New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-04-28
Else or THE GERMAN NAJT.

The defeat sustained in the ReichStag at Bcr-
lin 10y the German Government on the Navy
estimates j. no. only OmlnOuS of the fate OF the
Army bill but is also damaging blow 10 the
prestige Of the Emperor since il shows how i'll
different the Imperial Parliament is 10 his
wishes. The German Navy may be said 10 be
the creation of William II, and there is no
branch of the public service, not even the Army,
for which he manifest, marked an interest
- the Navy Nothing in the history Of recent
national progress. save perhaps the awakening
of the plan. i, NOR remarkable than the rapid
Development Of the maritime forces of Ger
inany. When the Empire came into existence
in 1871 is Navy consisted Of only four sea
going batl, ships. one oaSt-dcIencc ironclad
and Il few snail and Indifferent cruisers. In
every respect lis fleet was vastly inferior 10
those Of Turkey. Italy, Russia, Austria. spain
aad Eiazl Indeed, it barely ranked with the
modest folc,> of Chill and Holland. Twenty
years have since elapsed. and to-day Germany
has alloat. commissioned. or ready for com
miss on, fourteen SclgOng roncad>. fifteen
aImoicd coaSt-dc'cncc vessels, two protected
cruisers, sixteen other large cruisers, numerous
fast and excellent small craft, and torpedo
Iicy,d 10 be the best in the world Nor is this
all. She is adding with great lapidity 70 her
already powerful ilcct and before the con-
fusion Of $50 she will have augmented IT fur
thcr with four large battIcShipS, nine fast
armorcd coast defence vc>Sc, which will be
capable at Il pinch OF keeping the sea in all
NcathcrS, eight large protected cruisers, seven
other cruisers and ,undly torpedo boats
The vote just rejected by the Reich,tag pro-
vdcd for the immediate addition of fifteen new
torpedo boats, the construction of which will
therefore be deferred until year or two later.
Even without them Germany will two years
hence according 10 present calculations, have
rails Il herself 10 the thild on th" list of great
naval Powers, Il matter Of serious consideration
to Russia, inaSmuch aS with the possession of
the great maritime stronghold Of KEEL and a
large feet Emperor William practically holds
the keys OF the Baltic, and commands, there
fore the access by water to t. Petersburg and
10 all the northern ports of the Cars Empire.
Probably it is i'll consequence of considerations
of this character that Russia is just now dis
playing such a remarkable amount of naval
activity. At the present moment she has more
ironclad and almorcd cruisers completing build
ing or pre- pairing to be built than any other
country In the Baltic the Nayarn the Chan
goot. the Rurik, the GroSaStchi, the Gremi-
aSchi and the Otvagcnyi are approaching com
plciion, while two other large ironclads have
already been begun. In the Black sea three
battlcships have recently been completed two
more have Just been laid down, and four ad-
diioral ironlads have been ordered to be built
in wards rs Vet IIn>pCciiCd.
Emperor William regards his Navy as already
superior To that OF the Gar, and makes no
secret Of his object to render his maritime forces
4 match for those of France. Nor has he re-
NAMED content with merely building ships, a
matter which is after all in the power of any
GoveInm nj possessed of the requisite amount
of money in its treasury. He has taken care 10
provide for hi, ships being manned by force
RI Snlmcn rs thoroughly competent m practice
Is in theory. And it may be- said withou. hest.
iatiOn that ~ regards lis personnel the German
ilctt ranks even higher to-day than it will rank
III 1895, so far a> lis material is concerned
This is particularly the case with the officers.
who have perhaps a greater incentive 10 take
interest in their profession than our own or
those of England and France, owing 10 the
superior rapdty of promotion in the German
service the ranks of which arc as yet uncrowd-