, 1889-03-28
BUILDING WAR SHIPS.

10 alOrify Secretary " hItney's cred
liable administration OF the navy de-
partmont. We say creditablo with
oct GIy intention 70 detract from his
deserving His administration las
been creditahle. 1t has not been
brilliant, because there has been no
occasion FOR hrilliancy in the con
duct OF the affairs Of the department,
but it has been a business aaminis-
tration by 4 man OF business. Apart
from the policy pursued against
John Roach, We think OF nothing
that need be criticised i'll the conduct
Of the affairs of the Office. We freely
criticised Mr Whitney at the time,
as did the press generally, save that
portion that holds to the doctrine
that the only way to promote ship
building at home is to purchase poor
ships abroad. But apart from the
injustice toward one Of the most
noted men Of enterprise Of this or
any other age, Mr.. Whitney has ac-
quilted himself well, and deserves
commendation.
But the effort to glorify him by
the New York party journals will hot
bear examination. For had not con-
gress adopted thespolicy advocated
by the Republican party since its
birth, Mr.. Whitney could not have
made the slightest advance on what
he found in conducting the business
Of the department. 1t is amusing,
then, when we find in a radical free
trade journal like the New York
Times that MIR. Whitney has, by an
admirable union of energy and de =
liberation, made this country inde-
pendent of further assistance from
Europe In the. construction OF vessels
and armaments." But had congress
taken it's cue from such journals as
the Times, Mr.. Whitney's admirable
union OF energy and deliberation"
would never have had an existence.
He could not have effected such a
union had not congress adopted the
advice OF such papers as the North
American and the party it repre-
sents. If this country has been rem
dered independent of Europe in the
construction and armament of war
ships, it has been made SO by the en-
couragement given to our own men
of enterprise by generous appropria-
tions of money guaranteed through a
long term of years. That is,to all
intents and effects, exactly what En-
gland did to render itself indepen.
dent of all other nations in ship
building and ariDaments. We shall
give Mr.. Whitney the credit he de-
serves for embracing the opportunity
for making this country independent
of foreign shipbuilders, but We claim
for the Republican policy the credit
of creating that opportunity. We
are delighted when from time to time
we read in free-trade and free-ship
papers that Mr. Whitney has re-
deemed us FROM dependence on
cheap foreign labor, for it is an ad-
mission that the policy of the Re.
publican party as regards the duty
of congress towards home industry
is correct. We congratulate our New
York contemporary, the Record and
other local papers, upon their frank
confessions that they have been mis-
taken. They cannot praise Mr.
Whitney without confessing their
own blindness in the past. We have
gained what we have so long strug-
gled to gain-the recognition of the
duty of congress to foster home in
dustry as a measure Of indepen~
dence. The policy of the Republi-
can party has been as completely
vindicated, according to these witt
nesses for the opposition, as can we'll
be. They need not be in the least
concerned for the outcome of the ex-
pertinent. The authors of the policy
which has rendered this country in
dependent of Europe. ship-build~
srs SO far as a navy is concerned are
about to WELD the government for
term of years. They propose to 60
some way further to encourage home
industry before they rest on their
honors.