Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1902-05-16
CAPT. HossoN ON THE NAVY"

Told in Inspiring Oratory OF Heroic
Deed of Early commanders-oues-
ton Of Navy One Of the Most I'm
portant.
Hobson. the nero of the Merrimac
exploit in the Spanish war, spoke to
a large audience in the Auditorium
Wednesday evening under the auspices
of the United States Daughters OF
For two hours the audience,
which included the members of Sedg-
wick post and the Spanish wal vet
Grams, gave the closest attention, ap-
plauding the speaker enthusiastically.
The stage was trimmed for the occa-
sion with flags, palms n apple bios
SONS. President Allan ID. Brown of
Norwich University introduced Capt.
Hobson, paying a deserved tribute to
the valorous act of the young naval
constructor, but not once did Hobson
himself allude to the experience.
Capt. Hobson took for his subject,
"The Navy" in view of the fact that
the war of 1912 was largely a naval
war. The deeds of the soldiers, he
said in effect, are familiar throughout
the country, but those of the sailors
largely have been lost sight of. He
then reviewed briefly the gallant work
of the American navy from the begin
ming, showing that it is the only navy
in the world that never has tasted de-
feat. He told in inspiring oratory of the
heroic service of some of the early com
manders, among them Decatur. who
left his ship to board an enemy's ship
to take the commander prisoner on his
own deck, and of the saiDted Somers,
who, rather than fall into the hands of
the enemy. applied the torch to 400
barrels of powder on board his own
vessel.
The speaker then referred to the
war with Spain. which. he said, with
200. 900 Spanish soldiers in Cuba, was
expected to be a soldiers war, but
which was primarily a naval war, the
American fleet under Dewey in Manila
bay and the American fleet at Santiago
under Sampson and Schley demon
strated absolutely the mathematical
maximum of fighting efficiency, a
record which eve has been equalled
and which never can be exceeded.
Never will there be 200,0 900 foreign
soldiers at our door again. Our future
wars must be fought by the navy. The
question of the navy is, therefore, one
of the most important and actually the
most urgent before the country today.
The manufactured exports of Ameri-
ca are many times greater than those
of any other nation on the globe.
America is literally the worlds work
shop. New Markets" is almost the
battle cry of the worlds great nations.
In this connection Capt. Hobson said
he had recently returned from Hong
Kong, where he supervised some naval
construction. There he had opportu-
nifty to study the situation in China,
and he found that the Chinese have an
industrial capacity second to no other
people in the world. Their average
wages are less than eight cents a day.
These are two facts of the utmost sig
%nificance. China is being and will be
rapidly opened up to the markets of
the world. She will demand tenfold
more articles from the rest of the
world and America should come in for
the major share of the advantage.
If any power in Europe should come
into control of any part of China our
rights would be in danger. A powerful
navy would be our only guarantee of
an incontestable right to an equal
share in the Chinese markets. Our
country alone prevented the partition
- 80 80 a ~ VI ~ ltAtlI lIOu-
bles in that empire. having assem-
bled in the far East a strong heet that
knew its business. 3
But there are other reasons ever
more binding, why we should have a
mighty navy. America has been char.
acterized from the beginning by her
devotion to principle. AS an example
of this devotion the speaker cited the
civil war. In the battle of Balaklava
in 1854 the Light Brigade, which was
the subject of Tennyson's well known
poem, lost 472 out of go horsemen.
In the civil war. where the casualty
list in the federal ranks was over $40.
600, there were over 500 instances
where the percentage of loss was
greater than at Balaklava, one Mime.
sofa regiment losing over 50 per cent
Our country is the only completely lib
eral nation of the earth. We are the
champions of free institutions and hu,
man liberties for the whole earth. We
are the greatest peace-loving nation on
the globe. which constitutes us the
arbiter of peace for the world. The
Monroe doctrine has crossed the sea
and covers the Philippine archipelago
There is not a man here tonight who
would allow the 1000, 900 Filipinos tc
pass under the yoke OF any European
nation. How are We to preserve this
doctrine without a fleet as large as
any fleet in Europe?
In closing, the speaker made an elo
quent plea for larger appropriations
by Congress for naval construction
There ought to be an appropriation
every session of at least S25, 00O. 900:
and sue an appropriation would moi
SAVIOR in the least of militarism. 1t i:
merely a question of wealth. and il
this respect this country is simpl,
~matchless. An appropriation of thi,
size scarcely would be felt. Even nov
we are doing u best to stop a rev
enue of SIS, 900, 900.
1t is a pleasure to listen to a speaker
like Capt. Hobson. He has an EXPIRES
sive voice, and he speaks with convic
ton and elaboration. Considered
merely from an o~ratorical standpoint
he is far above the average speaker.
At the close of his address Cant
Hobson was given a pleasant informa
reception at the home of Mr.. and Mrs
}. G. Ullery on Linden street.