National Republican., 1873-02-05
OCEAN STEAMERS.


The Baltimore San Of yesterday saysi "In
the Inst three months eleven English steam
ers have been lost at sea with all on board
This fact Is appalling, and must be attributed
TO their construction. 1t has been stated that
these steamships were new, but built Of lnfe-
rior iron, with length ten times their width,
and depth OF hold equal to their width, with
the idea of u gain of freight combined with
speed. Another mistake, the International
stesmsh!p Company declare, Is that steam
ships launched In the ordinary way are apt to
sustain damage near the mIdship section. To
remedy this the company suggest that steam.
shiPs Of great length should be built in docks
and 1oated out, The record Of these losses
Is apt " grow, unlssS some measures are
adopted requiring steamships to be built with
view to safety rather than quantity of
freight and speed"
Considering the immense passenger traffic
between the United States and Europe, this
subject Is OF the highest importance, as
well TO our own citizens rs TO those of
Europe. Tho very Idea suggested by the In
ternatonal steamship Company as to the
launching Of steamships was elaborated In
report 10 Congress by the Secretary of the
Navy at .he last session of Congress, and Is
now embodied In blu before the Seuate.
How many terrible lessons Of losses and dis
astsrs arc necessary to teach our Legislators
the plainest and most obvious lessons
GEN. BANKS CUBAN RESOLUTION.
From the very beginning OF the rebellion
In Cuba, Gen. Banks has been the steady and
consistent friend Of tho struggling patriots
Through good aud evil report he has man
fully stood by their cause In Congress, aud
never lot an opportunity pass of aiding them
in every way that he could The resolutions
which he introduced on Monday, and which
are now pending in the committee over which
he so ably presides, form a new phase In the
history Of our Cuban policy. They propose
10 accomplish by indlroctiOn what has been
40 often attempted by less clrcuitous route
Hitherto, the effect has been, for the most
part TO secure the acknowledgment of Cuban
Deligersncy by the United States, and to that
end various resolutions have, time and again,
been introduced, But grave questions OF in
ternational law and OF public policy inter
fered and prevented the accomplishment OF
that which we know every department Of our
Government would only be too glad to accom-
plish II II could do so lawfully.
Inc Jnlteu states could not nave reCSg-
niEed the belligerency Of Cuba without max
Ing itself internationally culpable in the opin-
ion OF the entire world. We were asked to
recognize a government which had not
local habltatlun aud scarcely name. We
were told that IL was somewhere Ia the Cuban
canebrakes, but exactly where no one could
tell. 1t had no port, and has not one to-day.
The best informed Of Its friends could not
detne where It's jurisdiction began aud where
Il ended. All the evidence In tho possession
OF our Government went 10 chow that there
were more suffering Cuban patriots in New
York and Key West than in the lever faith |
iul isle" This was, in brief the condition of
Affairs two years ago, and Ia the best and |
fullest Justification OF the seemingly apathetlc |
action Of our Government.
The situation OF affairs upon the Island |
has, however, materially changed since that |
time. The insurreelion, so far from being |
suppressed Is to-day stronger and more |
formidable than ever Through the enter |
prise OF one OF our own jOuTnRs we have
asoertainsd that the Insurgents have an army
Ot over hye thousand men In the Eastern de-
partmOnt au army OF i've thousand men In
Central Cuba, while the guerilla forces mum
Der upwards Ot Two thousand men. Spain |
has Lost over sixty thousand men In the at
tempt 10 conquer the rebellion, whils the
Bank OF Havana has been brought 70 the