Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-05-02
PRESIDENT 1O CADETS
Roosevelt Addresses Cadets on
Occasion OF Their Gradua.
tion at Annapolis.
Some Words of Encouragement
and Advice From Their Com.
mander in Chief.
Diplomas Presented to the Class
president Visits Sick
Boy at Hospital.


Annapolis, May 2.-The special train
conveying the president and party to
Annapolis arrived at 9:45 and immedi-
ately proceeded in carriages to the
academy grounds. The day was most
propitious and the cadets in uniforms
presented fine appearance. There
was great crowd around the grand
stand, where the diplomas were re-
ceived from the president, who adj
dressed the graduating class. He said.
SIN receiving these diplomas you be-
come men who, above almost any 9th
ers in the entire union, are henceforth
under an ever present sense of the re-
sponsibility which must come with the
knowledge that on some tremendous
day it may depend upon your courage,
your preparedness, your keen intelli-
eence and knowledge of your profession
whether or not the nation is again to
write her name on the worlds roll of
honor or to know the black shame OF
defeat. We ali of us earnestly hope the
if 1t has to come, then this nation must
win; and the prime factor in securing a
victory over any foreign foe must of
necessity be the United States navy. II
the navy fails us. then we are doomed
to defeat, no matter what may be our
material wealth or the high average OF
our citizenship. 1t should, therefore. be
an object of prime Importance for every
patriotic American to see the navy
constantly built up and above all that
it is kept to the highest point of eff
cheney both In material and personnel.
1t can not be too often repeated in mod
ern war, especially in modern naval
war. that the chief factor in achieving
Il triumph is what has been done In the
way of thorough preparation and train
ing before beginning the war. 1t is what
has been done before the outbreak of
war that is all-important. After the
outbreak, all that can b.. done is to use
to the best advantage the great war en-
gines and seamanship and general
practical efficiency, which already have
been provided by forethought of the
national legislature and by the admin
istrative ability. thru the course Of
years, OF the navy department.. a bat
tleship can not be improvised. 1t takes
years to build 1t, and the skill of off,
GERS and crew in handling it Alright can
likewise never be improvised, but must
spring from use and actual sea service
and from the most careful, jealous, sys-
tcmatic training. You, to whom give
these diplomas, now join the ranks Of
officers of the United States navy. You
enter a glorious service, proud Of it's
memories of renown. You must keep
ever in your minds the thought of su-
preme hour which may come when
what you do will forever add to or de-
tract from this renown. Some Of you
will have to do your part In helping to
construct the ships and guns which you
use.
You will need to bend every energy
toward making these ships and guns In
all their details the most perfect Of
their kind thruout the world. The
ships must be seaworthy, armament
fitted for the best protection to guns
and men, guns in all their mechanism
lit to do the greatest possible execu-
ton in the shortest possible time.
Every detail, whether of protection to
gun crews, of rapidity, sureness in
handling ammunition, working revela-
and accuracy in sighting, must be
thought out far in advance, and the
thought carefully executed in actual
work. The best ships and guns and
most costly mechanism ire utterly val
ueless If men are not trained to use
them to the utmost possible advantage
From now on thruout your lives there
can be no slackness on your part. Your
duty must be present with you. waking
and sleeping. You have got to train
yourselves and those under you in the
actual work of seamanship and gun
rery. If the day for battle comes you
will need all that you possess of bold
ness, skill. determination, ability to
bear punishment and instant readiness
in an emergency. But tho without
these qualities you can do nothing. yet
even with them you can do but little if
you have not had the forethought and
set purpose to train yourselves and the
enlisted men under you Alright Officers
and men alike must have the sea habit;
must realize that in battle the only
shots that count are the shots that hit,
and that, normally, victory will lie with
the side whose shots hit oftenest. Sea-
manship and craftsmanship - these
must be the two prime objects of your
training. both for yourselves and for
the men under you"
At the conclusion the president re-
ouested to be taken to the hospital,
where Cadet Emery S. Long, of Wyo-
ming, a member of the graduating
class, is lying i'll. Sitting up in bed the
sick boy received his diploma from the
president, who made few appropriate
remarks. After luncheon the president
and party went aboard the torpedo boat
Gwynn for short trip on the Chesa-
peake bay, after which they will taks
the train for Washington.
Among the prizes awarded the cadets
today were for excellence in target
practice with great guns: Frank d
Hall, Illinois, first prize, gold medal:
Frank c. Martin, Illinois, second, silver
medal; Mel E. Nichols, Michigan, was
accorded the honor of having his name
engraved on the Thomas silver trophy
for having done the best athletic work
during the year at the academy; Gill
bert J. Rowclift, Illinois, silver medal.
for being the best cadet fencer; Earl p.
Finney Winnebago, Wis. pair of BIZ
roculars as a second prize for handling
q boat under sail.
The Senate.