Custer County Republican. (Broken Bow, Neb.) 1882-1921, 1904-03-10
BUILDING THE NAVY.
WHOLE COUNTRY A UNIT ON
THE PROPOSITION.
Senator Germans Opposition TO the
Creation Of a Proper National De.
ferse viii Be CONFERENCE.-The
Own Party is against Him.

The naval appropriation bill report.
ed to the house authorizes the con-
struction of one first class battleship
two first class armored or uisers. and
three scout cruisers at a total cost of
$2SO0O,O0O. The bill authorizes also
an increase of 5000 in the number of
sailors. The construction of so many
cruisers is recommended because II
is desired to give better proportion
to the navy. Lest year provision was
made for five battleships.
The committee says in its report:
IF we judge public sentiment cor.
rectly it is in favor of the continuance
of the policy OF building up our navy.
If we stopped now we would be left
behind the leading countries of the
world. The American people will not
indorse the policy of sacrificing the
American navy for internal improve.
ments, nor is there any such neces-
sity."
1t is not mistaken in its judgment.
The people do not wish to see the
policy of building up the navy aban-
doned. That is not because they are
bellicose and desire naval wars, but
because experience and reason have
brought them to the conclusion that
the country must have a respectable
and growing navy for purposes of
national defense and the maintenance
OF American rights. President John
Adams began the construction of
navy. Under jefferson the work was
stopped. He thought navy urneces.
sary. When the war of 1872 came
this country found itself at terrible
disadvantage because of that Jeffer.
sonian policy which has an advocate
now in the senate.
What is true of the people generally
is not true of all the Democrats in the
United States senate. The Demo
cratic leader in that body, Senator
German, has put himself on record
against naval expansion He would
spend money lor internal improve.
ments which his party once deemed
unconstitutional, but not for warships.
lie said:
I'VE have naval vessels everywhere.
Have you not enough now? Everybody
will answer yes unless it is true, as
was floating around in high naval cir
cles that we are marching around the
globe with a chip on our shoulder
looking for the one great nation that
troubles us more than any other In
our trade relations To get up some
trouble"
In his address at Lincoln day din
ner in New York the secretary of the
navy quoted and commented on that
repellant demagogical statement. He
confessed that he was surprised by it,
for he had thought that the pcIicy of
naval progress was not at all open to
partisan attack. He had hoped tina.
that policy would be continued no
matter which party was in control of
the national government, but his faith
has been shaken by Senator Germans
factous and unpctriotic utterances.
If that senator were as astute as
he has been given credit for being,
there might be cause to fear that he
had gagged the sentiment of his party
and truly represented it when he in
Weighed against an increase of naval
force. But he has lost his astuteness
or his cunning. He is laundering
around blindly in quest of partisan
issue. He says the navy is getting
topheavy. There are too many men,
too many sailors, too many guns
afloat." He cannot persuade the mass
of the Democrats that this is true.
The navy will continue to be increas-
ed despite the unworthy opposition of
an incompetent and uiscredlted sena-
torial leader"