Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-08-31

which Mr.. Calkins vaunts.
HARRIsON's PAT SPEECH.
The lamentable condition in which our war
navy and coast defenses are found at the end
OF nearly twenty years of Republican rule is
well described by Senator Harrison in his
able speech delivered in this city on Aug. a.
He says: ''The highest military and naval
authorities of the country have again and
again, In official reports to Congress, declared
that we are without a navy, and that our sea-
coast defenses are not worthy Of the name.
We nave no guns for our ships; none for our
coast Notifications. The utter helplessness
and nakedness of our country, in the matter
OF ships and coast defenses, is con-
ceded by every American and known in
every foreign court" 1t a subject of amaze
ment and modification that with abundant
resources this nation should consent to occupy
so contemplate position among the nations
OF the maritime world. There is more than
one country on the American continent that
mas navy with which ours could not cope.
IT has been said upon the highest authority
that Chlll has .armored ships that could sail
INTO the harbor of San Francisco and put that
great city under contribution at pleasure.
WHERE THE RESPONSIBILITY IEs.
Who is responsible for this amazing con-
dltiOn of things2 What party held the reins
OF political power while our navy was rOtting
down and our coast Notifications were pass
ing into dilapidatOn? Senator Harrison did
not charge that the Democratic party suffered
this condition of things to come about or that
II was responsible for it. He could not do
that; what he charges is that at the late
session of Congress, after the navy had prac-
tically ceased to exist and the coast defenses
had become worthless Democratic Congress
men defeated bill providing for a small
the opposition was made because Of
want of confidence in the department as
organized for the best construction of the new
vessels and the completion of old or un-
finished ones upon the best plans, and not
upon the ground that a navy was required
for perfect security. Nothing in its history
could justify the charge that Democracy is
opposed to the maintaining of a strong and
efficient naval armament. 1t looks with
shame and humiliation upon our present mis-
cradle navy and regards with anxiety our
unprotected seaboard.
WHAT DEMOCRACY WOULD HAVE.
1t would have war vessels of sufficient num-
ber and strength to Withstand anv naval
power on earth, to make its flag respected
upon every sea and in every port in the world.
1t would have coastdefenEes strong enough
to turn back invasion. All this it would have,
not Tor the purpose Of conquest and war, but
for the preservation of peace on terms con-
slstent with the national honor. The time is
coming, trust, when war shall be no more.
and when international arbltrament shall su-
persede the sword. It is wickedness and in
sanity to make war over disputes that reason
tempered with justice may settle
peaceably: but nation itself inst and
peacably disposed can better secure its citi-
Zens wherever they may be on the face Of the
earth from wrong and insult when its flag is
the symbol of power adequate to the
indication of any right or the redress of any
wrong. May l ask you now to consider the
question whether there ought not to be
change in the control and management of
public affairs. What other remedy for the
correction of possible abuses have the cIti-
Zens of free republic? Even in England
change is the remedy. When the Commons
disapprove an important measure or censure
maladministration, the Cabinet, headed by
the Prime Minister, retire from office, and
others in harmony with the will of the people
succeed them.
MANY NEEDED REFORMS.
There are many valuable reforms which
cannot be accomplished by a party that has
been long in power. AS an illustration con-
slider our army of OflicehOlders, about 10000.
Reform in the civil service requires its re-
ductlon by perhaps S0000 1t seems to be con-
stantly increasing. Who can check the evil
and discharge all who hold positions and re-
celye pay without useful employment? Not
the party that created the positions and ap-
pointed its favorites to fill them. That is i'm
possible. 1t is difficult for a party to reform
itself. Party ties are hard to break. Parti-
zans stand by and protect each other. You
have seen that even in courts and iuries. The
partizan friend at the same desk will not be-
come an lnfOrmer. He will rather close the
book, and it must remain closed until an in
yestigation shall place another at the desk.
1t is nineteen years since the close of the war.
nearly five Presidential terms. During all
that period the executive and administrative
service of the country has been under the
".
