Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-12-09
TRIPOLI AND NAVY.
Thomas Jefferson Found Good Use
for Ships of War.
From the Kansas City Star.

FROM Inc Kansas City Star.
Although there is little interest in the
United States as to the outcome of the
war over Tri! oil between Turkey and
Italy. it i; not to be forgotten that this
country probably owes the fact that it
has strong navy to Tripoii.
Jefferson hated-that is the word for
1.-THE institution called the American
Navy. He opposed it from the begin
ming, and when he was elected Pres-
dent he Immediately took up the con-
sideration of how TO abolish it entirely.
Historians relate that Queen Eiizab beth
once objected to sending the English
ROYAL navy 10 sea for fear that the water
would wash the paint off the pretty
ships. But in Jefferson's second message
to Congress he proposed an equally alb
surd thing. He insisted that all the ships
Of the navy should be assembled at one
big dock to be built by the government
on the Potomac near Washington. so
that all the vessels might De a.d up dry
and under cover from the sun To ID
friend he wrote in confidence that if he
aid establish sucn an arrangement it
would require bat one set of pIunderers
% take care of them.
But ii fell TO jefferson 10 make the first
big expansion of the navy and to put il
into active SerVice-and TricOi was the
~ause of it President JefferSons admin
.stration came into lower just in time to
meet a revival of the custom of the Bar
barry states-Algiers. Tunis Morocco and
ripoli-tO exact tribute from the nations
Of the world in the Mediterranean sea
Before Jeferson's administration the
United States had built the Constitution.
President. United States. Chesapeake,
congress and the Constellation. Jeffer-
son ordered halt in the building of any
more ships.
The Barbary states had been exacting
tribute from all the European nations,
and the custom was encouraged by Eng
and because il enabled that nation to
ouy practical monopoly of all the trade
oetween the Mediterranean and the At
.antic seapor;s. Be.ore the United States
gained its independence its trade was
under the protection of the tribute paid
by England. But after the revolutionary
Tar the young republic was notified to
come across with its share of the
hush money When it failed to do so
the pirates would capture the vessels,
AXE the cargOeS- and make prisoners of
the Seamen. who We're appropriated as
aVeS.
Annual tribute was paid to each of the
pirate states. ard in addition millions
ere paid in money and gifts TO the rul-
ers But one bright May morning in 1901
he Hon. Yusuf Carameli. Pasha of
Iripoli. walked into the American con-
suiate with big Crouch and a demand
Or more money. He had been receiving
le said, only a paltry $4,000 year from
he nited States tribute, and had
earned that the rulers of Algiers, Tunis
and Morocco We're getting more money
han that. considering their relative i'm
cortance.
In addition to his peevish temper and
is demand for a raise in tribute wages
the Hon. Pasha carried an AK. and when
is demand was rejected he climbed upon
he roof and cut down the American flag
which was the Tripolitan way of declar-
ing war.
Then Mr.. jefferson got busy with the
avy which he was about to place in dry
dock. He ordered everything that was III
lighting trim to TriDoli and built more
ressels and sent them to the Mediter-
'anean with instructions to go far
rs YOU like with the pirates. And his
DRY tells the rest of the story.
But history fails to record any further
effort on the part of jefferson to carry
he navy into some shady place and pile
It into a single hear and put it in charge
If night Waterman.