The Cecil Whig., 1872-12-14
M'he Gttal Mhi9
ELKToN, DECEMBER II, Is72.
The Greatest Discovery of the Age.


The discoveries of Columbus, Fernando
De Soto, and others in the early history of
America occupy conspicuous place in the
annels of the country, but the remarkable
discovery recently made by The Democrat
eclipses them all. We have styled this
late discovery the greatest of the nine
teenth century, and when its Importance
and the difficulty which must have been
encountered in arriving at the secret is
understood, none will be found unwilling
to award the place of honor TO our great
modern adventure. This grand discovery
consists in the fact that the visit of the
lis Roads, frightened the whole American
nation generally, and the Administration
in particular, into concluding the Treaty
of Washington, by which the Alabama
Claims business was settled. After stat
ing the Importance of this original idea, in
its customary florid rhetoric, the Democrat
very complacently takes credit for the
same with satisfied air, remarking-"b but
been done to the real paciicator between
Great Britain and the United States" We
feel like protesting in gentle manner
against this mixing of things so. 1t is not
pleasant thus to have national cowardice
put in place of natioe cowardice. If the
Editor of the Democrat was frightened by
the British " Monarch and we are not
going to deny it, there is no kind of reason
in supposng that any body else was. 1t
is pretty well established that General
Grant doesn't scare worth q cent at sight
of bgs guns. And as the Americans
taught the world to build iron monitors
they are not likely to be frightened by
mares nest of this kind. And as to per
suading John Bull that the Yankees can
be scared by any kind of warlike lnven-
tions would be a difficult task. The Brit
ish Lion has had two set-tos with the Unit
ed States when Jonathan was quite small
boy. For piece Of tirst-class absurdity
this "Monarch scare of the Democrats
takes the "rag off,
state secret to an astonished world, informs
the astounded inhabitants, that high pro
tective Tariff destroyed American COM
merce and drove our shipping from the
seas We had been led to believe by gen
eral newspaper report, and the debates in
Congress, especially on the Indirect
Damage" question which Mr.. Sumner
started. that the ''Alabamas, Floridas,'
and other piratical cruisers run in the
interest of the Rebel Government, was the
cause of destruction to our commercial
marine. For building and protecting
these cruisers the Treaty of Washington,
which the Monarch " in Annapolis Roads
scared the United States into making, ac-
cordng to the voracious Democrat, appears
to take this view of the matter, for by the
terms of that Treaty the British nation
agrees to pay to the United States Govern
ment for the depreciation of those cruisers
OIL American commerce, fifteen millions
and half in gold. 1t would have been
better for the British exchequer had the
from our waters, if display of her powers
cost her nation so much.
And what was the British Free Trade.
League, which the Democrat supports SO
warmly, about, while the American Treaty
lawyers were arguing the question of dam
age before the Board of Arbitration This
Free Trade Association should have shown
the Board that it was a high protective
Tariff that burned the American ships on
the ocean, and caused the Insurance under
writes to demand such enormous premiums
on vessels and cargoes sailing under the
United States flag, that our ship owners
had to sell their vessels OF register them
under foreign governments. When it is
remembered that the United States COM
mercal marine which was destroyed by
British cruisers in the interest of the Rebel
Government, was from the foundation of
the government, and notably from 1915
when the last war with Great Britain was
concluded, building up and assuming the
proportions it had reached in 1860, it will
not seem surprising that it has not regain
ed its former standing in the short space
of six years. Iron steamships have, too,
taken very important position in the
commercial, as well as the armed navies of
the world, within the last decade, and the
English having cheap labor and cheap
iron have been enabled to get the start of
other maritime nations after her cruisers
had destroyed the navy of her great rival
in ship building.
But the signing boast, and crocodile
tears of The Democrat over the PROSTATE
marine of the United States, and the utter
hopelessness of its ever rising again to its
former grandeur and power. are all vain,
and may safely be dismissed along with
the other verbose bosh which accompanies
them. The ship yards on the coast of
Maine are again beginning to assume
something of their wonted activity before
the war of the rebellion called her builders
to engage i'll a different branch of business.
as the late Mr.. Greeley put it, in al!uding
to his Presidential campaign. Two new
Splendid steamships Tor the racine Mall
Steamship Company have lately been
launched at Whining ton, Del. Three 9th
els for the same company are also being
built at Chester, one of 1874 tuns, the
other of 4, 500 tuns. Tie steamship com
pany of Philadelphia have placed two
splendid vessels on their line between that
city and Europe and are having others
constructed With these and other simi-
lar enterprises we see no cause to despair OF
the American marine in the not far distant
future far surprising what it ever was in the
past; and not only rivaling, but rising su-
peror that of any other nation i'll the
world. 1t is absurd to complain because Il
navy which has been driven from the ocean
and destroyed by pirates under the pre-
lection of a neutral power, is hot restored
in half a dozen years.
The English Government, and other
European powers, dreading the rivalry of
the Il nited States. took every advantage of