The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-02-13
NEED OF A STRONGER NAVY.
IN FAVOR OF BEING
PREPARED FOR WAR.

FATE of China Pointed Out as GRIM
object LessOn-ShOuId Continue to
T,boId the Monroe Doctrine and
no Prepared to Draw the Sword in
1ts Defense if Necessary-Pre-
paredncss for War the Best Guar
ontee of Peace.
Isw York, Feb. 12.-The Republican
rrIrb observed Lincolns birthday, as IL
has for twelve years, at banquet to-
night at Delmonico's
Nearly 300 members of the club and
guests were present and fifty ladies dined
IN the empire room" below.
PRESIDENT Chauncey NJ. Depew opened
the speaking.
The tOastS were:
aAbraham Lincoln" by Albert ]. Bev
eridse of Indianapolis.
THE Republican Party" by Congress
man Charles A Boutelle.
The Mission of America" by Henry d.
Tstabrook of Chicago
sTbe Navy" by Assistant Secretary of
the Navy Roosevelt.
me decorations of the dining room
we're simple a bust of Lincoln festooned
with four flags was above the guests
dais
Mr.. Depew called for order shortly af-
tar o'clock and after a few remarks, in
which he referred to Theodore Roosevelt
as the cyclonic Dutchman," said, in
part;
rtterance of President Mckinley at the
manufacturers banquet two weeks ago,
and the impregnable front of the Repub-
lean members of the House of Represen-
tatives have cleared the atmosphere.
Those two things have done much for
national credit and Republican hope. Now
representatives must take one side or the
other The Good Lord and Good Devil
reriod has passed.
1T has been the glory of the Republican
Marty. as distinguished from the Demo-
cratic party, that its principles and its
pocies were national. The Democratic
party might be free trade in free trade
state and protectlonist in az protection
state and sound money in a sound money
state and fiat money in fiat money state,
and for free silver in free silver common
4 wealths, but the Republican, whether of
the North or the South, of the East or
the West, belonged to one party, which
stood upon one platform, and had only
one kind of principles for every latitude
and longitude.
1T is an axiom almost, In Washington,
that the utterances of Mckinley and Gage
and of Reed and of Dingley are good prin-
cipes but bad politics. But temporary
success is worse than defeat when it is
one upon the maxim recently enunciated
what YOU know is not So There has been
no more inspiring and no more hopeful
spectacle no more dramatic picture of
the battle in the forum then when the
Il silver resolution, the resolution of repu-
dation of national obligations the resolu-
ton which meant If successful, disaster
TO public credit and private business,
came down from the Senate. With the
prestige of the most august body in our
government behind US, its descent upon
the House was like the charge of the
Old Guard at Waterloo. But the Old
Guard bit the dust and crumbled to pieces
upon the impregnable squares of honest
money, led by that greatest parliament
tartan of our times, Speaker Thomas B.
Reed"
Mr.. Depew then called upon Mr.. Roose-
ye!t
Following is an extract from the speech
of Mr. Roosevelt:
When I speak of the United States
navy, I do not have to make merely par
ty speech, for when we reach the water
line We get beyond the domain of party.
IN preparing to face a foreign foe, all
Americans should stand alike.
Fifteen years ago we had no standing
"a whatever among naval nations. Now our
navy has been built up until it can fairly
claim to be about tie with that of Ger
many for fifth place. 1t is as yet by no
means as large as 1t should be, and to lie
supine and to let other nations pass us
when we have made so good start, would
be one of those blunders which are worse
than crimes.
In the fate of China to-day the shriil
advocates of unintelligent peacefulness
should see a grim object lesson fitted to
teach them, if they are capable of learn
ing that unless we are prepared some
day to share this fate (and long before
that day to suffer humiliation and insult
which would make every high-minded
X. American &c mil cba
Tor which no business prosperity could
atone we must be ready in time of need
TO do as our forefathers have always
done and show that we are ready and
able to appeal to the ultimate arbitrament
OF the sword. Unless we are false to ev-
cry tradition of the American foreign poll
icy we must continue to uphold the Mon
roe doctrine; but it would be better to sur
render the Monroe doctrine outright than
10 dlscredit ourselves and make ourselves
ihe laughing stock of the world by loud
Hp-ioyaty to it, while we, nevertheless,
qeclne TO take any step which would
make good our pretensions. The worst Of
t9Hoers against the honor and dignity of
america in foreign affairs are those who
ouuly proclaim a desire to entangle in
oie'gn difficulties, but who refuse to help
make ready the forces by which alone our
Pleenslons would be made good.
Dihculties are thrust upon US, we do
ToI make them. We did not create the
Ia"dlian islands, they already exist; we
merely nave to face the alternative of
eAHg them ourselvese and making them
ug outpost for the protection of the Pa
I,Il coast, or else of seeing them taken
ny any powerful nation with which We are
1T war ana at once transformed into the
llos1 dangerous base of operations against
our faci1c cities. We cannot help Ha-
wa" as being either a strong defense to
5S or perpetual menace We can only
'oe whether we will now take the ISL
",DiS "hen offered to us as a gift or by
,'Ite TO try to conquer them from the first
III nation with which we may be-
INC embroied. One of the other of these
"g alternatives must be chosen by us,
VIII chose the first.
% ~ we nave great fighting fleet, a fleet
'sSseis such as we now have, capable
~. ouensive no less than of defensive
w. H. 'here will be small chance that our
Ie VIII be forced to fight and still
''"er chance that we will not emerge