The sun. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1937-1972, March 22, 1940, Image 3
THE SUN, NEWBERRY, S. C, FRIDAY, MARCH 22, 1940
In 1794 Congress Grudgingly Voted
To Build Six Ships; This Year It
Talks About a Billion Dollar Navy!
The Constellation, oldest vessel on the United States navy list, now
used as a training ship at the Newport (R. I.) naval training station. In
this old frigate Commodore Thomas Traxtun won two great victories over
superior ships daring onr “undeclared war” with France at the beginning
of the Nineteenth century.
By ELMO SCOTT WATSON
(Released by Western Newspaper Union.)
P RESIDENT ROOSE
VELT’S budget recom
mendation of a billion dollar
naval program, the largest
peacetime sum ever consid
ered for that purpose, is by
its sharp contrast, an inter
esting commentary on the
spirit of economy (perhaps
“parsimony” would be the
more appropriate word) in
which provision for our “first
line of defense” was con
ceived 146 years ago.
For it was in March, 1794,
that the first congress ap
proved a bill out of which
grew the United States navy,
albeit its passage was
marked by a long and acrim
onious debate during which
it was declared that “a navy
is the most expensive of all
means of defense, and the
tyranny of governments con
sists in the expensiveness of
their machinery.”
Indicative of the grudging
spirit in which this first con
gressional provision for a
navy was made is the fact
that the bill won in the house
of representatives by a vote
of 50 to 39 and in the senate
the sentiment was so evenly
divided that it took the vote
of Vice President John Ad
ams to break a tie and pass
the measure.
Despite the success of John
Paul Jones and other American
sea captains against the superior
sea forces of England during the
Revolution, one of the first acts
of congress, after the fight for
liberty ended, was to dispense
with the services of the victor of
the famous Bon Homme Richard-
Serapis battle and begin scrap
ping such war vessels as we had.
In doing this congress was only
following the wishes of the citi
zens of the new nation.
But the United States soon
learned a bitter lesson from its
naval disarmament program.
For centuries the Barbary states
in northern Africa—Algeria, Trip-
poli, Tunis and Morocco—had
preyed upon the commerce of
European countries and, despite
the huge indemnities which
France, Spain and the Itahan
states paid to these pirates, their
shipping and their coasts were
never safe from destructive
raids. England, because of her
sea power, had suffered but little
from these marauders but her
former colonial shipping, now fly
ing a new flag, immediately be
came the prey of the corsairs.
Ask $60,000 Ransom.
In 1785 the Algerian pirates
Seized two American merchant
men and by the time of Wash
ington’s inauguration their 21 of
ficers and men were still held
prisoners. The Continental con
gress had made some efforts in
their behalf but these had been
contemptuously rejected by the
Dey of Algiers who demanded a
ransom of nearly $60,000 for his
captives. Soon after Thomas Jef
ferson was appointed secretary of
state in Washington’s cabinet, he
was called upon to report to con
gress upon the negotiations which
he, as minister to France, had
carried on with the Algerines.
In 1790 Jefferson submitted a
report, remarking that a solution
of the problem “rests with con
gress to decide between war, trib
ute and ransom. If war, they
will consider how far our own
resources shall be called forth,
and how far they will enable
the Executive to engage, in the
forms of the Constitution, the co
operation of other Powers. If
tribute or ransom, it will rest
with them to limit and provide
the amount; and with the Execu
tive, observing the same consti
tutional forms, to make arrange
ments for employing it to the
best advantage.”
But congress was slow to take
any action. In the meantime, the
Algerian pirates continued their
raids on American commerce in
the Mediterranean until it was al
most destroyed. Finally by 1793,
when the corsairs had captured
10 more American ships and im
prisoned 105 more American
sailors, the federal government
decided to do something about it.
In January, 1794, a committee of
the house of representatives
brought in a resolution for build
ing four ships of 44 guns and
two of 20 guns each for the pro
tection of our commerce.
Debate on the matter began
early in February and immedi
ately it became apparent that
sentiment was against creating a
federal navy. One of the leading
opponents was James Madison of
Virginia who believed that peace
with the pirates “might be pur
chased for less money than this
armament would cost.” Another
Virginia representative “feared
that we were not a match for the
Algerines” and a Georgian
thought that “bribery alone could
purchase security from them.”
