, 1873-12-02

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1NonEAs1NG The NAVY, i,
Tho "Ouban war " being over, thoro ought to
DO nnhpension Of tho preparations for that
war, ansi Of tho o1travagant expenditures for
hitting out navy. But tho four or five millions
Of tiolars expended during tho last throo wecks,
repairing and patching Tic old rotton hulks and
dooropid monitors, lavo only wletto1 tho appo-
tito for more lavish diasributton Of public
money. THO Secretary OF the Nary now rooom-
mords That Congroas shall at once bcgn sys-
tomato oonHtruction Of q navy that will compete
I'll number OF vossols and olflcionoy for Bervco
NTH tl,o other ravoa Of tho world. Our present
navy ooHts annually $20, ,000, 900, md tho ooun.
try can understand what It will coat whore 1t ialn-
creased four-fold. What do wo want with such Il
navy2 In tlme Of general wnra, tho commercial
nations of Enropo found 1t necopsary to obtabl'sh
navios to convoy md protect their merchantmen.
Long and rolontlcgs wara produced pirates and
froobooters, and naval establishments woro
necessary to protect roncoful oom,mcroo from
them. But tho days Of piratoa, and buccaneers
md Blaro-traders l,ayo paaaod away, and thoro
la not port In tho civilized world where an TIN
armed morchantmau may not lio as FREQ from
moleatation aa venasl-or-wnr. Tho old usoa of
navioa hnyo pasaod away. Thoy arc not any
longer required to protect oommeroe; :, tleir
principal tho nj this timo Ia to guard, protect,
and, II uecoBaary, hold In nubjeotion remote aud
outlying colontes or dependencies. Groat
Britain moods navy because of hor vast pos
sessions IN ali quartera OF the globo, and to de-
fcnd hcrsolf ngainst powerful noighbors. Rus
sa moods q navy to hoop open hor narrow aea
communications, Which, In timo of war, may be
cut of. 80 with all other Powers keeping up
largo nayles. In all those roHpocta wo differ
from European couutrioa. Wo hayo not,
and 1t is to be hoped nevor will havo,
my outlying colonies or dependencies to pro-
soct or keep in subjection, Wo have no power
ful neighbora. Wo lavo no foreign conquesta
to mako. We do not design aeizlng any part Of
Europe, Asia, Africa, or Amorloa, nor any of tho
islands Of the son. Our commorco-whet iB loft
Of it's AZ aafo III all parts OF tho world a II ,ye
bad man-of-war in every foreign harbor. The
necessary to secure all tho rights that our cit
izenB Or our merchantmen can claim. Even had
We had a flcot in tho hnrbor OF Santiago de- Cuba,
1t could not hayo prevented what took place
there, unleBs, indeed, tho Admiral had assumed
tue responsibility OF making war against Spain.
It would require the combined nayies Of tue
world to really protect our coast and oyen thcn
the protection would not be 40 complete as that
which could be- improvised on land III ton days
notice. This idea Of building nayies to rot in
limo Of pcaco 30 as TO DO ready in case Of war,
Is extremely absurd. Naval architecture changes
every few years; tho great war-shipB built by
England and France, at an immense cost, within
tho last fvo yeara, are now value!ess. 1t has
not yet bcen discovered what ia tho proper
modol nor what tho most effective armament.
Tho plated vessels go far constructed arc no
moro proof against tho ne,71y-inventod ordnance
and shot Of this day than wore tho wooden vcs-
sells against tho shot Of twenty yoars ago.
Whom tho War Of tho Rebellion broke out, no
had no moro navy than we have now, nor as
costly one; wo won't to work aud built navy,
and at tho clono Of tho War we had 500 to GOO
yossels Of all kinda ailoat. Whom tho War wan
ovor, wo sold all wo could, gaye army others, q
few went to tho bottom, and tho rest have been
zotting away or falling to pieces ever since.
Occasionally, tho Navy Department. would ropair
vessel, the cost OF "repafring" often exceed-
ing tho original cost Of the vease1. Tho fact is,
wo have no possible use for q large navy. Tho
Atlantic cable and common-RonBe seorotnry OF
State at zach end settled the Cuban question in
ton days moro satisfactorily than tho navy could
haye done at = cost OF q Thousand millions
Of dollars in = ten-years' var. The talk about
American ctizene abroad boiug grioved at not
seeing tho American flag in foreign ports ia real
ly too thin for the occasion. American citizcns
abroad who hayo such pioua affection for tho
flag can have their yearnings gratl1ed by re-
peal Of the absurd tarifr laws which have Grip
plod our commerce; or they can curry a lag
with thom in their hands; or, ii thoy are tired
looking at otllor lags, thoy can come homo. Our
flag il lag OF peace and union. Wo ought to
have tho largest commercial navy in tho world.
and would hayo Il Congress would repeal tho TO-
ntrictons and prohibitions. That is the navy
which tho world honora and respects that ia
the navy which Ia to spread knowledge Of tho
power and wealth Of the American Union, and
that ia tho only large navy wo noed.
They haTo got woman IN Toledo who can't
speak without rhyming. In all lor convorsa-
tions about tho house, even in hcr orders to hor
sorvant-glr1s. she usoa poetry as tho vehicle Of