The San Francisco call., 1904-02-28
THE NAVY BILL.

A a
u the navy bill substantially as 1t was reported by
the committee. Many attempts made to
make party issue of it, and these will doubtless be re-
newed in the Senate The to all such attempts is
found in the history of the country If the Democrats
will read the Grafton Senator Voorhees, the unveil
ing of the Farragut monument, they will get different
viewpoint from that held by those among them who op
pose the navy.
We have the two greater coast line than
any other nation Along that line great cities. On
the Gulf and Atlantic coasts Galveston, New Or
leans Mobile, Savannah, Charleston, New York and
Boston, with Baltimore and Philadelphia position of
secondary exposure. On the Pacific have San Fran
cisco and San Diego. with Los Angeles, Portland and
the Sound cities i'll secondary exposure These cities
offer richer spoil in than all the wealth of the
cient empires for which great armies struggled. To
provide navy capable of defending these coasts is
matter of ordinary prudence. No and no
one expects But the history of the nations proves
that may come. matter how strictly country
may attend its affairs, and that lack OF prepara-
ton is merely all invitation to attack.
1t seems to be the theory of of the opponents
of navy adequate for maritime defense that If
have navy will need defense That may come
true when the millennium arrives but that happy time
is yet in sight Only thing will ever justify us
in letting our navy decline. and that will be general
international agreement to abate the naval force of
each maritime nation down to low and economical
minimum
What the anti-naval party in Congress should pro-
pose is not invitation to attack by Gripping sea
power, but peace commission all the other mari
time countries such agreement That would
the policy they advocate and would establish it
either a chimera fact Unless they do this. they
should withdraw opposition From the beginning of our
history we have sought and depended upon power
During the Revolution had but little of such power,
was with excellent effect, and Paul Jones
a chapter book of glory that American would
willingly blot In the War of 1872 power had
increased and the feats of Lawrence Bainbrdge and
Decatur on the sea and of Commodore Perry Lake
Erie imperishable witnesses to the need OF navy
and to the ability of Americans fight
President Roosevelt says: The Spanish a
little war, but it all the there was. Suppose
that our navy had been what it when William C.
Whitney took UP the work of naval construction Spain
would have whipped U.S. notwithstanding her vast infe-
riority in resources. With navy could not have
single soldier be landed i'll Cuba Porto Rico
With no navy the Spanish fleet need not have waited
death in Manila Bay before Cavte but would have tor
mented whole Pacific Coast 1t could have coaled
in our harbors spite of and its though in
efficiently served would have been much better than
none at all that humiliation would have been COM
plete
1t is easy say that ought not to have had the
Spanish war The answer is that have it. and that
response the demand of the people, who ready
crush any administration and party that refused to
1t was their war whether justified or not and if mis-
take who will guarantee the people against making
other Just like it? So, from whatever point last
is viewed its lesson reads for a strong navy. Without
the naval operations before Cavite and Santiago we
would have presented sorry figure.
In the current war between Japan and Russia, the
weaker nation has equaized herself with enemy
fold her superior resources by her naval equipment
If Japan succeed in holding her superiority in power
on the east Of Asia she may her stronger
enemy just as Spain would have worn out if had
lacked 4 navy.
To extend the argument into commerce, ship in
our navy has produced for in value far
cared by American experts in Europe that the foreign
market was opened American machinery and metal
products by the warshp Oregon When that ship was
being built at the Union Iron Works in San Francisco
no one foresaw that she to be key unlock
market But when the Spanish put her trial she
proved to be the best piece of work wrought in
metal by man. AS example of American constructive
skill left the of the world far behind that the
markets yearned for American mechanism. She still
floats the best ship that kissed the water and until
she is excelIed constructive work will hold its pri-
macy This should be considered by those say that
there should be money spent the navy but that
should be diverted other which will give nle-
diate and material return.
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Some of Uncle Sans warshps Hongkong,
little too far away to watch the movements of the