The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-05-11
Advising the Waste of Money.

The report presented to the House on
Thursday by the Committee on Naval Az
fairs contained facts already familiar to the
readers OF THE sun. That many OF the
ships in the navy are Of old and Anticipated
type is indisputable, and that the best
thing to do with them Is TO sell them is also
true.
But when the committee advise that the
proceeds of such sales, added to " liberal ap-
preparations" for the purpose by Congress-
shall bc expended in building new vessels to
take their places, they propose a waste OF the
peoples money. A Capt Ericsson, whose
new torpedo boat is now exciting so much
interest, can tell the committee, the day of
great navies is over; and even il we spent
ten millions a year in the construction Of
ships Of war, and quadrupled the size Of
our navy, our offensive and defensive
strength would be little more than II now Is.
The most valued part Of n navy nowadays
Is Its armored feet yet the time is fast APP
preaching, If it has not already come when
ironcads will be AZ obsolete as the old
frigatcs Of NELSON'S time So long a. you
can't protect the bottoms OF your ships
against movable and stationary torpedocs.
II Is Of very little account whether you
shield their turrets with ten or twenty
inches Of iron. Ever since the building OF
the Warrior the English have been con
structing new and more heavily plated
ironclads, so that the ships Of one year
made obsolete those Of the last and the ar
mored fleet Of the English navy now con-
sists OF n lot Of ships Of enormous cost each
one of which was an experiment, and all of
which would be prey for the torpedo. The
most powerful ironcad ailoat is the mont
tor Iufcxible, but II England was TO build
another armored vessel she would take care
to make it very different; and the lnileXhlo
is no better able to resist torpedo loaded
with the modern explosives and striking her
below the water line than an ordinary
wooden vessel. Germany has practically
abandoned ironclads, for though those she
has are feeble in comparison with vessels
like the Innexihlc and many others in the
English navy, she refuses to build any
moro. During the Franco-Prussan war the
great ronclad fleet on which Louis NAPo-
LEON spent such enormous sums Of money,
and which he regarded with SO much pride
was Of no service to France, and did no in
jury to Germany. During the late Russo
Turkish war the ronclads Of Turkey some
plshed almost nothing, and one Of the larg'
est of them got the worst Of il in n fight
with an unarmorcd Russian gunboat and
only escaped destruction by steamine
away.
When, therefore, Congress Is advised t.
spend large sums on new war vessels, 1t Il
advised TO waste the peoples money. OuI
navy, it is true, Is n miserable one, far be-
hind the navcs of inferior powers; but II
servcs our purposes well enough, and il
would be folly to try to make it compare IA
voraby with those Of Europe. TO protect
our harbors we must rely on torpedoes, moi
on ships; and a small fleet Of wooden vessels
is all we need for cruising purposes
II Is right to stop the iobbery Of repairing
the old tubs, for we had enough Of that un
der SEcoR RoREsoY who actually spent
fifty millions Of dollars ON such repairs
and yet left the navy rather worse than he
found 1t! But Congress should frown upoI
any proposition at this time, when our ma
tional income does not meet the nationa
expenses, TO throw away money on new wa
vessels, as 10 the proper model Of whicl
scarcely two naval authorities agree. II W
have new ships we must have new guns 70
their armament for those now in the nav
are behind the age, and the drain on tn
Treasury will be great and constant
Break up or sell out the rotten old tub
left us by SEcoR robson, reduce the nav
10 the ships which can go TO sea withou
sinking, do away with all the navy yard
except one on the Atlantic and one ON Tn
iacihc coast, and spend what money "
nave To spare on those new and terrible eli
s'h'e OF dcstruction-torped the perfeI
uoh Oh which will mark the end OF grea
hayies and savo tho world countless mi