The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-01-18
Our Navy and Shipping Interests-A Curl

| mittee on Commerce, ''to authorize the sale
of unserviceable vessels and materials in the
United States Navy Department, and to pro-
vide for the construction of twenty iron sea-
going steamships" is a curiosity in legislative
propositions. No doubt there is great deal
of useless material-useless vessels, old hulks,
scrap iron and 80 forth-belonging to tho Navy
Department that 1t would be well to turn into
money and apply to some useful purpose.
Perhaps there is more than twenty mil
lions worth. But to build steamships
with such money for private individuals
and for commercial purposes, even under the
pretext Of making such steamships available
for war purposes and having them commanded
by naval officers, would be an extraordinary
proceeding. The money realized In this way
would be government money just as much as
if it were drawn out of the Treasury from the
proceeds of customs or the internal revenue.
1t would be just as reasonable to ask Congress
to authorize the Treasury to advance money
to carry on the newspaper business or any
manufacturing establishment.
| The government cannot DO connected thus
with private enterprises. The proposition has
all the appearance of stupendous job. The
only way to revive our shipping interests is to
give free scope to private enterprise; to
take the duties off shipbuilding ma
terials; to pay fair, or even liberal,
sum for mail service, and, above all,
to suspend or repeal the Registry law, so as
to enable our capitalists to 60 to the Clyde or
elsewhere to buy vessels where they can get
them cheapest and best. Any other policy
will fail Spasmodic efforts to effect radical
change in our depressed and constantly declin-
ing commercial marine will prove unavailing.
We can never regain the position we occupied
previous to the war by little measures, having
in view chiefly some local interest or some job
at the expense of the Treasury. Let vessels
bought and owned by Americans, wherever
built, be admitted to registry as American
vessels, and our tonnage would soon increase,
and our merchants would become the success
full rivals of those of England in the carrying
trade of the world.
Then. again, it is absurd to think of con-
Meeting the navy with commercial business.
Vessels cannot be built to answer both pur-
poses efficiently. Those for naval purposes
must be constructed especially for the service
they have to perform. Those that should
compete in speed and In accommodation for
freight and passengers with foreign steam
ships could not at the same time be made
efficient war ships. In time of war merchant
vessels may be used as transports and auxil-
larry to the navy in some respects, but they
can always be chartered or bought when
needed for such q purpose. The navy, how
ever, must be something entirely distinct, and
absolutely under government control. Our
navy needs building up as well as the shipping
interests of the country, for it does not CORE
spond with the greatness Of the nation or the
exigencies of the service; but if the PROPOSE
ton to make the commercial marine answer
the purpose of war ships be admitted the naval
strength we have would soon be FILTERED
away.
And, here, while we are on the subject of
the navy and naval efficiency, let us say that
growing nation like ours requires certain
protection, both from foreign aggressions
and from internal strife. All the Powers that
have existed since the era of civilization have
experienced this want, and to their greatest
endeavor have supplied it, for no nation exists
to-day that does not possess an army and q
navy. If these branches Of the government
are useless that fact would have been dis
covered long ago but in the opinion of states
men they are necessary, and, if so, they ought
to be fostered and cared for. When our civil
war closed we had nearly million Of men in
the field. They enlisted to serve during the
rebellion, and when peace once more reigned
they returned to their peaceful pursuits The
governments of Europe were amazed to see
all this accomplished without the loss of one
drop of blood; for their maxim is that war
is disorganzing; but our countrymen dis
played to the world that they could fight
when fighting was necessary, and that
they could with the same facility and ease
return 10 the anvil, the spindle and the
plough. 1t is admitted that the navy Of the
United States has, from its formation to the
present time, performed its duty as o navy in
every particular. Congress has from time to
time passed such laws as were thought neces-
sary for its government and guidance, and
from few gunboats during the War Of indie
pendence IL has increased Cfrom that time to
1922 to several frigates and corvettes. Dur
ing the second war with the mother country
our navy became prominent. Its deeds were
appreciated, and our countrymen rested with
! the certainty that no foreign foe could enter
: our ports with impunity. After the war of
1872 the navy was increased very slowly,
; and promotions were so gradual that to be-
!; come commander the frost of more than
g fifty years had to pass over ones head. Post
captain was the highest rank, and when
venerable old post captain commanded q