Evening journal., 1898-03-28

tinent came under one rule OF an Eng
I lish-speaking people: and we shall ba (
In an incipient stage Of conflict until 1
time shall realize that result and the I
whole Of the American continent Is |
I governed in peace under the dome Of |
/ this Capitol We do not know when |
such O. conflict Will break forth, and we
( do not know when we viii be called f.
/ upon to take part In IL, or 10 see our
interests neglected, disparaged, AMI
lost.
But our friends from the heart OF the
| country want 10 say, "What do we
care about the Navy? I suppose they
think they have no interest in it be-
cause no gun has yet been constructed
that can throw a projectile from the
seacoast to the Mississippi river or to
the Rocky Mountains, and they are Sc
renely Indifferent TO any devastation
4 that might occur on either coast or to
our commerce on the sea.
Mr. President that brings q sWitt
I and quite decisive answer, and that is
| that the whole OF the continent, from
| centre to circumference, Will be equal
| ly injured throughout by a blockade.
/ A Blockade would be q construction
/ upon the heart of the country as much
! as upon the shores of the country. a
blockade would be the immediate and
/ most effective and easiest form Of pres
sure put upon us In the event OF any
such contest. We can meet any such
exigency as q battle because OF war,
but q blockade we can meet only by
the Possession OF a force OF battle
ships and torpedo boats that will be
adequate-not cruisers, but batueships
and torpedo boats.
Now, what is asked? Now and then
It Is left for someone to illustrate to
the world one Of its truisms. SO TO
sneak. he touches the buttOn and, like
the electric fash, all the world re-
| spends to IT, SO it WAS with Captain
Mahan and his great work on Sea
] Power I'm History" British statesmen
/, and soldiers and sailors and people
{, awoke to the fact that empire rests
with sea power and did not rest with
/ | Venice, not with Sweden, not with
/ Holland, nor Belgium, nor with Portu-
Z gal all small powers. and contestants
shortly after the discovery Of America
1 with England, for the empire OF the
i | world. 1t does not rest with those pow
/ ers. nor even with Spain, nor France,
4 IL rests with England, because on the
j, seas she dominated each and all. No
/. greater achievement In her history was
d. made than when under the genius OF
u | Chatham she unified this continent, as
q 1t remained for ten years, in the tri-
4 | umph OF Wolfe over Montcalm. That
/ WIS Lord Chatham's estimate OF the
III problem that is before us.
q We must have ou adequate force Of
! battleships. Now, fortunately for us
III we do not need, relatively speaking, 3
u great number Great Britain, l be
II lieve now has flfty-three. She has au
II thorlzed, since Captain Mahan's his
Il tory was published the expenditure o
III 800 OOO. 600 in providing new battle
u ships One Of them has already beer
+ 4 launched In n year from the time thu
1 keel was laid. the Magnificent. and
4 believe that the extent OF the scheme
: II other nations undertake to follow
II her, contemplates $50 battleshlps, 70
III the integrity OF her empire the wid'
world over must be maintained. w
Z, Il have no quarrel with her; we want Il
! 4 have none; but If It should eventual
.,1l and come about, we, according to m.
III view. must be prepared to meet her ol
1 L this shore with a stronger feet tha'
! \ she can afford 90 send from anywher
,ot else. That is the proposition.
nj MI Butler. II the senator from Del
NJ aware will pardon me I shall be gla'
' to remind the senator that this govern
III ment has not single battleshlp ii
commission to-day.
!. Alr Higgins That Is true, Mr.. Presi
/. L dent We have not single one Il
,fl commission. We have. / believe, con
( Il structed four.
Mr. Butler. They are under con
1 struction.
I'll Mr.. Higgins They are under con
.-I,- tseff In ft
,s sion. They are approaching that stage
a Then l think, we have six OF tn
r monitor class of ships that were lali
r down at the close of the war and Onl.
ail recently completed, which are EN-
All phatically coast-guard ships, becaus
MI they have a low freeboard and canno
MI go to sea. They have small ooalinl
y capacity and sailing radius. and canno
Il live in a heavy sea. Therefore the.
ar are oriy good as appurtenant TO har
Il Dor defence.
e As ! understand the battleship It :;
e cne that can go anywhere carry Il
Do own coal for a moderate distance, from
"a one coaling station to another, and /
b Is demanded that II shall always b
is swift as we'll as strong. because th
Is speed of the fleet Is. of course, III
D. speed Of the slowest ship. ard a SLOW
ship may destroy all the advantag
which would come to a fleet other
wise adequately swift.
D. Mr. President. / am not afraid OF IN
20 fact tast a navy viii grow Obsolete
d In q certain sense the navies 1f Eng
c land and Of France. and OF EUrcp
II have oeen obsolete IN the last hal
al dozen years. but 70 IS by clrcum
D. stance that IS not likely 10 be repeat
Al ed. They were made obsolete whel
T. American skill and American caplcit
N were again called upon to apply them
"a selves 20 this problem. and when on
-e naval constructors for the first lim
laid down great ships. and We hav
r the esuit which fillF us With pride 10
is day as much as it did when the Brit
le ish admiralty In 1912 or 1914 ordere
n their fi@gates TO run from ever
d American frigate and not to fight Il
D. because. they said. they were men-oi
Jt war IN disguise.
"a We to-day have constructed the fast
S. est cruisers anCat. with the larges