The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-06-16

| SntfanSc tQ tA6 kAS16kG66Dr " H~o" - | the regular summer manoeuvers and target practice. which will be complete off the New England coast. The yes- l seis have been thoroughly overhauled since they completed the world d-gtrd- l ling tour last February, and are be- | lieyed to be in the pink of condition. | No man has ever charged, even in the days when our navy consisted Of opso- lets wooden ships. some of them Nn- seaworthy, that the personnel includ- ing enlisted men as well as officers, was anything other than it and ready for any service which might be de- manded.
 The American navy was more gener- ally discu ssed throughout the world last year than all the nayies of all oth- CT powers. This was due to the cruise which the great fest made around One globe. sailing in many strange seas and calling at ports of so many diner- ent nations Naturally enough, there has not been so much naval talk this year, so far as our own navy Is com cerned. Events in another quarter have transferred interest from the American to the navies of Great Britt ain and Germany. These two powers appear to be engaged in shipbuiiding race which fs unque in the history or nations, and which. according to sew eral authorities. must terminate in war or bankruptcy.
 It Is difiicult to realize that less than twenty-five years ago the United states did not have single armored seagoing ship. an dthat now we are prepared to enforce the most recent Interpretation of .the Monroe Doctrine in any part Of the world with a navy second in power only to that of Great Britain itsen. . The navy of every other nation has been of slow. steady growth. in the execution of a fixed purpose, and the carrying out Of a long defined policy :. But this country appears suddenly to have awakened to the fact that the American navy was worthless so Tar as vessels were concerned, and that a nation so well able to build warships should be represented on the sea In more creditable manner.
 The beginning of the new navy was the passage of the naval approprtaion bill of 1883, authorizing the construc- ton of three steel cruisers and one dispatch boat, ct total coast oi si, s00,o00 Such sum would not start a contractor to work on one or the battleships or cruisers or the navy oI today. There was not an armor plate factory in the United States. nor q plant at which could be turned out guns of greater than 6-inch calibre. There was not torpedo nor machine gun plant in the country. But armor plate factories sprung up. and the Gov ernment established the great gun fac tory at Washington in 1887. The in- crease in our naval strength rom that year was rapid. and when the spanish war broke out in 1898, 1t not only found the American navy in . perfect state of preparedness. but strong enough to annihilate the navy of Spain in a campaign of 110 days.
 No race is so costly as that which many nations enter in seeing which can increase It's naval armamentsA most rapidly. The cost of warship of the Dreadnought class may be roughly stated at S10,000,000. Battieships or the first class, speaking of the Dread thoughts as in class by themselves, cost about s7.o0o. The armor and the guns on a vessel cost. approxi- mately. as much as the vessel uiiar- mored and unarmed.
 But the initial cost of~a navy is in- significant as compared with the enor- nous outlay involved in maintaining it, For Instance, during the fiscal year 1908. the cost of naintatning the pat tieshfplA Cohhecticut vas $b1Lble.IIs which sum Included sT3f.0ss or for cost of commission which also repre- sented pay of officers and s14o.4S2 70. representing repairs to hull. machin- cry and equipage. To this cost oI maintenance of vessels must be added the cost of maintaining the machinery of the Navy Department. The amount anpropriated for the support of the naval establishment. from 1883, to lsVs, including both years. was Sl,sf4ez4'- OO1 .se, of which vast sum, only Ssfs,. so4, ,2se. .65, was expended In the actuai construction of vessels.
 One of the lords of the British Ad-' rniralty said in an official utteranee re- gently that "in the Western Hemi- snhere the United States are forming a navy the power and size of which will he limited only by the amount or money which the American people may choose to spend on it," England IS having a hard time with her nnances now, and Germany Is running beiund in the matter of governmental revenue to such an extent that her statesmen are exercising their ingenuity to ind new subjects of taxation or subjects r,non which additional tax may be placed without working too great hardship.
 Americans. at least, have never been able to see real cause dor the excite- ment which has prevailed In England during the past few months over the prospect of a German invasion. The pace at which the Germans are build ing warships Is hardly so great as that at which England Is building them. The present waEship tonnage of Great Britain, according to the most reliable figures obtainabie, is 1,669,005, while that of Germany is believed to be Sz4,- 57s tons. Were vessels the two coun- tries are now building put on the wave Great Britain would have g tonnage of 1.S7l.176, while Germany's tonnage would Nbe e93,599. As a matter Of fact, France is adding to her navy more rapidly than Germany is tncreas- ing hers, and when vessels now on the ways are completed, France will rank second in naval strength among the powers of the world, with the United States third, instead of second, the place she now occupies.
 But there is a wide gap between Great Britain and the United States when it comes to tonnage, for. as against a tonnage of 1.669,O00 for Great Britain, the United States has only 6S5.426. When the vessels the United states are building are com- pleted. the tonnage will be increased to 770.4eS. The British standard for many years has been, navy stronger than those of any other two powers combined. The recent excitement con- cerntng Germon designs on England has stimulated public sentiment to such an extent that it looks as though EnsIand would even undertake to {lay down three keels for every one laid down by any other power.
 The excitement growing out of the supposed danger of German Invasion