, 1870-11-23
TIE NAVY,

our steamers spend most Of their time
looking for coal; that our monitor Hcet il
useless, except for hasbor defencas; that,
in view of European complications it is our
duty to be properly represented in /
European waters; that wo can only influ-
encc China and Japan by display OF fo.ce;
that the government. cannot exercise o
proper influence in countries OF Islands |
adjoining this country, or enforce treaties |
without large navy. The Secretary also
recommends that the United Stntes shali |
subsidize various lines Of commercial
steamships.
This is the second or third effort, on tho
part Of the naval establishment, 10 arrest
the policy Of Congress and Of the country
with respect to the reduction OF the navy.
1t WIS only by tho most determined effort
that Congress, in 1868, enforced reduc-
tion Of the annual naval expenses from
SIS, 0t0, 900 to $50. 000, 600. The sxpen-
sivenessaud use!essneas of the navy are
notorious f4cta, and it IS rsaless to attempt
to rererte the universal demand Of the
country for its reduction to the merest
skeleton II nc havo but Reventecn Vessels
cruising in foreign waters rtheprotection
| Of American commerce, that fact shows
how yety useless the nary il for any such
purpose. Our commerce suffers no injury.
No civilized nation offers insult to the ting,
or denies to ou1 merchants any right they
| nay lawfully claim The American Tag Is
respected everywhere, and that in the ab-
scnce of any naval force to protect it. It
VIII 1'e difficult to point ont my difference
in tie respect shown to the flag Of the
United States BY any civilized government,
and That shown to the flag OF Great britain,
even though The latter is protected by 1o1
vessels OF VIII. This whole talk Of having
a navy to protect our commerce
is simple nonsense Protect it against
whom The civilized nationa Of the
world are not pirates They do not prey
IN time of peace upon the commerce OF
other nations II their respect il only TO
lie secured by the presence Of naval
force, then We shonld have navy equal to
theirs. II our commerce be In danger of
British pirates, then We must have at least
49, vessels in order TO compete with Great
: Britain Tho uses OF nnsy arc no longer
10 project commerce. The vessels OF tho
. hunbles! nation may enter and depart fzom
any lnrt without any molcstation. Piracy
is hold il such abhorrence By the civilized
. world. tint il is not to be apprchendcd
: now. The United States arc
: not defended by their navy.
, 1t will make no difference in
, | our relations with other nations, whether
, We have an armed vessel aaoat or not. The
policy OF the United States is peace. This
is we'll understood by the world, but our
! capacity for dcfence is also understood.
We are not aggressive. wehave no distant
( colonies to keep in subsection, and no
provinces to acquire By conquest. In
poiut Of population and in military
: strength, va are exceeded among civilized
nations only by Russia In point Of iu-
i crease, growth, aud prosperity, we a1s
al second 10 zone. In point Of controlling
c the political opinions, and possessing the
i affection OF the people of MI lands, vc
= stand pe-emtuent among nations. These
l. things constitute the defence Of the
4 yni.ed statea and not the fotilla
u Admirs} Porter. We have small navy,
: I AID Great Britain has 191 armed vessels.
e Aseve, for that reason, any more appre-
i heHive of hos1ilitics from Great Britain
j. thai it we had m equally numerous navy?
J. Is hero nuythirg we would concede to
> Gnu '1sFttain, or surrender, or submit to
Il from her that We would not concede 10
;. Swi!n1lantl, which has neither nnvy o,
e FEancN Tint We would not concede tc
I II = = 4