The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-03-14
The Naval Policy Of the Govern
ment Defended.
Mufat Halstead Accuses The Kansas States
man Of inaccuracies.
England'S ArrOsaaCy in the BGhrIng Sea
Matter-The Ex-senator Advised to Seek a
Change Of Air by the Sailed Seas.


NEW YORK. March 13-Truth to-day pub
fishes a reply from Murat Halstead to Sena-
tor Ingalls, navy article. His letter is as
follows: The style of expression which
the Hon. John j. Ingalls, has at command,
and which he employs without reserve,
sharply accents any deficiency of infOrma-
ton. and when he writes, history displays
errors in strong light that is full of heat
and color. His contribution to Truth under
the headline, The Annual English
War Scare is SO extraordinarily
misleading, and Mr. ingalls,, though
no longer in the Senate, is still so far 4 rep
resentative man, that it should be regarded
and reviewed as possessing an interest
other than that associated with n pictur-
esque personality. 1t is an extravagant use
Of language, so to speak.
A MATTER OF PERSONAL VANITY.
at is true that our country rapidly, at
the beginning of the war Of the rebellion,
created navy, and true also that the haste
with which the work was done enormously
increased the cost. The number of thou
sands OF millions spent on the navy has be-
come a matter Of national vanity.
"a very curious maxim of coast defense
Mr.. ingalls, jauntily filings off is that in
order TO protect our seaboard cities from
Portland to San Francisco we must have
slips enough to assemble at every yulner-
able point-a force as large as could be dis
patched against it. The truth is that one
feet. that would be a match for the enemy,
coald defend the whole line and have the
advantage of shorter lines, an unlimited
coal supply and hourly intelligence within
sight of the land from every point Of the
coast.
"The view that Mr.. Ingalls, takes Of En-
gland being under bonds to keep the peace
toward the great republic is characteristic and
peculiar, and so far from correct that the
thoroughness Of his inaccuracy is wonder.
We bought all the rights Russia had in
Alaska and the adjacent waters. The Rus
sian fur-Seal companies for forty years
were never mOlested by p0acherS from
Canada or anywhere else.
DO NOT DEFEND OUR RIGHTS.
1.-The Russian seal fisheries in Siberian
waters, no matter how FAR from shore, are
not meddled with. The Canadian poachers
and renegade Americans are, under the
protection of the British flag, destroying
our seal fisheries, the most valuable in the
world, and preparations are made to COM
plete the massacre Of the seal this summer.
Already the fishery has dwinded to less
than one-third of its former proportions and
value. Our revenue cutters, sent 10 protect
our interests, are threatened by the British
fleet at Vancouver, and we are submitting
to this because we have not got navy to
defend our rights and sustain our dignity.
We ought to send ships of war to Behring
Sea with orders to put an end to this piracy,
just as the Russians would do If their waters
were infested with pirates But we do not
do it because we are not In fighting trim. If
we had real nav there would be 10 fight,
for the poachers would disappear.
Our submission to the preyarcations and
provOcatiUns of England In this matter
costs US a revenue of $1,000 900 a year, and
our distinguished citizens serving ia various
capacities as public teachers should have a
care that in their efforts of eccentricity and
strife for smartness they do not belittle a
controversy that touches the vital self
respect of the nations and do the cause of
their country immeasurable mischief. The
Atlantic and Pacific cities are not protected
from the British ornaments ready TO strike
at the pleasure of the Tory Government,
The cities OF Kansas are presumably safe un-
less the farmers come down like the wolf on
the fold. There are strange influences in
the atmosphere Of that fine State, that affect
the mind and ligence, which Mr.. ingalls,
has partially escaped through absenre from
the climate, but he has touch of the ma
laria of the plains He requires change OF
air, and should seek it by the salted seas"