The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1896-02-01
A GREATER NAVY.

contest left me without s1res
A GREATER NAVY.
One result of the recent war talk will
be the increase of our navy. This may
I be done to such an extent as to make
this republic one of the great naval
powers of the world. The wisdom of
such a move on our part may well be
questioned In the past we have proven
amply able to protect ourselves without
I any navy. There is no reason why we
should not be able to do so in the future,
providing our territorial policy remains
the same. Unlike the great powers of
Europe we have no colonial possessions
in Africa or Asia to require the protec-
ton of a great fleet. If the conten-
ton of the Jingoes in the United States
Senate. that we should annex everything
| in sight should prevail the necessity OF
| a strong feet would be apparent, If we
| mistake not the policy of this govern
ment it will be sometime before we an
mex any territory which is separated
| from us by any considerable body OF
water. The honor and dignity OF the
United States ought always to be sus-
tanned, and we believe will be, and that,
| too, without any great increase in our
army and navy, unless we undertake to
carry some far away land populated by
foreign races. -.5
! The possession of the Hawaiian Is
lands, for instance, would require in
case of war with England feet as
large and powerful as hers to protect
ourselves.
The possession of these islands in the
Pacific and the existence of great
American navy would have tendency
to involve us in war.
| The people would then not only have
to bear the burden of building and sus-
| tanning a feet but also the cost Of use
| less wars.
This view of the matter deserves spe-
cial consideration. Our past history
| teaches how expensive our wars have
been. In an editorial in a recent num-
Der Of Harper's Weekly the following
observations appear: Our civil war
ceased more than thirty years ago. We
| paid last year In round numbers lao
millions of dollars pensions. We have
paid as much as 100 millions. We fiat
ter ourselves with the hope that the
pension roll will soon decrease. But
there are several hundred thousand
claims in the pension office still unad-
justed, and pensioners are VIGOROUSLY
| long lived. One would think that the
expenses of the Mexican war which hap
| pened fifty years ago should by this time
have come to an end. But there are still
from that war 1886 veterans and 1868
veterans widows on the pension rolls
and the repeal of the restriction exclud-
I ing those who subsequently served in
the Confederate army will considerably
increase that number. One would think
| that the supply of pensioners Of the war
of 1912, which happened more than
eighty years ago, would be exhausted.
BY no means There are still 81 veter-
ans and 1895 widows of the war of 1872
on the pension roll
| But have not at least the expenses of
the Revolutionary war which closed
| about Ito years ago, ceased by this time?
Not quite. The pension roll still con-
tains the names of II widows or daugh-
tiers of Revolutionary soldiers
| AS a matter of national finance there
fore it would seem unwise to build fleet
and establish far away coaling stations
for the purpose Of inviting wars. When
| it is necessary to fight in order to sus-
tain our honor, by all means let us fight
| But let us stay at home within the
bounds designated by nature for this ma
ton, and we will not need to cover the
seas with expensive men. OF war. The
ordinary American can be patriotic even
though our fleet is not SO great as the
English The American lingo should
| be made to be satisfied.