The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-05-03
IMPORT ANCE OF NAVY
PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT SPEAKS
TO CADETS.
DELIVERED THEIR DIPLOMAS.
DEWEY AND SAMPSON APPLAUDED
AS HEROES.

President Told the Future Naval
Officers of Their Great Response
biIity as the Defenders of the Ma
tiOn-If the Navy should Fail Us in
Case of Foreign War Then We Are
Doomed TO Defeat, Said the Presi-
dent-Delivercd Diploma I'm Person
to Sick Graduate md Saw the
PIebes Throw the Grads Out of
Quarters.
Annapolis. Md, May 2.-The special
train conveying President Roosevelt
and party to Annapolis to attend the
graduating exercises at the Naval
Academy arrived here to- day over the
Pennsylvania Railroad. AS the Pres
ident alighted from the train he was
received by Superintendent VAIN
wright and his aide, Lieut.. H. G. lei
gemier. A battalion of marines under
command of Capt. Lucas was drawn
up at the station. The party proceed
ed in carriages to the Academy
grounds.
The President walked across the
campus " WnGtC the CdutlS were llHeu
up and, passing down the line, looked
each cadet squarely in the face. He
was then presented to the officers. of
the academy by Commander VAIN
wright. While this was going on the
shore batteries fired the Presidents
salute of twenty-one guns. At the
sound of a bugle blast the cadets
stacked arms and marched by fours
to the chapel, where benediction was
pronounced by the chaplain. In the
meantime the President had been es-
cOrted down the aisle by Commander
Wainwright and was shown to his seat
on the platform, the battalion of ca
diets, the officers and others receiv-
ing the President standing. Com
mander Wainwright then introduced
DR.. George T. Winston, a member of
the board of visitors, who delivered
a short address. He was loudly ap-
plauded when he referred to Dewey as
the hero of Manila and Sampson the
hero of Santiago, and at the conclu-
sion of his remarks was congratulated
by the President.
The graduating class discarded their
guns and accoutrements and advanced
close to the platform. President
Roosevelt addressed them. his remarks
being frequently interrupted By APP
plause.
Country Depends ON Them.
The President said in part:
I'm receiving these diplomas you be-
come men who above almost any
others of the entire Union are to carry
henceforth the ever present sense of
responsibility which must come with
the knowledge that on some tremen-
deus day it may depend upon your
courage, your preparedness, your keen
intelligence 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 all of
us earnestly hope that the occasion
for war may never come. but If it has
to come. then this nation must win;
and the prime factor in securing vic
tory over any foreign foe must of ne
cessity be the United States navy. If
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, there
fore, be an object of prime import
ance for every patriotic American to
see that the navy is constantly built
up anu dDONe oil LldI IL Is
kept to the highest point of efficiency,
both in material and in personnel. 1t
cannot be too often repeated that in
modern war and, especially in modern
naval war, the chief factor in achiev-
ing triumph is what has been done in
the way of thorough preparation and
training before the beginning of the
war. 1t is what has been done before
the outbreak of the war that is all i'm
portant.
."Oficers and men alike must have
the sea habit: officers and men alike
must realize that in battle the only
shots that count are the shots that
hit, and that normally the victory will
lie with the side whose shots hit the
oftenest. Seamanship and marksman-
ship-these must be the two prime OBJ
jects of your training, both for your
selves and the men under you"
Courtesy to Sick Cadet.
At the conclusion of his address and
the distribution of the diplomas the
President requested that he be taken
to the hospital where Cadet Emery S.
Land of Wyoming. a member of the
graduating class, was lying i'll. Sit
ting UP in bed, the sick boy received
made a few appropriate remarks, in
which he expressed the hope that he
would soon be out. The President was
then given an opportunity of Witness
ing the customary prank of the plebes
throwing the graduating class out of
quarters. which afforded a great deal
of amusement.
After luncheon the President and
party went aboard the torpedo boat
Gwynn for a short trip on Chesapeake
bay.
Among the prizes awarded was a
silver medal to Cadet Jawes Patrick
Lannon of Virginia, for being the
champion cadet fencer with broad
swords.