A New Jersey congressman ob
jected to the “establishment of a
fleet, because, when once it had
been commenced, there would be
no end to it.”
Smith of Maryland and Fitz
simmons of Pennsylvania, who
championed the resoluti<~- , a nd
Fisher Ames of Massachusetts,
who supported them, called upon,
Madison to define his position and
he proposed a substitute for the
resolution. It was that “money
should be employed in such a
manner as should be found most
effectual for obtaining a peace
with the Regency of Algiers; and
failing of this, that the sum
should be applied to the end of
obtaining protection from some
of the European powers.”
Navies “Foolish Things.”
This suggestion was denounced
as an attempt to get other na
tions to fight our battles for us
but Giles of Virginia came to
Madison’s support with a state
ment that he “considered navies
altogether as very foolish things.
An immense quantity of property
was spread on the water for no
purpose whatever, which might
have been employed by land to
the best purpose.” As it became
clear that the two Virginians
were taking an isolationist stand
which would make the United
States a hermit nation, sentiment
began to swing in favor of the
original resolution.
Despite the effort of opponents
of the bill to delay consideration
of it, on March 10, 1794, it came
up for final passage in the house.
Giles made a last effort to pre
vent its passage. He argued that
fitting out a navy would inevitably
involve us in wars with all the
European powers. Besides that,
it would be a perpetual threat to
American liberties.
But despite his eloquent plea,
the final vote was 50 in favor and
39 against the measure. It had
an even harder struggle in the
senate for, as has already been
stated, it required the vote of the
vice president, as presiding of
ficer over that body, to break the
deadlock and concur in the action
of the house. However, in order
to get the measure passed an
amendment had to be tacked on
that, if peace terms with the Al
gerines could be arranged, “no
farther proceeding be had under
this act.”
On March 27, 1794, President
Washington signed the act pro
viding for the building of six
frigates—the President, ■‘he Unit
ed States, the Chesapeake, the
Congress, the Constellation, and
the Constitution. However, be
fore they could be completed a
treaty of peace was concluded
with Algiers in September, 1795,
under the terms of which we
paid Algiers a total of $642,500
for the ransom cf captives, for
tribute and for presents to of
ficials. Besides that we agreed
to build a frigate for the Algerine
navy and also supply naval
stores, bringing the total cost of
the treaty up to $992,463.25.
By the terms of the amend
ment to the navy act, we had to
stop building vessels for protec
tion of our commerce. Of the
five frigates authorized, work on
three, the United States, the Con
stellation and the Constitution,
was already under way and even
tually they were completed. The
timber for the others was sold,
except for the ship which was to
be presented to the Algerines.
Although the navy act of March
27, 1794, was emasculated by the
amendment, nevertheless it
marked the real beginning of the
American navy and, as such,
should be a red letter day on
our national calendar. In 1793
France and England were at war
again and America soon founa
itself trying desperately to main
tain its neutrality in the conflict.
Jay’s treaty with England ir 1794
put an end to most of the disputes
between England and America
which grew out of the Revolu
tion and which brought us close
to another war with Britain. But
the next year the British Orders-
in-Council against neutral trade
with France raised the war fever
in this country again and France,
angered by Jay’s treaty, did all
she could to fan that flame.
But eventually France over
played her hand and when her
blackmailing schemes were ex
posed, American sentiment ap
proved the strong stand taken by
the new President, John Adams,
against our former ally. Not only
did congress agree to complete
three of the frigates authorized
in 1794 at a cost of $1,141,160 but
on April 20, 1798, it voted $950,000
for the purchase and equipment
of an additional naval force. On
April 30 a separate navy depart
ment was established (heretofore
naval affairs had been adminis
tered as a part of the war de
partment) and Benjamin Stoddert
was appointed the first secretary
of the navy.
A Naval Program.
By this time America was def
initely committed to a naval pro
gram and on May 4 President
Adams was authorized to procure
cannon and build foundries and
armories. This act was soon fol
lowed by an appropriation of
$80,000 for galleys to be used “as
porcupine quills in punishing en
emy attacks.” With what was
already appropriated, the Presi
dent was authorized to accept, if
offered by private citizens, six
frigates and six sloops of war,
and to pay for them with govern
ment bonds.
