The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-03-01
SAVANNAH. GA. SUNDAY. MARCH 1, 1896.

- cNlueutly determined 10 prevent the re- /
SuIIence or such humiliation. capt Ma
han, in his great work on the Influence /
or Sea Power has shown that the true |
role of a fleet is 10 seek the enemy and |
engage him wherever he is to be found |
a fleet TO be of service must always be
on the aggressive. il must be ever on the l
was the secret Of Nelson's success. He |
followed the French fleets everywhere, |
and everywhere he engaged them with re-
suits disastrous 10 France, whose ships
were continually on the defensive. It is
with fleets as with cavalry; TO be really /
effective they must be constantly in mo-
ton. Accordingly, the work of erecting
Qualifications. defended by suitable guns.
should be AT once commenced at all as
sailable points. Our cities should be
placed without delay in state Of defense.
Contempt for the enemy and Over-cOnfi-
dence in our own resources cOnst-
tute no excuse for delay Modern condi-
tons have changed much since the old
revolutionary days. The next war with
England will be a naval war. Great ar
maments cannot be prepared at a few
days notice. 1t requires months ana
years of patient preparation. 1t is foolish
to wait for the actual outbreak of HOSTILE
ties, in order to begin our preparations.
1t will then be too late. 1t may be inspir-
ing to hear our children singing with tune
full voices My Country. tits for Thee"
but English shot and shell, propelled by
l0-inch guns would soon diSsipate our
cheerful confidence. We would then find
that we had been culpably negligent in
the performance of the simple duty of
self-preservation. Patriotic speeches and
the declaration of our readiness TO Sacri-
flee our own lives and the lives OF our
sons upon the altar of our country may
be all very well in their way But what
we Eequire now to do is to vote the money
needed to repair the neglect or the past
The times have changed and we must
change with them. The modern ironclad,
standing a long distance out at sea,
could throw, as things are at present, her
shot and shell into the very midst OF our
cities almost without molestation or him
drance. We must render such contingent
cy hereafter impossible Anticipated guns
and fOrtticationS must everywhere give
way to modern inventions; new fortifca-
tons must be erected, so that the great
and high-sprted American people may
be saved from any possibility OF humllia-
ton or defeat. Tremendous are the inter-
ests involved. A few weeks might see an
amount of destruction wrought which
would be felt for half q century by the
succeeding generations, even without
speaking of a revolution, always possible
after a national defeat.
And again, what about our warships?
Are they adequate in number? Would we
be able with our dozen or so tirst-clasS
ships to cope with the fleets of England2
The one who says so is an untrustworthy
fiatterer and braggart For the protec-
ton of our commerce. and lin order
to sweep from the seas the trading ships
of the enemy, new ships must be de-
signed and got ready for sea at the ear
Hest possible moment. Can we ever for
get the damage that was done to Amer
lean commerce by the Alabama? Prior
on every sea; a large proportion of the
carrying trade of the world was done by
American vessels. Our smart clippers
were the envy and admiration of our ri
Vals The Alabama soon brought about
a change, and if our shipping trade has
fallen to such small proportions that an
American ship is a comparatively rare
sight in the foreign harbors of the world,
we should not forget that it is to the
| Alabama, built and equipped in an Eng
| fish port that we owe this. Let us then
/ determined a
\ fleet and swift cruisers able to cope with
| any possible enemy. Thus shall we best
protect ourselves whilst inflicting the
| greatest damage upon our foe.
In conclusion, 1t is very much to be de-
| sired that correct views upon the urgen-
cy of the matters with which we have at
our people. War very often arises from
| the most trivial causes. An International
difference in the beginning apparently of
| little moment, may suddenly and without
warning assume huge proportions. The
newspapers of the two nations exchange
mutual tauntS: the music halls on both
sides resound with patriotic songs of de-
| tiance, and by the agency of some obscure
| TyrtaeuS the war spirit suddenly spreads
over whole nation and there is an in
StantaneouS ana unanimous cutlery Tor
war, which resists the efforts of the
strongest cabinet. We have Just seen the
| truth of all this eXemplified in England,
where an apparently unimportant mes
sage addressed by the Emperor William
to President Kruger provoked a veritable
war FEVER. therefore, we should cOnSld-
er 1t as sacred duty incumbent upon US,
to set to work at once to prepare ourselves
for whatever may happen. The Venezu-
elan question is not yet settled. We can
not predict what the result may be. We
have taken up a position from which
we cannot recede without dis
honor. But even if there were no
Venezuelan imbroglio, the question of our
national defenses would not be the less i'm
| portant for it. II brooks no delay Instant
| action is required. In building proper for
in { 1afir md
| new ships which are urgently required we
| threaten no one; we merely place our
selves in what should be the normal con-
| ditiOn of defense OF great nation, which
| seeks no quarrel which pursues no ag-
| gressiVe policy. There is something that
| is no less important than the matter of
additional cruisers and the question of
| coast defenses, and that is the spirit which
| should characterize great people. With
nations as with individuals it is urgent
| not only to see what is necessary but to
| do it, Letius then cultivate that spirit of
| resolution which is dismayed by no difficult
ties nor daunted by any dangers Let us
| with constancy unconquerable, address
| ourselves to the task that now invites our
| best efforts and sec to it that so far a we
are concerned never shall her state of
| weakness, her want of that protection
which is called for by the most ordinary
| prudence expose our beloved country to
| the attacks of a foreign enemy that never
again, as insthe war of 1872, when British
| force landed and destroyed our capitol
| shall foreign foe be able to set foot on
| American SOIL his IS TO snow ourselves
a great people whom difficulties confront
only TO be surmounted, whom terrors only
rouse to new and unexampled exertions.
| We are heirs of a glorious past. We owe it
to the men who poured out their blood like
| water on many a hard fought field in
| founding this great republic, to preserve
untarnished the traditions they committed
to our charge, and We owe it equally to our
| posterity not to suffer their dearest inher-
| lance to be endangered or destroyed. Let
us then be prepared either for war or
! peace. There are occasions when peace ar
! CUES cowardice and entails dishonor, lust
| as there are others when war is rash and
without justification. Nothing is so rash
as fear; and the councils of pusillanimity
| very rarely put off whilst they are al
ways sure to aggravate the evils from
which they would fly. If We wish whilst
! face to face with actual hostilities to es-
| cape the consequences of blind panic, we
| should begin at once the necessary pre-
parations. ST Wis pacem, para bellum
Antoine Muzzarelli.
"Our Mr.. Elijah A. Morse"
From the Washington Times
Several members of the House were hav-