The Washington herald., 1912-02-23
A Crisis in Naval Affairs.

The question of naval progress as it
now stands before Congress is con-
fused in the public mind by the decla-
rations OF the Democratic House on
the one hand and the attitude of the
Republican Senate on the other But
the fact that underlies it all is that the
Navy Department seeks to maintain the
feet at its present strength, not to in
crease it, while the House majority
seems to have concluded that the in
terestS of the country'S first military
arm. its outer line of defense, so to
speak, shall be neglected in order to
make room in the appropriation scheme
for other and more local and purely do
mestic enterprises. 1t is manifest that
We cannot reduce the national revenue
by so-called tariff reforms and at the
same time continue the opulent appro-
priations which have heretofore been
regarded as indispensable. The real
question, therefore, is whether we shall
practically dismantlc the navy-and in
cidentally the army-so as TO expedite
the programme for more intimate po-
litical projects.
Plans for naval maintenance have
been elaborated by our military experts
These have been taken from among the
people and carefully educated BY the
government for the enlightened prac-
tice of their profession. If they do not
know how to equip the nations fleets
better than Jones, who chases his plow
in Iowa, or Smith, who edits a rural
newspaper in Tennessee, or than the
average Congressman, who is the prod
uct of these and similar honorable oc-
equations. then the whole scheme of our
political organization is awry, and VIC
must formulate new plans of guidance.
But, as a matter of fact, there is and
can be no doubt in any enlightened
mind on this point. The issue does not
hinge here. The people have to choose
between expenditures which are obvi-
ously necessary TO the nations honor
and integrity and expenditures, such
as pensions, rivers and harbors, public
buildings, &c, which are convenient
only for local enrichment and the
booming of local Congressmen. All
this has been thrashed out more than
once. Controversy has changed moth
ing, and the people are confronted by
the same old alternatives, with single
but most important qualification. They
know all about the local things, pen
sions, public buildings, &c, for these
bring easy money into the neighbor-
hood, enrich contractors who live
around the corner, swell the tills of
resident tradesmen, and in all ways fat
ten the community. The naval interests
are remote. In that respect the peoples
solicitudes are purely academic Gen.
orally speaking, they know that we
ought to have navy, and in some
vague fashion they suppose VIC shall
have one in the end They have not
bNCii " dDOut SuCH
consecutively and so the consideration
which affects their local prosperity
overshadows the consideration which,
if they were properly informed, would
touch finer and nobler nerve And
it is to the spread of this much needed
education that the present article is
addressed. After all there is no real
reason why the two interests should
conflict. 1t is only question as to
which should have the first place in a
scheme Of enlightened craftsmanship.
The humblest farmer, the most care
less huckster, would say, # he were put
to catechism. that the nation needs, first
of all, competent, up-to-dzte military
armament Without that he quite un-
derstands that our political and MGR
oantile and social structure might at
any moment be paraIyzed BY hostile ip- !