Meanwhile France had substi
tuted force for Talleyrand’s de
vious diplomacy and it had seized
nearly a thousand American
ships. As a result, our alliance
with that country, formed during
our fight for liberty, was abrogat
ed and in June, 1798, congress
authorized the President to use
our navy to “subdue, seize, and
take any armed French vessel
which shall be found within the
jurisdictional limits of the United
States or elsewhere on the high
seas." This was an important
step because it said, in effect,
that if we were to compel an
enemy to do us justice we must
no longer depend upon harbor
galleys but must send ships swift
enough to search out the enemy
vessels in their own waters and
strong enough to overcome them.
The result was our “undeclared
war” with France which contin
ued for two and a half years
during which time one of the new
frigates, the Constellation, won
two brilliant victories over
French men-of-war and our little
navy captured 85 armed French
vessels, nearly all privateers and
lost only one war vessel, which
had been originally a captured
French ship. But despite the les
sons learned in this conflict it re
quired two more of them—the
War with the Barbary Pirates of
1802-04 and the War of 1812 with
England—to teach us the neces
sity of maintaining an adequate
naval establishment if we were,
as Washington said, to “secure
respect” for our flag and to save
it “from insult or aggression.”
Although the name of Commo
dore Thomas Truxtun is but little
known to most Americans, yet
two victories which he won dur
ing our “undeclared war” with
France entitle him to a place
alongside John Paul Jones, Ste
phen Decatur, Isaac Hull, James
Lawrence, and Oliver Hazard
Perry in our galaxy of naval
heroes. Early in 1799 Truxtun
was placed in command of the
Constellation, flagship of a squad
ron of five vessels which were
sent to the West Indies.
At noon on February 9 while
the Constellation was cruising off
the island of Nevis, a large ship
was discovered away to the
south. Truxtun immediately
gave chase and by the middle of
the afternoon h« had overhauled 1
the fleeing ship and was engaged
in a hot battle with her. Within !
an hour and a quarter the swift
and accurate fire of the Ameri
can gunners had so shattered the
enemy ship that her captain
struck his colors.
She proved to be the famous
French frigate. La Insurgente,
whose loss was 70 men killed
and wounded, whereak the only
casuc.ties on the Constellation
were three wounded.
The captured French ship was
put in charge of a prize crew
commanded by Lieutenant (later
Commodore) John Rodgers and
taken to St. Kitt’s. When i:vws
of Truxtun’s victory reached the
United States it sent a thrill of
joy through the country such as
it had not known since the days
of John Paul Jones. Truxtun
was eulogized in the newspapers,
sent “congratulatory addresses”
by groups of citizens and re
ceived from the merchants of
Lloyd’s coffee house in London a
handsome service of plate worth
more than $3,000.
A year later Truxtun gave his
fellow-countrymen even more
cause for rejoicing. Early on the
morning of February 1, 1800,
while cruising off Guadeloupe
seeking the large French frigate.
La Vengeance, which was be
lieved to be in those waters,' he
discovered a sail to the south
which he took to be that of an
English merchantman. So he
ran up the English colors, but,
upon receiving no response, gave
chase.
The stranger begem piling on
sail and for 15 hours succeeded
in keeping out of range of the
Constellation’s guns. Then the
American ship came within hail
ing distance and Truxtun discov
ered that the stranger was the
very ship he was seeking—La
Vengeance. At eight o’clock in
the evening the Americans
opened fire and from that time
until one o’clock in the morning
the two ships carried on a run
ning fight, sometimes coming
within pistol shot of each other, j
Suddenly the French frigate ;
ceased firing and disappeared so
completely in the gloom that
Truxtun believed she had sunk, i
But at that moment he discov- |
ered that nearly all the Constel
lation’s shrouds had been cut
away by the fire of the enemy
and that her mainmast was about
to fall. Soon afterwards a heavy
squall came up and the mast
went overboard.
Although badly crippled, the
French ship managed to reach
the safety of a harbor on the
coast of South America. There
her commander, Captain Pitot,
acknowledged that twice during
the engagement he had struck
his colors but in the gloom of
night this signal of surrender was
not seen by the Americans.
Once more Truxtun’s victory
over a superior foe—although La
Vengeance carried 54 guns and
400 men, as compared to the
Constellation’s 32 guns and 300
men, the French loss was 162
killed and wounded while the
Americans’ was only 14 killed
and 25 wounded—sent his name
ringing through the United
States. Two months later con
gress authorized the President to
present him with a gold medal
“emblematical of the late action”
with the thanks of the nation, the
second time in our history that
such an honor was bestowed upon
a naval officer.
