The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-02-13

"The Navy" was the subject assigned to
Theodore Roosevelt, assistant secretary of
the navy. He said in part:
"When / speak of the United states navy
I do not have to make "a merely party
speech, for when we reach the water line
we get beyond the domain of party. In
preparing to face a foreign foe all Ameri-
cans should stand alike. Fifteen years ago
we had no standing whatever among~naval
nations. Now our navy has been built up
unti 81 can fairly claim to be about Il tie
with that Of Germany for hfth place. It
is as yet by no means as large as II should
be and to lie Supine and let other nations
pass us when we have made so good a start.
would be of those plumbers which are
worse than crimes. In the fate OF China
to-day the shrll advocates OF unintellgent
peacefulness should see grim object les
son especially fitted TO teach them, II they
are capable OF learning, that unless we are
prepared some day to share TINS fate lana
long before that day to suffer humiliation
and insult which would make every nigh
minded American hang his head with
shame and for which no business pros
perity could atone) we must be ready IN
time of need to do as our foretathers nave
always done, and show that we are ready
and able to appeal to the ultimate arbtra-
ment OF the sword. Unless we are false to
every tradition of the American foreign pol
lev we must continue to uphold the Mon
roe doctrine; but 1t would be better TO sur
render the Monroe doctrine outright than
to discredit 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 pretensions.
The worst offenders against the honor
and dignity of America in foreign affairs
are those who loudly proclaim desire 10
entangle us in foreign difficulties, but who
refuse to help make ready the forces by
which alone our pretensions would be made
good. Difficulties are thrust upon us; we
do not make them. We did not create the
Hawaiian Islands; they already existed. We
merely have to face the alternative of TAX
ing them ourselves and making them the
outpost for the protection of the racine
coast or else of seeing them taken by any
powerful nation with which we are at war
and at once transformed into the most dam
gerous possible base of operations against
our Pacific cities. We cannot help Ha-
Waiia'S being either strong defense TO
us or a perpetual menace. We can only
decide whether we will now take the islands
when offered to us as a gift or by force to
try to conquer them from the first power
full nation with which may become en-
broiled One or the other of these two ;ll-
ternativeS must be chosen by us, and II we
possess any title to wisdom we viii choose
the first. If we have a great fighting fleet,
a liz ct Of vessels such as We now have,
capable of Offensive no less than of de-
fensive work there will be small chance
that our people will be forced to fight. and
still smaller chance that we will not emerge
from any war UNNECESSARILY the gamer in
honor and renown.
Mr.. Roosevelt was followed by Repre-
sentative Charles A. Boutelle, whose topic
was THE Republican Party" Next came
Henry ID. Estabrook. of Chicago, who spoke
on THE Mission of America