The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1878-05-15

that our officers are incompetent or that our
gallant sailors fall short in duty or zeal.
but that the greater part Of our national
ships are worthless hulks. Our navy
(meaning the vessels OF which II 10 CON-
posed. not its truly able officers and excel
lent seamen) is the shame and scandal Of
the country. II Is equally contemplate
whether we measure 1t by the requirements
of national dignity and duty or by the
amount Of money expended on It within
the last fifteen years. The greater
part Of the ample appropriations OF Con-
gress for building and equipping ships OF
war within the last iifteen years has been
worse than wasted. and wo have little to
show for it beyond q crazy set Of tabs.
which would be sunk in half an hour in
naval engagement In providing a navy
there are three points which should be
steadily kept in view--Q) adequate prep
aration for possible war; 90 the proper
discharge of our duty in maintaining. in
conjunction with other maritime nations,
the general police Of tho seas, and CD
the guardianship of our own harbors
and waters in asserting and protecting
our neutrality when wars break out
between other maritime Powers. Our
present navy is ridiculously inadequate
for oil three OF these great objects. As
regards the first, we are in no condition to
meet an enemy on the ocean if wo should
get involved in war with ono of the great
maritime Powers. With respect to the
general police Of the seas, in which all COM
mercial nations have q common duty, We
merely keep up the forms but the pres
ence Of British, French, German and other
war vessels in all the waters of the globe
make piracy SO difficult that it has
become an obsolete crime. If the
war vessels of the great maritime
Powers were not habitually present
in all seas piracy would be revived, and o
commercial nation like the United States is
bound in honor to do its part in this gen.
eral guardianship Of the highways Of ocean
commerce. But any nation may transiently
withdraw its pacific cruisers without retiec-
ton upon its dignity or honor. With re-
spect to the third duty Of navy, that of
protecting and defending the neutrality
of the waters of the nation to which it be-
longs, it is the most imperative duty Of all,
and must always be faithfully discharged
even at the expense of the others. The
navy Of the United States, being VIGOROUSLY
insufficient for oil three of these great
branches of duty, ought to be con-
centrated upon the ono which coming
events" that 'cast their shadows before
seem to render just now Of most immediate
urgency. The few good war ships which
we possess are doing parade duty in distant
waters, and this sort OF festive cruising
should be brought to sudden end when
serious employment for our available navy
is likely to arise on our own shores.
In a war between England and Russia it
will be the interest of the latter to strike
at the most vulnerable point Of her adver-
sary, which is British commerce. The
events Of the American civil war taught all
non-commercial nations lesson by which
they will not be slow to profit The Con-
federate States, having no commerce, hav-
ing no harbors which were not under strict
blockade, nevertheless inflicted upon tho
commerce Of the United States staggering,
almost IN annihilating blow, from which it
has not yet even begun to recover after q
lapse of thirteen years. This heavy, dis
astrous blow was inflicted by people which
was almost destitute Of navy and whose
ports were Theoretically sealed up by an
extensive blockade The irrcparable injury
was done by less than half dozen hostile
cruisers, fitted out from the ports ola neutral
nation. Russia would be blind ii she did
not attempt to profit by such an example.
England, her adversary, is dependent on its
commerce. even for the food Of its people.
England is also dependent on it's commerce
for the raw materials Of its manufactures
and for the markets in which it's products
are sold. If, therefore, Russia, by the en-
ployment Of few cruisers could strike at
the commerce Of England such crippling
blow as the Confcderatos by the aid Of three
or four cruisers inflicted upon the CON-
mercc Of the United States, she would
cause the people Of England to
rue tho day when their government
provoked such contest. At any
rate tho Russians, who were keen observ-
crs of our civil war, must have learned from
it the tremendous Power for mischief pos
sesscd by a non-nayal power against a ma
ton which has an extensive commerce.
Russia has better facilities than the Confed-
crate States ever had for fitting out such
cruisers. The commerce of Great Britain,
which Ia moro expanded and important
than ours ever was, is fair mark for Rus
sian hostility aud can be more easily
wounded than ours was in tho civil war by
tho fact that there is no part of the seas
where Russian cruiser would not be
pretty sure to fall in with British merchant
ships.
But the cruisers fitted out by the Russian
government would BIO more likoly to hover
about tho coasts Of the United States, be-