Los Angeles daily herald., 1888-11-23
one Use OF .A~ surp,u..

When Hon. Tom Fitch, The silver
tongued, made his speech to listening
thousands in the Pavilion. he hit upon a
very simple expedient fer taking care OF
the surplus, and it has marked attrac-
tions to many people. His plan was to
Sblow it in.'' 1t required some boldness
to develop such a theory, but the Hon.
Thomas was equal to the occasion.
There are a great many Americans
who are in favor OF doing good deal OF
"blowing it in" of the surplus in the
shape of Notifications, public buildings
and the creating of a navy. We could
dispose of some of it to great
advantage in Southern California.
Four million dollars OF it might
very properly, in the next five years, be
devoted 10 making serviceable harbor at
San Pedro. On the Atlantic Coast, by
some inscrutable provision of nature,
there are ten harbors to every one TO be
found on the Pacific Coast of the United
States. All enlightened nations appre-
ciate the necessity of having commercial
facilities and harbors of refuge. France
labored sixty years and spent sixty mil
lions of dollars to make q harbor at
Cherbourg. Begun under the first Ma
poleon it was completed under the Third,
and it was while standing on the pier at
Cherbourg that Queen Victoria tied the
garter on the knee of the nephew
of his uncle. Neither this i'm
mense sum of money nor the herculean
labor was wasted. The French people
are proud of their artificial harbor, and it
has repaid the outlay many times already,
and will thousand fold in the coming
years.
A portion of the surplus might
also be very well employed in
building navy commensurate
to some extent with the power
and pretensions of the United States.
There is no question that we are liable
at any moment to be involved in war
with some power that possesses we'll
equipped navy. 1t is not probable, but
it is entirely possible. A large portion
of the press of London talked war over
the trifling Sackville incident, and talked
it very blatantly at that. If we had a
war on our hands with England just now
the people of New York, Boston, San
Francisco and other seaport towns would
feel very blue. No American doubts
but that the United States would come
out all right in the end, but it would be a
very disastrous beginning.
Some weeks ago the San Francisco
Argonam had a fanciful sketch which
described the capture and destruction of
San Francisco by the feet of China. the
war rising out of our exclusion legisla-
ton. 1t was perhaps little far-ietched,
but it is very serious possibility that
even China could take and sack San
Francisco. Little Chile, with the Huas-
car, could undoubtedly batter down the
business portion of that city and enforce
tribute.
1t would not, besides, be bad idea to
try and vitalize the American merchant
marine. AS steady policy subsidies
and bounties would be Objectionable, but
there is no reason why in their present
depressed state the American shipping
interests should not be encouraged by the
national treasury. Both England and
France for years pursued the policy of
subsidizing their merchant marine, and
the present splendid vitality OF the ship
ping interests of those countries is largely
due to this enlightened policy.
Mr.. Cleveland's administration has
made good beginning. Gratifying
progress has been made in rehabilitating
the navy of the United States. The
American people could witness, not only
with resignation, but pleasure, a good
deal of honest blowing in Of the surplus
in the creation of war-like plants. It
would be a policy lar preferable to rum
ming up the premium on national bonds
to fabulous figures through unlimited
purchases. Such a disposition of the
surplus as would play into the hands of
Wall street-a policy to which General
Harrison seems to have pledged himself
The Congress OF the United States, how
ever, may have something to say about