The Sunday herald., 1881-03-13
THE NEED OF A NAVY.
An AnNeRl Rnihcr Thnn M AcguMeni [

FiEsr ARTICLE.
The fight for ocean rule brings out the
dormant powers Of people. II develops endurance,
pluck, self reliance; It fosters lofty srit-a spirit
which conquers In peace AMI war; 1t Increases self
respect and commands respect from others. The
ocean, Indeed, Is the battle field Of the world where
the best man wins. In all ages maritime supremacy
has been the index and exponent of nations great
From the days of Tyre, when 'her wise men
her pilots and all the ships Of the sea were in
her haibor, 'uptoths nineteenth century, when Eng
land remains supreme mistress of the sea, nations
have risen aud fallen with the growth and decay of
of their navy and mercantile marine.
Without going back to ancient times, we can trace
this fact In the history of Holland Portugal, and
srain each Of which In Its day welded the sceper of
the sea- and each yielded to the stronger grasp of the
other, until England finally seized II and holds II with
death grip for she at least has learned the lesson of
history, that with the departure OF supremacy on the
ocean goes out tile life of nation. Look at chna-a
huge giant, with the accumulated wisdom of ages,
with knowledge Of the compass centuries before We
were born-ying prone at this present moment before
Russia, all because the possesses n fleet while the
other, adhorlnS until lately to the policy of Isolation,
exhibits her mbecIlity In the numbering junk. 1t Is
said that of her emperors, fearing lest foreign
Intercourse might prove dangerous to the state or
eed that thereafter Chinese ships should lie built In
the shape of his Majesty Slipper piece of history
which threatens to repeat itself In this country, even
| IN this advanced age.
Rut perhaps brief review Of our own history will
demonstrate more pcrinrnty the need of navy than
any essay upon the naval history of the nations which
have come and gone from the face of the earth since
the days Of Noah. In the very inception NJ our War
o. Independence Congress looked about fOr means Of
constructing naval force for, says Cooper, 'that
| body was by no means blind Ia the Importance Of
| naval means of defence, without which no war can
ever be conducted to success In country sitae, like
| Amercl.n Wiser than the legislators of our day.
| the members of that Congress, knowing the folly Of
| constituting government without giving II the
means of defense. authorized In the autumn of l755
the construction Of fifteen war ships. Hetween that
year and I7s3 the Continental Navy grew to force Of
forty ships and IN that interval these ships, though
oncered by men unframed In the art ofraval war and
| imperfecty manned from tho scarcity of seamen,
decorated the pages Of our history with many gallant
and startling achievements, immortalizing the names
of Bdde, Nicholson Paul Jones and host of Others
without whose deeds the Revolution itself would have
been unsuccessful and the nation an impossibility.
surely one VIII deny the need of navy In that crit
ical period In the life OF country at the very hour
| of Its birth.
Nor was this all that the Continental Navy did In
that important era for. Notwithstanding the many
obstacles to be overcome the high maritime spirit OF
the nation broke through all restraints and In def
ance OF enemy that almost possessed ubiqnity as
Great Britain and her drspised colonies had not
tinued twelve month when the insurrection tc
heights heretofore unknown, anl for the first time In
her history England felt the effects which peopl,
thoroughly imbuel with love of maritime advcntur,
could produce on "A nation so fominercial,'' Tn,
eyentful career of the Alabama IN our day illus
trated the effects of single cruiser upon
The mere knowledge of the fact that the enemy had
man n-of-war upon the high seas did more to paralyz
the commercial energies of the country than sages II
the council or hosts In the field.
The boon Of nationality having been attaine,
through the heroic struggles OF the Continental Army
and Navy, the Government of the United states, sur
rounded by difficulties and hampeIed by debts. he
solved 10 sell Its NaYyto place these relies of patriotic
ardor under the hammer-a hort-slghted policy an,
In the end mistaken economy. As early The yea
1850 the Dey Of Agiers had discovered the existence
OF new nation with commerce and without any men
of-war. Topacate his piraticai chief, cost th'
country at that time more than n million Of dollars
to say nothing of the humiliation of paying tribute Il
an insignificant and barbarous power. The quasl-w
with France however, forced the government int,
the construction of new navy, with which, early II
the present century, these Barbary tribes were sooI
taught by this infant people lesson which they hay,
never forgotten and that too after years of tribute
and ransom eNacted by them from the great nallon
OF Europe. These wars brought Into higher homo
the mpeIishable names OF TTuXton, Banbrldge, Dale
Porter, Rodgers prebe, Morris, Decatur, Barron an,
Others whose ppserty still willing to do yeoman
service upon the for the honor and aggrandizemen
OF the country, surely no one familiar with thl
history win deny the need of navy to natlol
struggling ours was then for place In the lamil!
Of nations.
Thus we have seen that In the foundation Of TN
Government, and in the assertion OF Itself among'th
other powers Of tho globe, Navy has not only bee
! an important element, hut was vital to success, III
next contest In which tho Navy wore the spars II ha
already was In the OF lsl2-the great haiti
for the freedom of the Who to-day estmat
the value Of that victory upon the destiny o
America Who measure the herolsm Of the mel
who In that hour OF the nations peril In the face
a timid policy, with untred weapons only dare'
to go encounter the vast resources of the mos
formidable power upon the ocean, but forced I
mportune the Government for this perious priyi
Q ege? Consider the stuaton-American ship
l stopped upon the ocean highway, American seame
pressed into the British service, American OF
1 war boarded In American waters and Londo
newspaper insoently remarking that the frgate Con
stitution might be allowed to cruise provided sh
painted her fore-topsail in large letters BY pei
mission Of the British Parliament Victory aftC
victory by sea, oiseting the disasters on land 500
dspelled the illusion OF centuries that England ha
no peer upon the ocean, yndicated the freedom OF ii
o American citizen, whether ashore or ahoat an
placed the American bag high among tile banners
the earth. IN this our heroes again came TO n
n 'front.' and their names and the names OF their shlI
We're sounded with peals Of grateful Joy from one en-
Ma OF the land to the other. Tho Constitution, Unite
States, Chesapeake, Philadelphia, Peacock, Hornet
, Wasp. Enterprise, We're household words, and,
II they represented things Of lite We're found ia II