern
ment does not receive ten millions
Of dollars in the year from
them all With surplus revenue of
over one hundred millions, the government
can nfford to abolish the taxes on Ill these
articles, or to SO reduce them as to permit
American ship building TO be resumed In.
stead Of doing this the House of Repre-,
sentatives is at this time engaged in III
effort to increase all these taxes which bea,
upon ship-building. The country is not al
this time prepared to 60 into any e1tensiv.
building of ships Of war. The war has
only been over FIVE years, and get the
models OF naval vessels, at that time mos
in vogue, hnve all been abandoned. Expo
hcnce is telling strongly in the matter o
naval construction It il true We arc no
prepared for naval war, but naval wa
is not very imminent. We may wan
n navy to keep San Domingo in snbjec
tion, If We purchase that republic, but
for The present, We cnn get a1on,
well enough There is no nation threaten
ing us, or likely to commence war, for tn,
mere reason that our navy is n small one
II We hive no navy, we have navy ynrds
and perhaps if we had less Of them th
, country would be no loser. II we wonl,
, take of the prohibition which now close
every private shipyasd in the country n
would have each Of these ready equipped +
construct vessels Of wa1 IN caso Of need
and experience has ahown that the govern
nent has done full az well with the ship
byilt at private yards rs those const1ucte
: Iissst the national navy yards.
Let MI. Hashburn give his influence
/ revive and restore American ship-builiin
1'y q repeal or a reduction OF the taxes o
: the 1aw materials, and he will have n
= longer to lament the want Of IN ocea
i marine comparing fayo1ably with that {
:. any other power.