The age-herald., 1899-06-07
SAMPSON WANTS
 MORE WAR SHIPS He Says the Naval Power Should
 be Doubled. ARMY INCREASE NOT NEEDED Our Possessions in Asiatic Waters and Our Long Coast Line Demand
 That We Should Increase
 Number of Ships.
ARMY INCREASE NOT NEEDED

New York, June 6.-The Independent this week will contain an article from Rear Admiral Sampson on "The United States Navy" in which he says:
 q have long believed that the navy of the United States is not adequate to the needs of the nation, and in spite of our vic tories of the past year events have tended strongly to confirm the view I held before the war began. For an army increase fail to see the necessity. It is hardly contro- yertible that we could large army except for war or foreign conquest The sentiment of the country would not per init this. Great Britain could not hope to attack successfully on the land. No two powers combined could hope to effect anything against us by sending an army to this country. Three thousand miles of water protect us from all except one possi- ble enemy-Great Britain, who has of late shown us unmistakably that she desires a permanent peace, the closest friendship. This attitude is all that could be desired. l believe there is no room for doubt as to the good faith of the English. They really wish our friendship and are prepared to mako sacrifices to secure it.
 Foreign armies, therefore do not con- Sutute a danger to this country. The DOS sible wars which confront us are naval wars, and in order to wage them success fully we need more ships. I believe we should have at least twice as many ships as our navy at present contains. Whether or not we desire to have it so, the war has made a great change in our position among the nations. They have gained a new esti- mate of us, and have put us in the front rank of the powers whose voices decide questions of world nnlicfeS time we have greatly extended our coast line, and have undertaken the government of large and distant territories. We have become an Asiatic power. and cannot evade the responsibilities of such a position. We have great interests in the Pacific ocean, and must be prepared to cope with any who are disposed to deny our rights there. To safeguard our interests, to maintain position, to speak with the authority that becomes us we need still more ships. If our easy victories over the fleets of a weak naval power fill our people with the belief that we have now a navy that is large enough for all our needs, then those Victo- ries will have done harm instead of good.
 q believe in harbor defense. Every har- bor on the coast should possess it's own local defenses, which only determined at tack of the enemy could overcome. We have much still to learn about modern warships. They are as yet in the eXperf- mental stage. My own idea is that the naval increase should be made by the building of more vessels of the New York type and that speed and coal capacity must be secured even though it be necessary to sacrifice some armor thickness in order to do so. Our need of swift armored cruisers transcends all other needs. The present is a good time to press the needs of the navy upon the country which will soon be dniv- ering from end to end with the motions produced by the reception of the hero of Manila. The extraordinary and widespread disposition to do him honor can scarcely be otherwise than pleasing to all officers of the navy. No man could possibly have done more thoroughly than Dewey what he set out to do, and that is the test. His fame is secure"