Weekly Chillicothe crisis., 1884-07-10
THE ARMY AND NAVY.
We Need No Standing Army But
Should Have Strong Navy.
Buffers Solution of the Question.

tTS DtlltNtl UelOTt tlcuItllCdlll, WllCn |
we know now practically y-and which
may be stated in almost seeming par
adox-that our military power is the |
strongest when our armies are the weak
est because every soldier is citizen in
peace, and every citizen is soldier in |
war. If we could only treat the Indian |
with justice, and teach him the arts of |
peace, we have practically no use for
even the skeleton Ofan army which now
exists. For this generation at least an
army of American soldiers can be i'm
provised within weeks capable of meet
ing any army that can be precipitated
upon our shores even with the aid of
steam transportation. And there is no
duty Of preparation for war required at
the hands of the government save that
the best of arms and the best of ammu-
milton and best of equipment, to furnish
an army of million of men, should be
always ready in arsenal
! have said-and all my comrades in
arms will agree-that armies may be i'm
provised sufficient for all the needs of
this country; they will assemble ut call,
like the elan of Roderick at the sum-
mons of the Fiery Cross. But not so
with the navy. The sailors indeed
would be ready If We had not succeeded
in crushing out our merchant marine.
Years must pass before navy can be
built and armed sufficient to cope with
any tifth-rate naval power in the world
Let us not deceive ourselves.
In the war of lSl2,a single heavy gun
of the calibre Of that day, but which
would be but toy in this, on the deck
of Baltimore clipper, or a Portsmouth
schooner, made an effective cruiser
against the commerce of England, and
thousands of dollars of prizes stimulat-
ed and rewarded the enterprise. Amy
well built merchant ship capable of sus-
tanning the shock of the discharge OF the
battery placed upon her own decks,
went out to meet English frigates, and
generally found to be superior in sail
ing qualities.
For blockading purposes in our late
war navy was improvised with almost
equal facility; but that was to be used
against cOmbatant that had no cruis-
ers which ever came into home port.
But this cannot be done again. In ma
val warfare all is changed. The guns
which an armed ship must now carry to
protect itself even, takes months in con-
struction after the plant should be cree
ted upon which they could be made.
There is no civil requirement that needs
the machinery or the erection of such
plant. Years are required to build n
naval vessel of steel and iron to meet
one of the heavy armed vessels Of Eng
land, France or Italy. An adequate ma
Wy ought to he made ready, because our
only weak point AS power on earth, ,as
a nation, is the liability to be attacked
by naval force precipitated upon us,
before we can be ready with like force
either to repel or attack in return.
But before he United States can be n
naval power with means of attack or
annoyance of other nations, other than
to be laughed at, another provision has
to be made which will take still more
time and still more expense to find n
gun or 10 build ship, and that is to
make provision for the means to move
the ship and the gun after they are
built.
BY what seemed to me then, and what
seems to me now, more and more 'fa-
tuity of diplomacy" in order to make
treaty with England by which through
arbitration we might get few million
dollars instead of a manly full indem-
niiicatiOn for actual and valid claims OF
many hundred millions of actual money,
wrongs done lis during the war by the
acts OF the British government, we agree
to n new rule OF international law that
entirely crippleS if not wholly destroys
our possible efficiency as a naval power
We bound ourselves by the Treaty d
Washington that coal should be helC
"contraband Of war; that is to say
t that whatever neutral nation shall fur
, nish to the cruiser Of a belligercnt pow
er in time OF war any coal for any 9th
er use save to enable such cruiser to gc
! quickly and safely to port of her cOun
G try, such nation so furnishing coal shal
be held responsible to the other bellig
crent for all damage that such cruise
y should afterward do while using tha
+ coal. That is to say, in case of war, b,
the rule of international law to whicI
@ we have bound ourselves, and recon
mcnded other nations to be boun
- thereby, no nation can permit her cit
z izcns to sell to or furnish an America
war vessel with pound of coal eXccp
a to bring her home. Now this countr
has not naval station away from on
own shores on earth where she has
" right to have pound of coal except sh
1t may buy it in the market in time G
= peace, and that is forbidden by the rul
| have mentioned in time of war.
No American war ship has been bui
7, or can be built that can carry COZ
Il enough to steam fifteen days from HON
s. and get back. How completely we wer
over-reachcd in our diplomacy will b
seen when we remember that for on
i hundred years, nay, for one hundrc
and fifty years, England has been e'
d tablishing fortified military posts an
a stations for coalng and magazines fo
~ other war material which make u girdl
l. around the earth.
= In case of war, any naval power ho
rt ships enough TO prevent us from cstat
+ fishing cOaling station in any plac
=. on earth where we cannot march on
II armies.
c Is il ont of place while we are con
\ mcmorating the valor of our soldier
and all that they have done for us, thG
we should pause, even at their grave
IL moment to reflect upon our veal
ness in another direction which ma
render the example of their valor inc
fcctual to protect usP
u Even here and now let us call to min
u that the grandeur of our position as tn
le first military and civic power in tn
u world, with more than fifty millions {
IL people, sure that we never shall hay
" an aggressive war made upon us, yC
'o because of our grandeur, because of on
y. abounding wealth, our flag borne upo
% American ships of war able to met
Di those of any other nation should be NJ
" on every sea,so that every citizen of tn
Di United States could feel when opprcsse
'e by the people of any nation, civilized {
s. uncivlized, that he is protected by tn
F. strong arm of his government which
l' near for his instant succor and relief, s
Al l. 4 A = L. =