The sun., 1893-02-10
Build Up the Fleet!

Build Up the Fleet!
The annual Navy Supply BILL as agreed
upon by the House committee, is not only
1900. 900 below Secretary TRACY's moderate
estimates. but nearly $3.oOO,OOO less than
the appropriations of last year. Those. In
turn. were Ss.6OO.0OO smaller than for the
twelvemonth preceding. 80 that In place OF
the s32,14G,14G OF two years ago. we have
bill OF s2O.6 200 to-day.
The routine features OF this measure call
for no special comment. Its great short
coming. which robs 1t OF general interest. is
tho failure to authorize any new ships. ex-
cept one gunboat Since the House COM
mittce is we'll known to be heart
lily in favor OF building up the navy.
this feeble contribution to the work.
barely avoiding the odium OF checking IL
outright, can only DO accounted for by tho
supposed demands OF retrenchment. But
the subject for frugality Is not we'll chosen; ;
and the recent devotion OF nearly S1G,oOo,OOO
| to continuing contract work on rivers ana
harbors also makes strange contrast with
the S6.15oO 900 for carrying along work on
vessels hitherto authorized.
The need OF steadily building up the navy
was set forth most effectively by the House
committee itself in u report made at tho
last session. Proposing to continue the
work OF construction until we shall have.
say. ten or twelve battle ships" it sug-
gestcd at that time that 1--WE might
| we'll authorize all these battle ships In
| four years." There were then but three OF
| these ten or twelve flrst-class fighting
| ships under construction, and there arc
| now only four. so that the House commit
| tee was certainly not hurrying its own
four years programme when 1t further
declared that "it should be the settled
policy OF Congress to authorize the con-
struction OF one or more new vessels
at each regular session. until we Shall
have provided considerably larger
number of fighting ships" And yet already
a regular session has como in which tho
annual battle ships omitted. and the only
substitute is a small light-draught river
craft, Of which Secretary TRACY had asked
not one. but four. and these as additions to
the great nrmored fighting vessels rather
than as substitutes for them.
1t is true that no appropriation was made
at the last session for tho big battle ship
Iowa. then authorized, and hence its first
instalment presumably falls upon the pres
ent bill. and may be regarded. in one sense.
as this sessions contribution to new con-
structon. That view could be accepted were
the amount carried by the pending measure
moro nearly equal to last years; and this
ground for not authorizing n new battle
ship would then have more force. But with
nearly three millions less in the pending
bill. such plea could hardly be well
founded. Besides, 1t would be easy, In pro-
,,;J o. fnr bo tn
the expedient OF the last session and nu-
thorize new battle ship. while leaving the
first payment on it to the next Congress.
But under the present plan the new Secre-
tary Of the Navy will find nothing during
the coming year for him to design or con-
tract for, except a small gunboat.
Tho House Naval Committee. in It's former
report. quoted in support OF its earnest
argument for more battle ships. these words
from message OF President JACKSON:
Tho wide seas which separate us from other Gov.
ernments mus, necessity theatre which an
enemy will aim to assail us: and unless pre-
pared to meet him this element. cannot be said
10 possess the power requisite to repe or prevent
nggressons We cannot. therefore. watch with too
much attention this arm OF our defence, cherish
with too much the by which It possess
the necessary efficiency and extension"
Secretary TRACY. recently noting that in
the construction both of ships and guns.
"the United States has emerged from its
condition OF helplessness at sea. and by the
employment Of It's own resources has dis
tanced its more experienced competitors"
nevertheless warned Congress that tho
country was still far from having an adc-
quate navy. Tho aggressive policy of
foreign nations" he said. has continued
and this country. whether 1t will or
not. will soon be forced into posi-
tion where it cannot disregard measures
which form standing menace to its pros
perity and security" The rebuilding OF
the navy. he declared. should not now be
suffered to languish. especially as only
two vessels will remain on the stocks. and
the shipyards. with their trained forces.
will be waiting for work.
The Senate has before it a bill to author
ize several new armored ships and ten gun
boats. That goes rs far to one extreme as
the House bill does to the other: but me-
dium course may result. The Senate last |
year, added to the too meagre House |
bill battle ship. and this was accepted |
after conference. Perhaps no members were
more pleased with that result than the |
House Naval Committee; and perhaps none |
would be better pleased than they to find |
their present bill authorizing something |
moro than Its solitary little gunboat be- |
fore it becomes law.