The morning call., 1894-09-14
COMMERCE DESTROYERS.

TIE controversy between the advocates
and opponents of national navy has bsen
revived Ivy an art Gle by Edward Atkinson
in the Forum and reply which appears
editorially in the Sun, but appears to have
been inspired, if not written, by ex-Secre-
tary Tracy. Mr.. Atkinson's position is
stated 10 the following paragraph:
Three naval vessels of new type have atel;
been tested for their speed. They cost So O0O.
600 each. IL COSTS $500, 600 year 10 main
tain them. WHAT are they good for? Nothing
What are they bad for? Everything. They are
worthless even as cruisers, because they can
carry but little coal. They are worthless even
as battleshDs, because their armor is light
They are worthless for defense In our harbors
Their very name is disgrace. They are called
commerce destrOyers" Their cost was about
as great as the whole endowment of Harvard
Uni iyersity. The annual cost OF maintaining
three Of this vile type of plratical destroYers is
more than The annual expenditure of Harvard
University for all It's services. Our danger does
not consist now in trusts or trades unions. II
consists in such treason to the very liberty OF
Which we boast as we have embodied In these
vessels.
To this the Sun replies that the vessels
in question should be called not commerce
destroyerS. but commerce preservers,
because their real use is to deter any mari
time nation, perhaps far stronger in war
vessels tnan ourselves, from assaiIing our
commerce lest the result should be fatal to
its own. 1t quotes ex-Secretary Tracy'S
remark that six of our fast cruisers would
exterminats the commerce of any country
under the present cond itions of commerce
protect oD, and would thus absolutely pre-
clude an attack on our ships by COM
mereal state"
This is the case in a nutshell. Professor
Atkinson is not fair when he describes the
cruisers as ". .iratcsl destroyers." The
charge implies that they are designed to
prey upon unarmef vessels i'll peace time {;
whereas they are, in fact. mere intima-
tiOn TO foreign nations with large navies
that If they propose to attack American
merchantmen in time of war we shall re-
ta'iate and retaliate effectively. The prin-
iple involved in their construction is the
one which underlies the equipment of ar
mics aud the furnishing of revolvers TO
policemen. A policeman is not expected
TO 60 round pot'ing citizens because he
happens TO carry a revolver: but the
knowledge that the weapon lies in his hip
violence.
1t is guile possible that the PENDING war
between China and Japan may lead to an
innovation in International law exempt ne
merchant vessels entirely from capture al
sea except where they carry articles con-
traband of war That is almost the con-
dition of the law now. In the Franco
German war of 1870 no efforts were made by
either belligerent to cripple the maritime
commerce of the other, and If that contest
were renewed the exemption of merchant
navles from molestation by armed vessels
woUll probably form the subject OF gen.
eraI international understanding. WheD-
ever that is reached there will be no need
of commerce destroyers or commerce pro-
tectors, and our swift cruisers will have to
be turned to some other use. But in the
meantime the Government of Inc United
States must be administered to suit the
actual conditions under which we live, and
we cannot afford to hold out to rapacious
nations the temptation Of defenseless
merchant navy sailing under flag which
cannot strike back.
The controversy NAV rest until the
PROGRESS of naval architecture and naval
HdS Uccu CdIIlSu OuG 10 is Ulil-
mate conclusion. Al the present time the
development OF dynamite gunnery and
the torpedo service seems to threaten the
conversion of our three e-nillioD battle
ships into elegant, expensive and useless
toys. But there is DO saying what might
happen if the toys themselves carried dy-
Mantle guns and were escorted by tor
pedo foiilla as the shark is escorted by
pilot fish. Maritime nations seem bent on
reducing maritime warfare to an ab-
surdIty. 1t might not be such bad thing
il they succeeded. The dry land is broad
enough for full indulgence OF the pug
nacious instinct. La the meantime the
eLtiment which the sight of the stars and
stripes floating over the taffrail of q mag
nifieent ship of war arouses in the heart of
an American abroad is not without its
valve. The patriotic instinct is not so all
persading In the American mind that we
can afford TO stamp out prosaically every
excuse for its awakening.