The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1898-05-27
BiggerNavy
Than
England's

VI uho uumluibtIutlOu, ana THIS policy
will henceforth be one Of the tenets OF
the Republican party. AS beginning,
at the close Of the war with Spain sew
eral modern high power ships will be
added to the navy.
The sentiment in favor Of q stronger
navy Is 30 strong already that, were il
not for the influence which is being ex-
erted, contracts for ships would be i'm
mediately authorized by congress. The
members Of the house committee on
naval affairs are, however, opposed to
building any new vessels until the effi-
cheney OF the various types shall have
been fully demonstrated by an engage
ment between Admiral Simpsons feet
and the Spanish squadron. That at
Manila Is not regarded as conclusive
because the Spanish ships were not ar
mored and were of an obsolete type.
Another question yet to be settled is
whether 8 inch guns are as effective ar
10 and IL inch guns. An eminent naval
authority, in discussing the matter re-
Gently, said that while the 8 inch guns
were the only ones used at Manila
they proved most effective and that
speed and other advantages are greatly
facilitated by the smaller guns.
BY request of the naval affairs COM
mittee, officers Of the navy have been
directed to observe carefully the be.
lhavior Of their ships while in action
and to embody their observations in a
report to the department.
The estimated cost Of making the
navy superior to that of England is ap-
proximately 81, 900, 900, 600. The high
est authorities In congress and the navy
department agree that the work could
be done In two years if necessary.
1t can be stated authoritatively that
the English type Of vessel will not be
duplicated There are six shipbuilding
firms in the United States, which can
turn out vessels of any description,
while some could be constructed at the
various navy yards
Heretofore it has been almost an i'm
possibility to secure an appropriation
from congress to build warships 1t has
insisted that the navy was large enough
and that it would never be called upon
to leave our shores. The war with Spain
has demonstrated the fallacy of this.
The proposition to increase the navy
has met with the bitterest opposition
from representatives in congress living
thousands of miles from tie seacoast
They have time and again declared on
the floor Of the house that to increase
the navy would be to waste the public
money. But these are now among the
warmest supporters of modern navy.
Representative Hilborn of California,
one of the leading members of the house
committee ON naval af~sfs and an au-
thority ON the construction of warships,
said:
During the Revolutionary war we
built a few vessels, but at its close we
found ourselves without navy Of any
standing. Then in our trouble with the
Barbary states we again found ourselves
without navy and began tho building
of six frigates. We completed three Of
them-the Constitution, the Constella-
tion and the United Statos---and sold |
the material with which we were to
build the others When we made a
treaty with the Bey Of Algiers, we had !!
paid in tribute enough money to have
swept the corsairs from the sea. Less i
than two years afterward we got into |
trouble with France and had to build |
more vessels Tho same was true In tho
war of 1919.
1--WE increase our navy so that 1t |
reaches respectable standing during
the time Of war, but Immediately upon
the restoration Of peace we permit it to
go down. In the late war we had a very |
fair navy, but Immediately after the
war we let it go down, until for ten
years we practically had no navy at all.
Whether we are going to repeat our
usual course at the close Of this war /
do not know, but do not think so.
During this war we are going to acquire
territory. We arc going to raise our flag
over islands in remote parts Of the
world Once the flag is raised we will
never lower 1t. This acquisition of ter
ritory will be permanent This in itself
will make it necessary for us to main
tain navy. think that after we have
ascertained as result Of the first con-
flict between modern vessels what i'm
provements are necessary the work of
making the United States great naval
power will be pushed rapidly"
Senator Perkins Of California is agi-
tating the matter in the senate and is
meeting with great success Even the
senator's with Populistio tendencies are
that this country should have
a navy Of considerable size. These do
not go so far as others, yet they have
signified their willingness to assist in
upbuilding this arm Of the service.
Representative ]. Murray Mitchell
md Amos J. Cummings of New York
are also earnest advocates Of stronger
navy.
With bigger navy and wider inter
ests will come increased necessity for
scaling stations at distant points.
1.-The time has come when the Unit.
ed States should have coal depots in all
parts of the world where our ships Of
war touch or are likely to touch, - said
Chairman Davis Of the senate foreign
relations committee. "I am in favor of |