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Show The Old And New Constructions. The Chicago Tribune thinks that if the plan Is carried out to build a new battleship, the greatest ever, and to name is "The Constitution," it will not be accepted as a. substitute for fulfillment of tho will of tho people to see tho old frigate Constitution Consti-tution preserved. It notes that the old Constitution was of 1576 tons, carrying 450 men and capable of throwing; G84 pounds of metal in a broadside of its twenty, seven guns. The new Constitution would hurl 4000 pounds at a broadside and fire four times faster. It says the Constitution of the United States in the hands of Marshall, Elsworth and tho others shows vastly enlarged powers under the law, and that the nation's battleships should correspond., cor-respond., Tho British called the old Constitution "a floating pine log." The new one will be of woven steel. .-The crew of the old Constitution was made up of sailors; the crew of the new one will be trained machines. The old one was at the mercy of the winds; the new one will go out into storm and night and battle indifferent to raging winds or angry seas or fighting ships! But the new ship will have to earn the reverence of tho American people; the old one earned this nearly a century ago. And it is fixed. What Nelson's old flagship victory is to Great Britain, Old Iron-sides Iron-sides is to tho American people. Looking at her, there comes into one's vision the men who trod her decks in the long ago, the men who, taking the pace from Paul Jones, Eet it for Ifarragut and Morris and Worden arid Cushing, who in turn transmitted it to Dewey ana Clark and Schley and HI Sampson and Cook and Taylor and all that immor-tal immor-tal band who at Manila and off Santiago "Caused great fear To all who hear," the name of American fighting seamen. The old Constitution is but a water-soaked, worm-eaten hulk, altogether worthless to men who are desti-tute desti-tute of sentiment, like Secretary Bonaparte; but in another way her value is priceless, for she rep-resents rep-resents the manhood. of the men who trod her decks, which manhood was enough to establish their sovereign superiority among men and to sup-ply sup-ply an example for all subsequent American he-roes he-roes to seek to emulate. Build the new ship, of course, but preserve the old one. At Mount Vernon are two simple marble caskets, their value at best but a few dollars, but within them sleep George and Martha Washington, 'M and to disturb them would be a national offense. In the same way, in a pecuniary sense,- the old Constitution is worf.less, but it holds memories .H that all the gold in tho world would be too poor to buy. |