New-York tribune., 1908-03-14
OUR NAVY.
4 We'll HTrltten Surrey Of Its
HisfOru
A HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES ~
Rv John f Spears Illustrated. eFo, PIP AL
rla Seminars Sons.

HISTORY OF The UN1TEB STATS slo ~ HAhh xi
3S4. Charles Scribners sons
Mr. Spears is a clear thinker and forc1h's
writer who swings trenchant pen. He be-
liexes in 2 strong navy. and shows that the at
+en,nt to do without ore has invariably led 70
national humiliation, and that such economy
has always cost us more in the end i'uilhe
the Civil War. nc says, We were saFeo ioIii
intervention and foreign aggression solely by
the strength of the navy. Eight years AFTER
the war our citizens were murdered III 'upa'
the flag was outraged and the whole nation
,,1,77,iliated because our navy had been allowed
~ dwindIe and all but die. After the japanese
nay with China the powers of Europe gathered
-o,,5 the little brown heather and robbed him
Of th4. fruits of his victory. His navy was theh
weak After the war with Russia the "hole
world gathered TO applaud the ht'ie oro"Ii
giant His navy strong Because or the
strength Of her navy. Japan will have peace
herea fter as long she wants 1t Inc patue-
shin is the modern emblem of peace.
There have always been opponents OF Aneri-
can naval development. There are such to-day.
D.. :. -; hard m realize how far such opposi
tion went in days gone by. Mr. Spears mas
haap diligent in securing the annals of Congress
.- illustrations of the pusillanimous spirit per-
,-afii-g that body and rejecting widespread pop
MAR sentiment. More than three hunoreo Amer
lean ships were looted in one year oy priVd'eei7
and uirates fitted out from trench poTts' anu q
vyes, India Governor boasted that ne ana MS
neople we're growing rich on the spoils' i'ii'
WAS AT the close of the elghteehth oei'ui'
rouhoats without guns captured anu io''Ou
American merchantmen; and yet Congress ii'e
elad One member would rather see 'he I'M
t'.-a.oe ,,r,ed nv President Washington burned
o;ot rataIiation would serve better than frlga'eS
-: 1>rarce to 2 sense of Justice 4
third held up China as an example u d ''
to, nroftabIe commerce without "7'
-: and was applauded by the Secretary VI
.,,o Troa as,Irv and the valiant john
o,roeed the use of frgates as eohNoHS VI
cI,antrnen bound TO the west liluie' o'
c-ro,,nd that when the priVateeFs anu u
.bose seas learned that we hau
.be,, uould become more ACRIMONIOUS W
T. r.as in those days, we are reih" -
.rIoil Columbia was written fe'p 60
-, ~ heroes reaven-born band "'iiS
.be;r representatives with theT app ..-o
-oir,s+ rsing frgates as conveys lest SUN o
asdiiis - .,o nirates more acrimonious.
s'i - President stood for naval eco"-
~ ,aid nm FIVE frigates at Nesllii5 "
- s,ended work the SIX shpS VI
-. ,+borized by Congress. In lo'- "o
-,e,ded upon the navy about one-au" ..
or,o,,nt expended under his pIeue0 ..,o
carry cheeseparing q little tui '" -,;,,
IA IN our navv yard here doch "
o. nresent vessels may be Ia'd up u' .ro
o"' - fror, the sun" Nothing but the
siza of the bill. says Mr.. Spears pIeF'N'
,ross from adopting plan to lay up our It'd
- ,,,,dar cover from the sun at a 'i"e
,,~ tsr;,ieh frigates were plundenng A'ie'''
,,;s md Undressing native born Aner1ca" &c
-, j., American waters at Sandy HOOK i"7
overvheln1ing superiority OF the hii'i1' ~ "
Vas so established in the years before '0'- ~
II, tlc ewes OF the public men IL NdS u9'iN'
come with Il. John Randolph called onr nav
.. 18th o., the public purse; the mere sight
-, , ,,,an,ber of the marine corps nade hiS
rorpe rise. and as for resisting the British oy
,,,ea,s Of the navy "a strait jacket and depie-
-;o,,.. yere the only remedies for any one WHO
,,o,,1b to suggest il. With few EXCEPTIONS
members of Congress cultivated the cowardice
of the nation but a shining exception was
Josiah Ouincv who said, "Sir, if can help it,
the old women of this country shall not DO
frightened by the talk Of war any longer
have been a close observer of what has been
done and said by the majority of this House.
and / am convinced that insult, however
gross. could force this majority into the decla-
ration Of war To strong but common
expression il could not be kicked into such n
declaration.
The author has assembled within the compass
Of three hundred pages the essential facts or
our naval history. II is compact and vigorous
work and while presenting detailed account OF
all the great naval battles throws much light
unon the popular attitude toward the navy
through judicious use of historical material
Such a work must of necessity reflect a healthy
patrlotism These pictures OF glow with
feryent heat There is something almost meIo-
dramatic In the uniformity of the Righteousness
Of our cause the intrepidity Of sailors and
the evil disposition Of enemies fconfound
their knavish tricks. The naughty British with
their selfish regard for their vulgar trade in
ferests come in for good many whacks that
must delight the gallery but one could '.iss
there were little generous recognition