The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1898-02-13
WE NEED A LARGER NAVY
Necessary II the Monroe Doctrine Is
to BE Supported.
RooSEvELI's SPEECH AT A DINNER
In Honor of ItncoIn's Birthdny-Hc
Also Advocated Annexation OF
the Hawaiian Islands.

New York, ebruary 12.-The Republican
club observed Lincoln's birthday as 1t hab
for twelve years. with banquet tonight
at Delmonico's. Nearly 800 members OF
the club and guests were present and flty
ladies dined also. President Chauncey NJ
Depew opened the speaking The toasts
we're Abraham Lincoln" by Hon. Albert
j. Beveridge OF Indianapolis: THE fepup-
lican Party" by Congressman Charles a.
Boutolle THE Mission Of America by
Henry ~. Eslabrock OF Chicago and "Ihe
Navy" by Assistant secretary of the Navy
Roosevelt. The decorations OF the dining
room were simple. Il bust portrait Of LIN
coin, festooned with four flags above the
guests dais.
ghe following is an abstract of the re-
marks of Theodore Roosevelt;
when speak OF the United states navy
do not have TO make merely party
speech, for when we reach the water line
we get beyond the domain OF party. In
preparing TO face foreign foe all Amori-
cans should stand alike. Fifteen wears ago
we had no standing whatever among ! avail
nations. Vow our navy has been built up
until it can fairly claim TO be- about a
tic with that of Germany. 1t is as vet
suplnc and let other nations pass us when
we have made so good Il start would be
one Of those blunders which are worse t1an
crines.
In the fate of China today the slrill
advocates of unintelligent peacefuiness
should see grim object lesson. especially
fitted to teach them. If thew are capable Of
learning, that unless we are prepared some
day to share this fate land long Dctore
that day to suffer humiliation and insult
which would make every high minded
American hang his head with shame, and
for which no business prosperity could
atone) we must be ready in time of need
TO do as our forefathers have always done
and show that we are ready and able to
appeal TO the ultimate arbitrament of the
sword. Unless we are false to every tradt-
ton of the American foreign policy We
must continue to uphold the Monroe doc
trine, but 1t would be better to surrender
the Monroe doctrine outright than to dis
credit ourselves and make ourselves the
laughing stock of the world by loud lip
loyalty to it while we nevertheless decline
to take any step which would make good
our protensions.
THE worst offenders against the honor
and rightly of America in foreign al
fairs are those who loudly proclaim de-
sire to entangle us in foreign difficulties
but who refuse to HELM make ready the
forces by which alone our professions
would be made good Difficulties are
thrust on us; we do not make them We
did NOT create the Hawaiian islands; they
already existed we merely have to face the
alternative of taking them ourselves and
making thom the OUTPOST for
the protection OF the Pacific
coast. or else seeing them taken
by any powerful nation with which we are
p war, and at once transformed irto the
most dangerous possible base of operations
against our Pacific coast. We can only
decide whether VIC will now take tie
islands when offered to us as Gift or bv
force to try to conquer them from the first
powerful nation with which we may be-
come emhroled. One of The other of these
two alternatives must be chosen by ms and If
We possess any title 10 wisdom we will
choose the first If we have a great fight
ing neet a fleet OF VESSELS such as We now
have, capable OF offensive no less shan de-
fensive work. there will be small chaLce
that our people will be forced to fight and
still smaller chances that we will not
from any war immeasurably the
gamer in honor and renown.'