The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-12-28
LONG DEFENDS
HIS POSITION.
The Secretafy'S Launching
Speech Reply to Circular.
A BIG NAVY Is A GOOD THING.
at Makes For Peace, Not War" He
Says, and in It's Building Work,
and Consequently Prosper
ity, is Given Many.

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. Dec 2S.-Seere-
tary Long, n his speech today at the
launching of the battIeship Missouri, con
fined himse'- wholly to Audience and ex-
PLANTATION OF his recommendation Tor the
increase Of the navy through the spend
ing of Sl00. 0OO. 0oO
The occasion of such defence is a circU-
lar printed some weeks ago deploTing the
building Of su~h a huge navy as an act
conducive to future world acquiring
The New England Circular.
The document was signed by Dr. Ever
EFT Hale, author, aItruist, and philan-
thropist, Of Cambridge, Mass, by the
other members of the New England
Peace Society, and by citizens generally
of that section.
II touched Secretary Long in a partiCu-
larry sore spot, as he is member of the
society, and many OF the signatures were
those of intimate friends
Secretary Long in his argument said:
The opponents of ] large navy are
right in some degree but they are not
entirely right. The size of the navy, If
there is TO be navy at all. is question
like the tarif-of adjustment rather than
principle Of course, it IS rather tax
ing thing to say as a natter of theory,
as this circular says. that SI00, GOO. 900
for the navy means a tax of Sc On every
family in the United States And yet, on
the other hand as a matter Of practical
fact, If that sum is spent, there is prob
ably not family in the United States
whose future income should be shown to
be So less and there are a good many
families whose income would be some
dollars more, and still more families
whose income would be many times Sc
less if it were not spent
ssTnking'' Assertion.
ct is also rather taking thing to say
that $100, 000, coo could be better spent for
education OF charity. And yet on the
other hand 500, OCT, 600 spent in the en-
plOXment q labor is the very best use TO
which it cal be put. There is no charity
IN the interest of the popular Welfare,
or Of education so valuable as the en-
pIOyment Of labor To state extremes. a
community supported by charity alone
would be deplorable, while community
where every individual IS supported ty
his own labor Is almost The height Of
human felicity
IF S1G0. GOO coo shall be appropriated
for tbs navy by the present Congress, a
small part will go for the purchase OF
raw material. and something for salaries,
but the great bulk of it for labor in every
part of the Union. In other words. il viii
not as might perhaps be the first impress
sion made by the above circular, be
dumped into the sea 1t viii pay for
bread and butter, for the better condi-
lions OF life, Tor the purchase Of books,
and for the support OF parsons and school
masters and the signeTs OF this circular
Spending Does Good.
81 suspect rich man does more good
By spending his income In what would be
gross extravaganza on the part OF any
body eIse-such as building houses and
stables, laying out grounds, reviving old
farms, buying and keeping horses and
cattle and in all the other expenditures
which keep so many employees busy and
so distribute his wealth than If he hoard
ed it in a giant stocking or in the vaults
OF a bank
Nor is = true, as suggested il the cir
cular, that great navy necessarily IN
flames the fighting spirit and leads to
war If my recollection serves me right,
while Great Britain las had troubles IN
Egypt and Africa and elsewhere, she has
had no conflict on sea for many years. and
Vet her navy has been twice as large as
that OF any other power
The recent increase in our navy did
II induce the war with Spain which, as
things We're, seems to have been newt
able. On the other hand II is more than
likely that if IN the beginning of 1898, we
had even as large a navy as we have now.
certainly as large a one as now proposed,
there would have been no war with Spain,
and that country would have come to
terms, as she was very near TO coming,
without battle At that tine, however, il
was the general impression among for
eign powers, and probably in Spain, that
her navy would blow Us out CT the water.
Navy should BE Commentaries
Of there IS to be a navy at all It should
be commensurate with our dominions. We
are the richest nation in the world. with
q larger income than any other. If then
the size CT our navy should correspond to
our national and international size. and if
We have the cash on hand. It would seem
the simplest good business sense. the sim
plest good business care OF our own in
terests to increase the navy and whether
this shall cost $40. 90G. coo or SIS. Gee 0C0 or
$I0O, 600 0C0. IL is rot an extrava gance to
cut our garment according TO our cloth,
especially as East year there vas no ap-
preparation for such an Increase
There certainly is heap Of comfort
in feeling that If millions are now spent
for the navy, the money IS IN the till to
spend 4 United States naval vessel car
Tying or flag into the ports Of the world
is something more than a fighting ma
chine 1t means relations with those
ports: 1t means q Awakening AMI lively
respect there for our country; il means
recognition of the outreach OF our ciyiIi-
zation commerce and influence. It means
just what would be meant If fire repre-
sentative of New York or Boston carry
ing her prestige exploiting her interests,
were in every other city Of the Union
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