Should it so continue?
THE EXPENDITURES OF THE PERIOD.
During the period 1 have mentioned the re-
ceipts and expenditures aggregate a sum so
enormous that / find myself unable to express
them in words or figures within ordinary
comprehension. | will take for illustration
the year ending June 80, 1888. The receipts
into the Treasury were about $39S. 200, 900 and
the ordinary expenditures were above $685.
900, 600, making the receipts and expenditures
n of oil
tions and payments i5 found in thousands of
volumes, and it was made by many thousands
of men. They were of one party and. as l have
SAID, bound by strong party ties. IneXorable
and cruel prescriptions excluded One-half of
the people from participation in that work.
We know enough to justify a suspicion of
ways that are dark, but do not choose to
consider exposures that have been made.
prefer rather to appeal to your judgment that
a change Is necessary, because in the man
agement of business so large, so varied and
so complicated mismanagement and 9rrup-
ton were possible and probable. The ,Joks
should be opened.
A CHANGE DEMANDED.
believe that good policy and justice unite
in demanding a change, and without it we
need not hope for administrative reform but
l would not initiate the Republican party in
its prescription of all but party adherents. l
repeat what formally said, that hope never
again to see the cruel and remOrseless pro-
scrIptlOn for political opinions which has
disgraced the administration of the last eight
years. AS bad as the civil service now is, as
all know, it has some men of tried integrity
men only should be retained in
Office. But no man should be
retained on any consideration who has pros
tituted his Office to the purposes of partisan
or cOmpulsiOn, or who has fur
nished money to corrupt elections.
May ask your attention to one other sub
ject? Much is said about the probable foreign
policy of the Presidential candidates. and for
MIR. Blame it is claimed that he will be
more American and dashIng. His South
American interference was neither. OF
course we know what vote this claim is in
tended to reach. l think it will fail. The
voter is too intelligent.
THE PLATFORMS.
The platforms do not differ aterially. The
Republican declares: 1--WE believe that every
where protection to citizens Of American
birth must be secured to citizens by American
adOphonw
Tho Democratic platform is: "The Demo-
cratic party insists that it is the duty of this
govern ment to protect with equal fidelity and
at home and abroad" 1t is the
imperative duty of this government to eff
ciently protect all rights Of persons and the
property of every American citizen in foreign
lands, and demand and enforce full repara-
tIon for any invasion thereof.
DECIDING THE CLAIM.
Let the merit Of this claim be decided upon
by a comparison and contrast of two
caseS-Cne under democratic administration,
and the other under Mr.. Blaine as Secretary
Of State. In lS49 Martin Koszta was
engaged in the hungarian revolt against |
Austria. Upon the suppression of the
revolt he became a refugee and sought an
asylum and home in the United States. He
declared his intention to become a citizen Of |
this country. In 1854, without having COM
pleted his naturalization, he returned to Eu- |
rope. At Smyrna he was seized by emissa- |
ries of Austria and carried on board of an |
Austrian vessel of war. His release was de- |
manded by American officials. and re-
fused at once. Capt. Ingraham of our navy
prepared his sloOp of war st. Louis for action |
and would have destroyed the Austrian vessel
had not terms been agreed to whereby Koszta
was placed in charge OF the French Govern
ment to abide a decision of the question.
''The correspondence which followed" says
one of our historians, twas one Of the ablest |
on record, and extended before its termination
to almost every question affecting naturaliza-
tion and citizenship"
MARCY's DIPLOMACY.
1t was conducted on the part Of Austria by
the Minister at Washington, Baron HUFFMAN,
Marcy, man of great power and thoroughly
American. The same writer says that
Marcy was completely triumphant in his
argument and KOszta was remanded to the
United States. You viii observe that Martin
KOsZta was not an American citizen. He
had only declared his intention to become
such and that his return to Europe was
voluntary on his part. Hs case
would not fall within the letter of either plat
form. The platforms speak only of citizens
adopted and natives. In that correspondence |