National Republican., 1881-07-25
Cnngress and the Navy.

'''-NN
Our new Secretary of the Navy is de,
termined that Congress shall not say he
does not know what he wants. His
advisory board, embracing various shades
of opinion, and old and young blood and
brains, ought to be able, ont of multi.
plicity of counsels, to evolve some wis
dom. Hitherto the ears of congressional
naval committees have been vexed with
too many opinions rs to the numbers
and kinds of vessels necessary to put our
navy on desirable footing. The old
salt and the young theorist, experience
with and without judgment, and judg-
ment with and without experience have
attempted TO mark ont for our solons n
plan for navy. How to patch up the
old stock on hand, how to utilize the old
fashioned hulis, and how to make good
appearance at small outlay have been
the problems studied by class Of legis-
lators who dare not vote for large appro-
priations for fear of being defeated for
reelection in their deestriCks."
An opinion has long prevailed that
there will never be an American navy
until there has been succession of
American humiliations. "he fact that our
national ears are not cuiled or our ma
tional ears pulled is attributable in large
measure to the forbearance or lack of in
clination of the naval powers. For coast
defense We have some ironclads; for the
protection Of our commerce, cruisers we
d, have none.
If it is the purpose of our Navy
Department, aided by its advisory
board, to commence by teaching the
American people that they have nc
navy, and to follow it up by state
ment of what II navy should be to
place the United States in position to
share the dominion of the seas and to
enforce American policy in the Western
Hemisphere, then that Department will
have done its duty, Let us have no timid
prayers for patchwork. We are a nation
of fifty millions of people, controlling the
destinies of North America, committed
by tradition and interest TO an alliance
with South and Central Americas when.
ever European intervention shall be
threatened, and commanded by every
consideration of seli-prcscrvation TO con,
srol the Darien gateway of commerce
between our Atlantic and Pacific
possessions. Such a nation is like
raw, ungainly, and unframed boy il
a prize ring, if it has not only no navy
but no conception of its great need-no
only no knowledge of the necessity, bu
IN Of, ,Vhat |
is time for the people to have education
in this direction. Let the aspiring mel
who seek to dazzle their countrymen witt
their rhetoric on the stump and to retaiI
Beats i'll Congress cease to play upon tht
peoples love of money-cease to promise
new savings at the spigot. Let then
promise TO spend millions for defense
What we want now is, not so much q Con
gress that will cut off necessary clerks il
the Pension and Land Offices, and reduc,
the pay of the women who scrub tn
floors of the Departments, as n Congress
that will spend millions of the people
money when it ought to be spent. Tn
people can be won TO your support
oh leaders that dare not lead, q
easily by promise TO do what is nobl
and right as by an appeal TO the mcane
side of their nature, We hope much from
the naval advisory board, The enIight
ened policy Of the Secretary in calling t
il officers of all grades, and his eviden
determination to secure information an,
opinions of value as basis for his owl
recommendation will, it is to be hopet
command the attention and respect Z
CDuurpgs