Two years later Truxtun was
ordered to command a squadron
destined for service in the Medi
terranean. His request for a cap
tain to command his flagship be
ing denied, he declined the serv
ice and President Jefferson con
strued this action as a resigna
tion, which was accepted. Thus
the navy lost the services of one
of the best officers in its history.
Truxtun retired to a farm near
Philadelphia and died there May
5, 1822.
Household Neius
THIS SEASON BRINGS EGGS AND MORE EGGS
(See Recipes Below)
For an Easter Feast
The Easter
and more eggs
to look like
ison brings eggs
the tables of the
whole world, it
seems. There are
tinted eggs, eggs
with dainty and
intricate patterns
adorning their
glossy shells, and
eggs decked out
er bunnies.
Eggs may be decorated, too, with
gaily colored stickers—and if you’re
clever with your fingers, you can
make a giddy blonde or demure
brunette egg, sporting a new Easter
bonnet! Use bright blue round stick
ers for eyes, and a tiny gummed
heart for a mouth. Or, if you like,
paint in the features, and tint the
"cheeks” with ordinary water color
paints. Cotton or fringed crepe pa
per inay be glued on to resemble
hair, and an Easter bonnet is made
from a tiny paper nutcup, bits of
colored paper, and a tiny feather or
artificial flower.
When the bunny comes around
with his gift of eggs, keep him as
a guest at your
Easter table.
He’ll be a delight
to children and
grownups alike if
his basket is filled
with candy eggs
that the children
themselves can eat.
But Easter Sunday demands more
than eggs in the way of food! It’s a
day of feasting and most of us plan
and plot for weeks ahead to give the
family a truly delicious and unusual
meal. Leg of lamb or baked ham
are the traditional foods around
which most of us plan our Easter
menus. Either may be used in the
menu below, to excellent advantage.
Broiled Grapefruit halves
Roast Leg of Lamb or Baked Ham
New Potatoes With Parsley
Asparagus
Spring Salad
Hot Rolls Butter
Boston Cream Pie
You’ll find another Easter menu
and additional recipes, too, in my
cook book “Easy Entertaining.”
Boston Cream Pie.
% cup butter
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs (well beaten)
1% cups cake flour
% teaspoon salt
1% teaspoons baking powder
% cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cream butter and add sugar grad
ually. Add eggs. Mix and sift all
dry ingredients and add alternately
with the milk and vanilla extract,
beginning and ending with the flour
mixture. Bake in 2 well-greased
layer-cake pans in moderate hot
oven (365 degrees Fahrenheit) for
20 to 25 minutes. When cool, put
together with Boston cream pie fill
ing and sprinkle top with powdered
sugar.
Boston Cream Pie Filling.
% cup sugar
% cup bread flour
V* teaspoon salt
2 cups scalded milk
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Mix all dry ingredients and add
scalded milk gradually. Cook 10
minutes in top of double boiler, stir
ring constantly until mixture thick
ens. Add eggs and cook one minute
longer. Cool and add extract.
Broiled Grapefruit.
Select thin skinned, juicy fruit, cut
in halves and remove the pithy cen
ters and rib sections. In the cen
ter of each half, place half a tea
spoon of butter and 1 teaspoon of
brown sugar. Broil until the grape
fruit is heated through.
Roast Leg of Lamb.
(Serves 12)
1 leg of lamb
1 teaspoon salt
Vt teaspoon pepper
Wipe leg of lamb with damp cloth
and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Place, skin side down and cut sur
face up, on a rack in an open roast
ing pan. Roast in a slow oven (300
degrees), allowing 35 minutes per
pound. Remove to hot platter and
garnish with pineapple rings and
fresh mint, or with orange cups
filled with mint jelly.
Currant-Mint Sauce for Lamb.
1 cup currant jelly
2 tablespoons fresh mint (chopped)
Melt jelly over very low heat, then
bring to boiling point. Remove from
heat and stir in the chopped mint.
Fresh Asparagus With Lemon
Butter Sauce.
