Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1897-11-25
United States Gunboat Wilmington.


in effect annihilated time and distance
Communication is instantaneous the whole
world round. The events of all nations we
read the next day at the breakfast table the
same as the news of our own. Europe by
steamer is less than six days from our shores
and the same ships that are the Atlantic
liners of commerce to-day may be com
merce destroyers and part of hostile fleet
tomorrow.
But again and more than all that the
United States themselves are larger. We
are 70. Q00, 600 of people to-day. There are men
living who at their birth saw nation Of
not 20, 00U,o00.
Louisiana, Florida, Texas, California and
Alaska have added their vast domains to
our country's greatness since the beginning
| Of the century. Not only the Atlantic coast,
but that of the Gulf and Pacific hold their
millions of people and untold millions of
| property and treasures under the protection
of our navy. What but yesterday was the
| remotest of the earth's seas, to-day washes
our Pacific shores, and two new powers of
the Pacific Ocean, Japan and Russia, call
| for new adjustment of the worlds balance
1t is not surprising that under these new
conditions the late years have been prolific
| Of incidents which made us long anxiously
for a strong navy. ! recall those with Ger
many about Samoa; with Italy about the
Malta murders; with Chill; with England
about the Corinto affair in Nicaragua and
ABOUT fenelhelHf with SPAN ABOUT Suph
with Japan about Hawaii. Some of these
touched perilously OIL the edge OF war.
To-day we do not know that the heroic
| struggle for Cuban Independence will end
without our being drawn into war with
| Spain.
We do know that if we had had twenty
| battle ships on this coast, ten, il not hum
| dreds of thousands of women, children and
old men would not have been starved to
| death in Cuba by the atrocious Weyler.
And when We talk of the cost of building
or maintaining large navy, it will be well
to remember the hundreds of millions of
| dollars lost by the fright caused by President
Eeveland's patriotic Venezuelan message.
| Mr.. Chairman, the American people to-
| day demand the creation of navy adequate
to the dignity of the Republic and to the
| vastness of its territory, its population and
| its interests; adequate to the place it holds
among the nations of the earth.
They demand II not for purposes of ag-
| erosion, but as the assurance, and only AIDE
| quate and certain assurance of peace. As
| the assurance that this nation will on the
\ one hand ever protect the rights of its own
i citizens in every quarter OF the globe and
ever protect Its own shores, while on the
other it will never fail or flag in extending
its imperial protection to those smaller and
weaker nations of the American hemisphere
over whom and whose rights against Euro
penn aggression we have thrown the shield
of the Monroe Doctrine.
In this demand of the people of America
the people of Wilmington and of Delaware
fully share.
They have always taken deep and abid-
ing interest in the navy, They have felt
that they especially shared in its glories
They will not forget that it was Commo.
dore Iacobs Jones OF Delaware who COM
manded the Wasp when she captured the
Frolic.
Nor that il was to the immortal MacDon-
ough that the country owed the decisive
vasion by Wellington's veterans, and made
possible the fortunate termination Of the
war by the treaty OF Client,
! To-day they profoundly appreciate the
| ompliment raid to the city and the honor
| done TO the State by giving the name of
| Wilmington to the splendid ship that now
lies at our wharvcs.
| Wherever the fates may carry her in the
/ future; to whatever shores she may carry
the American flag, she will always take with
her the hearts, the hopes, and the pride of
the people OF Wilmington and OF Delaware.
The table bearing the punch bow
was then moved TO the front of the
stnge and greRt applause arose from
the 1000 spectators as the case was
raised, exposing the beautiful pieces OF
silver to view. Former Ambassador
Bayard was introduced to make the
formal speech of presentation. Mr..
Bayard could not proceed for nearly a
minute, so i1ng -continued was the
hand .clapping which greeted him. II
was 40 evidence OF the warmest feeling
for adistinguished citizen. Mr. Bayard
IContipued on seventh pasel