The New York herald., 1870-03-24
Tho Condition OF the NSvy.

The same difficulty exists in the English
Parliament as in the American Congress-
regarding naval estimates, only in the former
the question is in regard to building twenty
thousand tons Of naval ships annually, so 40
to bring the navy up to the required standard,
while with us the questionis, shall we have any
navy at ALP The subject is much more intell-
gently discussed in the British Parliament
than in Congress; for in the former the Lords
Of the Admiralty are on the floor with their
budgets, prepared at every point to defend
their estimates and they generally carry their
points by convincing the House that the
vessels proposed to be fitted out are necessary
to secure British supremacy on the ocean.
With us there is no one to explain the necessity
of navy, or, In fact, to show that 1t 10 OF any
use. The members Of Congress who are
appointed ON the different committees
and appropriation-are, nine times out OF ten,
persons totally unacquainted with naval
matters. Sometimes they are Western men,
who. having, as they think, no interest in the
maintenance of navy, are unwilling to vote
dollar for the building Of ships, and If they
had their way would break up the service
altogether.
Up to the present time the people Of the
United States have been made to believe that
we had a navy equal to any emergency, and
not until Secretary Robson published his
exhibit of the actual condition Of our naval
service did any Of our people have an idea
that the navy was 80 Insignificant in size. On
took the Presidential chair, there was not
one ship that could be got to sea under five
months. Mr. Secretary Welles, after spending
four hundred and eighty millions of dollars. left
the navy without one ship lt to send to sea-,
although, as appears from his reports, he did
make an attempt to induce Congress to appro-
pirate money to preserve those vessels that
were laid up, the response to which appeal
was to cut down the appropriations more than
one-half That was not wise move on the
part of republican Congress, notwithstand-
ing they had no confidence in Sinbad the
Sailor for the result was to positively cripple
the incoming administration, which has had
to work hard to place what little we have Of
a navy on its legs again.
The first rush made at President Grant by
the agitators was for the immediate acknow-
ledgment of Cuban independence, or, at least,
for a recognition of bellgerent rights on the
part of the insurgents and there may be
solution of his indsposition to take any steps
in the matter in his discovery that we could
get no ships to sea under FIVE months. He
found also that one entire feet was so rotten
that the ships had to be sold abroad for fear
of risking the lives of the officers and men in
sending them home and the entire West India
feet had to return home in midsummer on
account of the sickness of the crews and the
unseaworthiness Of the vessels. 1t has since
been shown that every vessel of the navy had
to undergo thorough repair for the want Of
that appropriation asked for by Mr.. .Welles
previous to his retirement. If the "Old Man
of the Sea" did sleep away seven years OF his
time in office, he awoke at last to the propriety
of leaving his successor something wherewith
to run the navy.
Without doubt the sympathies of President
Grant were all with the Cubans but he COM
pretended that we were in no position then to
undertake war with Spain, that had eighty
six naval ships in Cuban waters, mounting six
hundred heavy guns, to oppose to our four small
vessels and twenty-five guns. Desirable as
was the recognition Of the Cubans at that time
both to the President and the American people.
it would have brought with it q terrible humili-
alton. In one week our entire coast could
have been threatened by nearly hundred
Spanish men-of-war, and our people would
have been crying out for the navy when there
was no navy to be had, and we should have
been obliged to take the back track and
hide our diminished heads. We oil know
the treacherous character Of the Spaniards,
and that they do not hesitate to
attack unprotected towns and coasts,
and the result of war with Spain would have
been anything but pleasant to contemplate.
Had we possessed even an ordinary navy we
could have long since demanded that the Gu
bans should be treated as human beings; and
it is hoped that the time is not far distant when
our legislators will awake to the fact that the
reason why we do not interfere in the cause of
humanity is because Congress will not give the
means to enable us to do 80.
The last Army and Naoy Gazette Of ths
United Kingdom declares that 1t was entirely
unprepared for the exhibit Of our navy, as set;
forth in the Secretary's annual report, and con-.
fesses to rise from its perusal with feelings not.
only of contentment, but of delighted satisfac-
ton and rejoicing that our s'navy, commerce
and flag are rapidly disappearing from the
ocean," This is the feeling that animateS the
hearts of all those opposed to republican insti-
tutions, and it would delight beyond measure
the monarchies of Europe to hear Of our hui
initiation. This will be our lot some
of these days it Congress does no
grant the supplies necessary to, keep up
respectable navy. Thirty-fve vessels are all