St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-11-26
THE AMERICAN NAVY.
It's Past, Present and Future as Out
lined by Hon. S. s. Cox.
An Interesting Address Before the New York
Chamber Of Commerce-Some
Naval Problems.

York chamber Of commerce, at Delmonico's,
The other night, the Hon. S. s. Cox responded
TO the toast, "The Navy, the Guardian of
Commerce" He said:
"Mr. President and Gentlemen of the
Cham Der of Commerce: As I am in the
neighborhood Of a clerical friend MIR.
CapeD may ] not follow the custom of Cos
pellers and divide my subject into several
Aeads-frst, Navy; second, Guardiau, and
third, Commerce. Laughter Were ! to
call in alliteratiop's artless aid would say
that our commerce is bused on corn, cotton
and cattle. or that our navy should have
courage. cannon and ealoric. Laugh
teri 1t is my purpose to
show that there is an interdependence
between commerce and the navy, even as a
helpless ward depends upon a stalwart and
wise guardian. Commerce does not fight
bane, but it fOurishes upon the assur-
ance of the strong arm. Its ventures are
never haggard, however hazardous, when
protection is guaranteed. The primary sug-
gestion to the sentiment which | respond is
that we must have a navy; with or withou
commerce, navy. Perl APPS the suggestion
is broader than the sentiment A navy
would be, and is a costly plaything without
the existence of a commerce. One is the
correlative Of the other. Engand's navy
was the outcome Of her mercantile greatness.
Over three hundred years ago her merchants
banded as adventures, TO discover lands,
isles, and seigniories unknown and not by
seas and navigatons commonly frequeD ted
King Edward VI. gave them an epistle to be
read and known by all men, for protection
and hospitality, aud forth they sailed. Out
of these and similar adventures came that
aggressive enterprise and naval power which
give to England her supremacy on the mo-
bile element. As the privateer is called the
militia of the seas, so the navy is its regular
army--to be used not for show but for fight
in the dire emergencies of the interchan ge
between nations. AS well talk of consta-
bic or sheriff, or posse coDaitatuS, to keep or
der and arrest 'vagrom mem in an uninhab-
tied prairie as a navy without a commerce.
From the absence of ships or ship-owDer-
ship, you must not necessarily infer the
absence of commerce. 1t does not follow
that because our flag floats upon few or no
ocean vessels or because our Atlantic carry
ing trade is done by foreign steamers that we
have no foreign commerce. Our foreign
commerce-eXports and ports-amounts
to 81. 500, coo, 900. This is immense. OF the
merchandise imported and exported, how
ever, only 10 per cent. of this vast business
is done in American bottoms, aud even this
small portion of trans portation in our own
vessels is not increasing. Not to speak of
passenger fares, there is hundred millions
of dollars for this carrying trade which goes
into foreign Golfers. Better than navigation
laws, better than subsidies, more marvellous
than the vapor of water and the Subtle
fame which are harnessed by man for short
ening the paths on sea and land, would be
the assurance Of a grand policy of naval and
commercial progress. AS our population
rises to its hundred millions in 1900, who
shall drive the energy of transportation or
inspire the energy of production for
the markets of the world and for
the enhancement of our values and the
mployment.1k of our labor. Cheers.
Gentlemen, no nation can depend on for
eigners TO carry its wares and do its ex-
changes abroad and expect to have either
mercantile or belligerent navy. [Cheers.
Having this immense commerce under the
German, Norwegian, Italian, French and
English flags, with over twenty Pacific steam
ers and our coast wise, lake, and gulf ton
mage, we are more or less at the mercy of
invaders in case of war, and in imminent
peril on and coast, whereon we are less
protected than some Of the lesser powers of
the earth. We may well demand-if not for
great ocean conflicts, yet for domestic secur-
ity-an increase of our naval force. Be-
sides
PROTECTION FOR OUR CITIZENS ABROAD.
the guardianship of list milan waterways on
our continent and for the extension Of com
IN Inn xrrI,a
ted, our navy may protect and pioneer US,
Guard of our life and partner of our way
Besides there are honorable enterprises to be
wrought out of the waters of japan, China,
Siam, and along the costs of the dark con-
tinent, fast opening to the dawn under the
impulse aud illumination of the colonial am
billions and physical progress of other
nations.
IA navy whose srmament may not be of
the last model or of the highest advance.
ment in these fresh fields, may still be in
calculabe utility. Even if its tonnage be
ever so small and its guns ever so feeble
land ours could not be much smaller or
feebler), still with officers like Greedy, Sch
ley, Emory and Reynolds, who dare all dan
gers-as the second growth of that heroic
worthirs baptized of our war-we may open
with its magic key the enchanted lands out
side the ordinary realms or interchange.
am reminded by these Two cigars" (Mr Cox
held up two bound together), ''of the rem rks
of a Tennessee mem Der of congress. 1t was
ELUSIVE rhapsody He said all the navy we
needed were two logs wythed together and
the stars and stripes ever them. Laughter.
AS hyperbole this was rare, rhetorical, and
rapturous-if not rational, redundant, and
remarkable. But the advancement of our
time requires such factors and motors as
steam and electricity. Chemistry in all its
forms and forces must unite in a navy to
mate the tempest in Its elemental fury and
the jealous enemies OF the great republic in
its future struggles. CHEERS.
''The day when the Duiios and Dandalos
of Italy, the Devastatons and Dreaduaughts
of England, the Duperres of France, or the
Kaisers Of Germany, or even the Goo-Soo-
Kivan of Japan, the Almirante Cochran of
Chill, or the Brazilian man-of-war whose
name / cannot adapt to allteration's artless
aid (for do not know IT'D shall begin the
work-singly, in couples, or all together
along our defenseless coasts, for ravage, ra-
pncity and rapine-wil be day of everlast-
ing regret. Have we not on our Atlantic
coast alone 5000. 900 of folks and So OOO.-
000, 900 Of property at the mercy of one Of
these vessels, whose calibre of every inch
means a mile of destruction inIandl It is
very pretty, if it be alliterate, to talk of our
unaggressive isolation and unsuspicious in
tentions, but the Republic is a standing
menace to autocracy and kingcraft. 1t is too
late to say that we can go forth, like Jesse's
good little son David, with a shepherds
crook, sling, and bag of pebbles against
these Goliaths of the sea. [Chcers. Still
navy OF small proportions, if composed of