The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1881-04-07
THE NAVY.
PRIZE ESSAY ON OUR NAVAL
POLICY.
Lieut.. BeIknap's Paper, Read by Capt X. Nj
G. Brown Before the New York Naval
Institute.
From the Brooklyn Eagle.l

noon, at the New York branch of the
Institute, Brooklyn Naval Yard. This
essay, on NAVAL Policy of the United
States" was awarded the prize of the
year, by committee composed OF secre'
taries Evarts and Thompson and Sena'
tor Mcpherson, Chairman of the Senate
Committee. There was good attend
ance of the officers and members of the
institute and their friends. Lieutenant
Commander R NJ. G. Brown read the
essay, as Lieut.. Belknap is stationed at
Annapolis and could not be present,
The author dwelt first on the growing
tendency among the leading powers OF
the world to place greater reliance, in
case of war, upon this arm of a Country's
defense. After discussing the objec-
tions raised to the maintenance OF a
strong naval force by the United States,
he took the othsr side Of the question,
the reasons for the maintenance OF a
strong naval force. That commercial
and naval supremacy are coexisteEt is
undeniable. The experiment at Hamp
ton roads, in 1862, revolutionized naval
architecture. Since then the Govern
ment has, in its naval policy, slept the
sleep ola Rip Yam Winkle. Our share
of the carrying trade of the world is lost
Whatever reasons may be assigned for
it, the inability of the navy, on account
of the inadequacy of its force, to protect
the merchant vessels sailing under its
colors, was the chief cause Of capitals
seeking safety under other flags. After
dwelling on the further desirability of a
strong navy in time Of peace, the author
showed from a variety of historical facts
its greater desrability in time Of war
In case OF future war between the mari
time powers of Europe, it is extremely
probable that the first and second arti-
Cles OF the Treaty of Paris, which abol-
ished privateering and declared that the
flag Of a neutral protected an enemy's
goods with the exception of Contraband
articles of war from capture, would be
annulled. A war breaking out would
throw large per centage of our exports
now shipped to Europe in foreign bot
toms to us as being neutral, provided we
showed ourselves willing and able to
pr ytect our ships from illegal exactions
and capture. The unsett ed condition
of society in the less civilized parts Of
the world, the depressed state Of our
maratime interest, the enforcement of
the principles of the Monroe doctrine
and our neutral rights we're all elabor'
ated by the author and given as clearly
established reasons for maintaining
strong naval force.
The present condition of the navy was
then taken up. The men Of war of the
present day are 80 far superior to those
of the last century that two or three of
them could defy the combined navies
which fought under and against N Jlson.
The construction of srmored sea-going
vessels requires time, skilled workmen,
and larger rolling mills than are found
in the United States, and both in man.
agement and ordnance would require
long practice before they could be skill
fully maneuvered, and careful training
would be necessary to prevent the mes
chansm of guns and carriages becoming
disabled in the haste and excitement of
action by the manipulation OF inexperi
enCel gunners. The navy now consists
Of one hundred and forty-two vessels
Deduct twenty seven tugs and twenty
two sailing vessels, and ninety.three are
left to be accounted for. Sixty seven Of
these are steamers of all classes, twenty.
four are ironClad batteries or monitors
and two are torpedo boats. -Four OF the
sixty.seven steamers are on the stocks,
having never been launched; eight are
old paddle wheel boats; seventeen are
in various stages Of decay, principally no
rotten as to be unworthy Of repair; one
is tug converted into q gunboat, and
another is dispatch boat--all deducted
leave thirty.six. Out of these thirty. six
a dozen or so might be picked which
have sufficient speed to overhaul an or
dinary merchant steamer; the remainder
are too slow to run away and TOO lightly
armed to defend themselves should they
fall in with q man. of-war Of the inn
proved type belonging to the enemy. OF
the twenty four ironclad batteries three
are said to be in the stocks, or are to be
or have been broken up; one, the Roam
oke, is utterly worthless, and though
borne upon the register, is is commonly
believed to have been broken up by a
former Secretary of the Navy. One, the
Puritan, has never been finished, and
five are undergoing repairs, which re-
quire considerable time for completion.
Including the two torpedo boats as be-
ing simply experiments, and including
the five monitors undergoing repairs,
there are nineteen ironClad vessels to
be added to the thirty-six wooden stea.
mers, making the total force amount to
fifty.f five vessels. Here is the astonish-
ing spectacle of a nation of 5O,0O0,000,
occupying a position midway between
the two great centers OF population OF
the world, with commerce which
needs the electrifying influence Of a
powerful navy to stimulate 1t, with a
policy Of non.invention in the affairs ol
it's continent by foreign nations, and
with an enormous coast line and innu-
merable ports to protect, relying for itf
defense upon such q navy, which is to-
day, on account Of the inferiority Of itt
ships and ordnance, barely noticed in
calculations in regard to the relative
strength Of the navies Of the world.
After recital of the claims Of the ma
Wy on the people of the United Statel
and history of its operations and o
the Navy Department, Its increasing bu'
siness necessitating the establishment o
sub. departments with its seven distinct
independent bureaus, each working ou
the ideas OF its own head, withou
regard to the plans of the others, the au
thor recommended that board Of com
missioners be established advisory +
the Secretary Of the Navy, who shoul,