Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1892-01-14
"JlNGOISM IN THE NAVY"

New York Evening Post, january 9th.
To the Editor Of tho Eoening Post
SIR Referring to the letter printed
yesterday of your correspondent
"Democrat," l would suggest he take
second thought before accusing the
naval administration Of "Jingoism" so
sweepingly, and that he reconsider
somewhat his views regarding a nava,
force.
The fact that we have even the moder-
ate navy of to-day is, in the writer's view
at least, what has saved us thus far
from an outbreak of war. Had we been
as weak on the sea as three years ago,
think it very sure that Chill would have
gladly taken advantage of our weak
ness and have brought war to our doors
before this, or have obliged us to decline
under most humiliating conditions.
do not believe there is aJingo policy
on the part of the administration. That
we should be prepared for anything that
may come is but common sense.
II there has been any official utter
ance of regret on the part of Chill for
the murder in Valparaiso, have yet to
see OF hear of 1t. When this comes, |
have no doubt our government will be
as ready to accept the proffered good
will as it ought to be ready TO uphold Its
dignity should the present unfortunate
circumstances be continued.
AMERICAN.
New YoRK, January LIST.
The above suggests two observations.
| The first is that there is no more reason
for supposing that Chill would have
| gone to war with us ii we Ind not had
our present navy, than England or Italy.
In fact, there are a dozen reasons why
Chilli should be unwilling TO attack US,
which do not exist in the case of Eng
land and Italy, the first and foremost
being that three millions of population
are always afraid to fight sixty millions,
and fifty-eight millions of revenue to
fight four hundred millions. If the
Chllians were to take advantage of the
temporary naval weakness of the United
States TO inflict gross insults and damage
on us, 1t would show either that the gov
erning class had gone stark mad, or
were as ignorant Of our resources as
Sitting Bull or Ran-in- the Face. But
we know they are neither stark
mad nor brutality ignorant. They are
shrewd, well-oquippcd statesman, who
| hUfN SotuOllsltN anu CdlIJ vi CIVIL
lied government, which does not suffer
by comparison with our own or that of
any European country. That Chilli sim
cerely desires peace and amity with us
is proved by the fact that we have had
no quarrel with her since she achieved
her independence 50 years ago, and that
she has not resented, except in dignified
and temperate protests, the series OF in
suits and Sights We have wantonly in
tlicted on her since 1880, beginning with
Blaine's interference after her war with
Peru, on behalf of Flandreau, and end
ing with the appointment of foreign
fugitive from justice to represent us in
her capital, and his siding with do
nestle Catiline in an attempt to over
turn her government. If we entered ON a
policy OF bullying every power which we
imagined would bully us if we had no
navy, we should find ourselves in-con-
tinual hot water. The diplomacy of
every Christian civilized power in our
day has to be and is generally con-
Quoted, not on the assumption that all
our neighbors would go to war with us
if they were not afraid, but on the as
sumption that they desire peace as much
as we do. The United States Is the last
country in the world in which the CON
trary doctrine should find acceptance or
expression.
The second observation is that the
more desirable it is to have powerful
Maryland we fully concede its desire
ableness--the more necessary it is that
our naval officers should be taught to
know and respect international law
and conduct themselves peace
ably and courteously in foreign
) waters. They are taught international
law at Annapolis out OF a handbook pre-
pared by the present able Assistant Sec
rotary OF State, and are bound, in the
absence ofexpress instructions, to follow
the presidents set by our state depart.
mcnt, which is specially charged With
the shaping and control of our inter.
course with foreign nations. In the Bar.
rundia case, however, they were DELHI.
, erately directed by the navy department
to disregard the instruction they re.
ceived at Annapolis, and to disregard
also the rules Of international law as
laid down by the state department in d
long line of decisions which our courts
had fortified and confirmed, and to exer
: else any powers they pleased in defiance
! Va Wv ioNdA ihluOlillt5s 1 q llllS ulTtC
, ton we ascribe all the indiscre
tons both Of word and act o,
which our naval officers wer,
> guilty at Valparaiso, and the growtl
among the Chilians of feeling of hos
unity 70 us which the German, Frencl
u and English squadrons, which wer,
( also present, have completely escaped
: This, we think, fully justilies "Demo
G crat" IN accusing our navy department
+ OF a "Jingo policy" and praying to b.
+ delivered from really large and power
I lul navy. II has undoubtedly dom
something to breed and nourish in TIL
y navy the spirit which in 1907 led tn
ii commander of the British Leopard t,
+ overhaul the American Chesapeake il
d time of peace on the high seas, and i'm
Il press some of her seamcI for the Britisl
It service, and led the British Admira
:, Berkeley at Halifax publicly to APPROX
n the outrage, because, among othe
things, the Americans were such law
!. less lot.
s. Though last not least, democrat
v iinds some justification in the way tn
It Gillian trouble has been treated both b
D. our press and politicians. This troubl
ID has now been pending nearly year.
!" has raised various knotty questions G
ID international law and comfy. None, o
.e next to none, of the diplomatic CORE
spondence arising out of il has yet bee
>. published. We do not yet know on
II word of what the Chilians have had /
s endure from Egan. But our press liza
- nevertheless either wholly refrainc
!, from discussing the matter, or ha
AZ assumed that casus beli had ariset
i and that an armed attack on Chill woul
~ now be justitiable. We have sought i
~ vain for some public debate 81 the rigi
- and wrong of this matter In the form