(4 servings)
2 small bunches fresh (or 1 large
bunch) asparagus
5 cups boiling water
1V4 teaspoons salt
Vt cup butter
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Cpt off lower parts of asparagus
stalks as far down as they will snap.
Discard, or use in soup. Tie stalks
together loosely in a bundle and
place upright in saucepan contain
ing the boiling water to which salt
has been added. Cook, uncovered,
until ends of stalks begin to be ten
der, about 15 minutes; then lay
bunch of asparagus flat in pan and
continue cooking until tips are ten
der, 5 to 10 minutes. Then drain.
Cream butter and add lemon juice
slowly. Pour this mixture over hot
asparagus and serve at once.
Magic Easter Eggs.
% cup sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 cups sifted confectioners’ (4X)
sugar (about)
Blend sweetened condensed milk
and vanilla. Add confectioners’ sug
ar gradually and
continue mixing
until smooth and
creamy. Divide
into three or four q
parts. Color with
different vegetable colorings in very
light tints—pink, green, yellow.
Form into eggs. One end of each
egg may be dipped into melted
chocolate that has been allowed to
cool. Makes eight eggs 1V4 inches
long.
When dipping candy eggs, melt
the chocolate in the top of a double
boiler, but do not let the water
boil. When melted, remove from
heat, and let the chocolate cool to
about 83 degrees Fahrenheit, a tem
perature slightly cooler than luke
warm.
Baked Ham.
1 whole ham
1 teaspoon whole cloves
1% cups sweet cider
1% cups brown sugar
% cup orange juice
Wipe ham with a damp cloth apd
place in an uncovered roaster, skin
side up. Roast in a very low oven
(300 degrees) allowing 25 minutes
per pound of ham. About % hour
before ham has finished baking, take
from oven. Remove skin and pour
off all excess fat. Cook cider and
sugar together to thick syrup stage.
Add orange juice and pour mixture
over ham. Dot with whole cloves.
Return to oven and bake one hour
longer, basting frequently with liq
uid in pan.
Have You a Copy of ‘Easy
Entertaining’?
Eleanor Howe’s cook book, “Easy
Entertaining,” is crammed with
menu and recipe suggestions for hol
idays and parties of every kind!
You’ll find in it menus and recipes
for children’s parties, for picnic sup
pers and for a wedding reception,
too. If you haven’t yet ordered your
copy, send 10 cents in coin, now, to;
“Easy Entertaining,” care Eleanor
Howe, 919 North Michigan Avenue,
Chicago, Illinois.
What Every Good Cook
Should Know.
There are lots of secrets to suc
cess in cooking and baking that ev
ery good cook should know! Next
week in this column Eleanor Howe
will give you some of her cake se
crets and hints on measuring and
mixing ingredients, to insure satis
factory results in the all-important
business of feeding a family.
(Released by Western Newspaper Union.)
IN THIS scrap quilt. Friendship
Garden, you can combine va
ried materials to your heart’s con
tent. Pattern 2451 contains accu
rate pattern pieces; diagram of
block; yardages; instructions;
diagram of quilt. Send your or
der to:
SEWING CIRCLE NEEDLECRATT
DEPARTMENT
U Eighth Av«. New York
Enclose U cents la coins for Pat
tern No
Name
Address
WOMEN! Relieve "Trying Days’*
by taking Dr. Pierce’s Favorite Pre
scription over a period of time. Helps
build physical resistance by improving
nutritional assimulation.—Adv.
At Palace and Cottage
With equal pace, impartial Fate
knocks at the palace, as the cot
tage gate.—Horace.
ACHING CHEST
COUS
Need Mere Than “last SaM*
Te Relieve DISTRESSI
To quickly relieve chest cold ml—T sad /
muscular aches and pains dus to eoldf^-'
it takes MORE than “just a salve”—you
need a wanning, soothing "counter-
trrif on r"like good old rdiable Musteraie
—used by miuiont for over 80 yean.
Musterole penetrates the outer layers
of the skin and helps break up local coo-
Bettar Than A Mustard Ptastnrl
Freeman and Slave
He is a freeman whom the truth
makes free, and all are slaves be
sides.—Cowper.
^OME MORE DEFCHPm*
mmumsTsmam
A Human Dissatisfied
It is better to be a human being
dissatisfied than a pig satisfied.—
J. S. Mill.
*//te luvujain of
uot*>i lifetime!
Gone With
The Wind
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