Year: 1870

the Army and Navy.


II the present Congress adjourns without
making the necessary appropriations for the
.-epair Of the navy nearly year will elapse
before the subject will again come before 1t.
In the meantime matters q III. u; creates.
importance may arise requiring us 10 put
forth all our strength. A year Is long time
with the American people. Wonderful things
are accomplished in the space of twelve calen-
dar months. We don't mind attempting to
girdle the earth with railroad in that time,
and may try to take up some island by the
roots and transplant 1t to our own coast. We
can wait year when some great national enter
prise is afioat, knowing that at the end of the
time we shall see it perfected but can we
linger year while our flag is being insulted.
our people butchered by a savage and blood
thirsty race, and neighboring people who are
beseeching us for help are being decimal ted by
cruel government, and give no aid2


Had we navy we should be in position
to demand what we now have to beg for.
Does any one suppose for moment that if
Great Britain was in our position her docks
and yards would be closed up just at q
time when she most needed them, and her
skilled artisans sent adrift to seek occupation
elsewhere when they were actually required to
put her navy in order? No government but
that of the United States would pursue such
course. Our Congress leaves the republic to
the care of Providence, who, it is said, takes
care of babies, drunken sailors and the United
States


1t is certain that our country gains nothing
while Congress is in session. For months the
members squabble over some trifing subject,
while the best interests of the country are neg
lected and the two arms Of national defence
are left to go to decay. When there seems
for moment of time a prospect of placing
the army and navy on respectable footing,
one old woman in party gets up cry OF
Economy" and all the other old women 60
wild on the same subject. They may be
seen book in hand going about the depart
ments, questioning and scolding secretaries
and chiefs Of bureaus until the latter shudder
at the sight of them. These economists de-
mand a reduction Of the appropriations to
through the elections, but will entirely defeat
the original object in view. What do these
legislators care about navy to protect our
citizens abroad or an army to shield our set
tiers from the scalping knife Of the Indian?
All they want is to have it thought that they
are the swatch dogs of the Treasury" and
are helping to save the people from the bur-
den of taxes.


If Congress would help build up navy,
foster our shipbuilding interests and induce
our citizens to enter into the pursuits of COM
merce, then it would be doing something to-
wards developing our resources. Our citizens
residing abroad could pursue their avocations
with some comfort when they knew they were
under the shelter of their country's flag, and
would have full confidence when they saw the
Stars and Stripes floating over our iron-clad
frigates that it meant protection in every re-
spect. What influence can that flag carry with
it when it flies at the peak Of small gunboat
overshadowed by the immense iron-clads Of
foreign navies? What influence can half
dozen gunboats have on the Spaniards in Cuba
when the Spanish fleet in those waters outnum-
bers our whole navy?


While Congress is letting our navy 60 to the
dogs for the want ofproper appropriations and
sweeping into the Treasury money actually
appropriated for naval services, all the other
nations of the earth are putting forth their
energies to build up their war marine, which
increases in proper ratio to their commerce.
Our navy consists actually Of fifty good ships
of war; The navies of other Powers are as
follows England, $50 vessels; France, 400;
Russia, ESQ; Spain, $50; Turkey, 10; Italy,
65; Prussia, sc, and Denmark, 33. Four
years ago Prussia was not known as a naval
Power, but now her workshops are in full
blast building iron-clads and casting guns
preparatory to absorbing Denmark, Sweden
and Norway, should she need them at any future
time. Prussia has policy and great future
before her which she cannot carry out
without navy. To remedy defect that has
existed since she commenced her march to-
wards the soaports Of the Baltic, she has
lost no time in buying or building vessels in
every maritime country. The time is not far
distant when the passage of the Cattegat may
be effectively disputed by the Prussian navy,
which is marching to greatness, while ours
is dwindling away to tugs and hybrid cor
vettes. Here is nation with scarcely one
good seaport and very little commerce rival
Eno tho TTpitad Statna az n naval Power when
we of all the people in the world should be
showing our flag in all parts of the globe.
Our interests are everywhere, our merchants
have business in every corner of the earth and
our missionaries have penetrated to the re-
motest islands of the Pacific. Now and then
they are eaten up by savages, without the sat
isfaction of knowing that an American man of
war will come in the future to interfere with
cannibal digestion. Yet what can an admins