Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1896-12-07

Ils i.t... ,o che President. made puohc
,5-a4y secretary of the Navy Herbert
-..,r reviewing the increase Of the navy
.l recent gears and sivHg details Of dis
Placement. Armament, e-c, says:
L-r-t Ass The aoOve increase appears,
DO So, docs L0t sumce 90 place the Laited
S,---- -aty u "a satisfactory cOuuuon,
Il We I...- 10 boz able az ali times 20 de-
iead our .oug line oil seacOast, auoId un-
protection 20 our citizens in
foreign lands. render efficient and 10 our
...... aau maintain under all cir
Cumstancys our national honor.
During your present administration
.l.e been placed iu commits
sion three trst-ciass and TWO sec0ud-class
balue sups. tao almOrea cruisers four
double urltcl monitors. and one harbor
defense ram. making q total of Twelve
ulW armolr5 yDsse s.. having an aggregate
displacement of S.5lI tons.
.Ia addition TO the above mentioned
arm1r.I ships. eight cruisers and three
glnb0ats VIII have received their first
commission. making o. s-and total OF
twcrty-tlret vessels. with am aggregate
displacement of usl4 lens. placed i'm COM
mission during your present term of office,
rlls being by far the largest amount of
tonnage put il commission during any
Ires.dcu-ll administration since ls65.'
Pursuing This subject. the Secretary
gives comparative table of the strength
or che uavie, ol England, France, Russia.
Italy. Germany. the United States and
Spain. from which it appears that Eng
land has twenty-five hrsy-ciass. twelve
s.coud-c.ass and eleven third-class battle
ships Ion service and twelve hrst-class
building. t...ee coast defense ships. SIX
t,.u arm0I- eleven hrst-c.ass and fifty
Gaze second aul third class cruisers. with
..u first class and tweuu--tour second
and third G. ass building. nineteen lookout
ships and guub0ats and thirty-four tor
r... guruca--. Ni Do ninety-eight torpedo
boat d.stroyers and l60 torpedo boats
rance haas ten hrst class battle ships
lui- and eight building. eleven second
class battle ships built and one building,
ana TWO third class battle ships. besides
sixteen coast defense ships. nine armored
cruisers and one building. two hrsJ class
cruisers and four building. ten second
and third class cruisers and nine building.
twelve lookout ships. twelve torpedo gum
boats and three building, three torpedo
destroyers and 2u torpedo boats
Russia has five first class battle ships
butt and six building. and five second
class buIt and two building: ten coast
defense ships built auI four 0Lil6ing nine
arm0rel cruisers built and one building.
TWO first class cruisers built, three second
and third class built and one building
eight torpedo EJnboats. one torpedo boat
destroyer and -fl torpedo boats
Italy has eight first class battle ships
built and TWO building. TWO second class
and dve third class built. one armored
cruiser built and four building. sixteen
second and third class cruisers built and
One bglinE lfteer torpedo gunboats
tHH- and Two buudug one torpedo boat
destroyer and l-5 torpedo boats
Germany has tour first class battle ships
bgJt and two building, seven second class
bu' r. and three third class built seventeen
coast defense ships built and two build
iu-. one armored cruiser built and one
bui ding. one first class cruiser building
three second and third class cruisers built
and four building: eleven lookout ships
built and one buAjiug nine torpedo sun
boats huut and one building. and las
torpedo boats.
The United States has three first class
battle ships built and six building. two
second class built. six coast defense ships
built and one building, two armored
cruisers built three first class cruisers
bult thirteen second and three third class
cruisers built, nine lookout ships built
and nine building. and three torpedo
boats buit and bu, fifteen building.
Spain ls weakest of all i'm navy. with
but one urst class battle ship built and
tuo second and third class. three armored
cruisers built ana four building. one first
class and seven second and third class
CT Users. twenty-five lookout ships three
torpedo slcboats built and four building.
two torpedo boat destroyers and nineteen
tom. -o boats bGil, and two building.
OF Che above comparative statement
Secretary Herbert says:
"Ihe results exhibited by the above table
are hsL.y creJi-ab.e Co the country. but
10 is clear that the great powers with
which we are brought into close relation
ship .arsaIy exceed us not only in the num-
ber of battle ships and torpedo boats ac-
tu4uy iu commission. but in their naval
programmes for The future The work of
addiug 90 their strength I'm battle ships
and torpedo boats goes on steadily from
year 20 year. 10 is not conteuded that We
should attempt Co compete I'm numbers
with the great navies of England and
France. out We ought surely To- move UP
ID .r. I'D