, 1873-03-07
The Bad Condition Of Our
Navy.
Views OF a Distinguished Naval
Officer.
Why We Backed Out Of q War
with Spain-
Evil Effects Of stProtection" upon
Our Naval interests.

From, Our 0,e, Correspondent.
! WAsH11B1os, March ], 1879.
I held conversation, = few days ago, with
one Of tho most gallant and distinguished men
In the army, whose name shalI not give, be-
cause he might be injured by the political har-
pies of that service.
"What is our relative position cmorgss the
navies OF the earth ?" said I.
"We stand not above
THE s1xTH IN RAHH.
Great Britain could whip all tho nAries Of the
earth today. one after the other, Fer salvation
lies in keeping up her commercial supremacy. I
have seen single vessel in hor navy, in the
China Seas, which could take, in detail the whole
American fleet, and beat every ship successively.
The iron-clad to which I al1ude cost about
81, 500 600, whereas we have just voted 80, Geo.
900 to build ton ships. Next to England comes
France in the perfectness OF her navy. Russia
and Spain have enormously improved their
efficiency upon the seas. North Germany, since
she has acquired seaports, has become very au-
bilious, and not only are her vessels-of-Uar ro-
uarkable, but her naval officers are Of remark
ably shrewd and vigilant description.
EVEN TURKEY
has better navy than the United States, strange
rs it may apear."
"Do you think that VIC are defenaeless in our
great cities by reason of the prostration OF onr
naxy?", =. ,o.,na.s .a
cause of ito remarkable natural defeuses. 4
shin or two sunk in the channel, Ut the Narrows,
OF in the Lower Bay, would prevent an entire
feet from getting up to the city; hut an iron-
clad navy could 90
a1aur INTO BOSTON nAHBoR,
OF into Portsmouth or San francisco. 4 fe"
months ago, We barely missed getting into
var with Spain, and the State Department. had
really got US right in, when suddenly it was
suggested that We o1amine our naval resources
for the moment. Word was sent that three or
four ships might be ready in twel7o months,
and two or three more in eighteen months. It
is needless to say that
We BACKED RIGHT OUT
Of the war matter; aud the Goyernment to-day.
if it knows anything, knowa that even SPAN
could drive right into US. because nowadays men
do not count, but mechanism in ships does all
the business. Anticipating trouble with ua On
tie Cuban account, Admiral Paolo, now Spanish
Minister, visited the United States, and took an
inventory Of the armored navy. 80 lad al the
points; and, by George! NO would hare been
h,1miliated in the estimation Of the earth. You
sss aeont 1864 or 'S' ., "' oE;a ws10 h1s, tho
ing gotten up the earliest iroa-clsds.
But that nary YVES created for an emergency,
constructed OF green timber. and late inEesti-
cation shows that every shot fred into those old
TOUGH 1TUU-Claab HOutA Ahs0
CRUNBLED THE WHOLE FRAMEWORK.
Tho English and other foreigners built upon
our suggestions, and they bave made u series Of
ehips Which can steam 13 knots an hour. Prior
to the wh-, our Old wooden Vessels we're s1so tho
best ndoat The Minnesota, nnd Buch otter
great ahips in tho American nagy, made good
speed, and gave our sailors confidence; but, as
we stand to-day, wo must keep mum, or be ter
ribly hnmiiated-"
..That is the best opinion in the uavy-I
mean amongst the large and high-rninded OH
core-on tho proper method OF building ship
of-war, whether in nagJ-yard or in private
yards?"
war, end that is
IN TIE NATIONAL YARDS.
Private shipbul!ders WORK only to complets
job, get their money, and show tho
: short period. But the greatest thing to be
looked to in s ship-of-war is the tisnbert
which must be thoroughly seasoned for green
timber warps, zots, and is unable 70 hold ita
build Of that magnificent teak; and have seen,
in tho Japanese Seas one Of Nelson's old ahipa,
which had come out in eighty dayn from Great
Britain, ~ sound and buoyant as he found it at
vate nary-yards. Of green oak, which hz' no
longevity. Tho corrupt shipbuilding interests
Of the country press forward whenever Ne rant
now ships, and,
UNDER TIE TARIFF 8f5TEN, ......
rob the Government, and, under. the modern Job
system, carry of tho prize from tbs nary-ga9ds,
where wo should have work OF the best class
slowly and surely made. Tho tariff lnte1oots, ID
the estimation Of the honost ofhcere Of tho navy,
Us such a Jogging that We will cut tho throats OF
these jobbers in the public necessities. The
great iron-c1ad sh1ps Of Ruasia, Prussis, and
Spain have been built by the English,
under tree.trAde sad tho xorx xn3a e%peF1n sp
spectiyo nations which wanted the vessels.
Ne cannot build ahip-of-War for cur lawful
noeds in any foreign ahip4yard, without an act
of Congress, and that act never will be granted
under '''' '''
T. TIE Honn1R1E BysTEn
Of the modern tariff. I have heard naval men
say that, il the United States got into Wal, snd
was 1ogged out OF it's life, so that the whole
b1uster would be taken out Of her, and re should
have to begin, like france, from tho bottom, and
ter of, Something calamitous is necessary to
stop the unpatriotic e1cessea OF cur buslneaa
people," -.
asked the gentleman who spoke thus intelli-
gentlywhat the leading men OF the navy thought
Of Secretary Robeson and Admiral Porter.
''Foh EoREsoN,
said ho. "there is such contempt that do not
caro- to relate the character Of it. 1nstead OF
demanding, like man, that Congress give the
country d navy sufficient to protect us, he begs
for everything, as il he were apologizing for
making tho demand.
ADMIRAL PoaTxn
reduced himself in the estimation Of al men Of
courage when he wrote those sycophant1o letters
to the President. But he is equal to his posi-
t1on- He always was shrewd, prying: sugges-
tive fellow, and no portion Of the navy has come
under his supervision but be has improved It,
There is no fear Of him. Robeson is 9 mere
grace and contempt Of every genuine officer in
it. We have no navy whatever. Every one OF