The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-08-27

The President Speaks at Haverhiil,
Secretary Moody's Home.

HAVERHILL, Mass, Aug. 26.-President
Roosevelt was greeted here by crowd
which packed the route through which he
was driven from the station to Washington
square. where he delivered an address and
filed all the space around the stand from
which he spoke. The decorations along the
route were the most elaborate ever seen in
this vicinity. Constant cheering prevailed
from the time the President arrived until he
began his address, and interruptions while
he spoke were frequent. The President
said:
Naturally. at the home of Secretary
Moody, should like to say a word or two
about the navy You say that when one
Massachusetts man would leave the Navy
Department 1 had to find another Massa-
chusetts man to take his place. | think
that whenever we touch on the navy we are
sure of a hearty response from any Amer
lean audience. We are just as sure of such
. response out of the mountains and great
plains of the West as upon the Atlantic and
Pacific seaboards.
The entire country is vitality interested
IN the navy, because efficient navy or an
adequate size is not only the best guarantee
or peace, but ii is also the surest means
Tor seeing that if does come the result
snail be honorable TO our good name and
favorable to our national interests. any
great nation must be peculiarly sensitive
10 TWO thlngS-Stain on the national hOnOr
at nome and disgrace to the national arms
abroad. Our honor at home, our honor in
domestic and international affairs is at all
times In our own keeping and depends SIM
ply on the national possession of an awak-
ened Puphc conscience. But the only way
10 make our honor respected, not by our
own deeds, but by the deeds of others, is by
readiness in advance
In all three great crises in our history
during the nineteenth century-in the war
or 1917, in the civil war and again in the
spanish war-the navy rendered TO the Ma
tlon services of literally incalculable worth
In the civil war we had to meet antagonists
even more prepared at sea than We were.
on both the other occasions We encountered
foreign foes, and the fighting was done en-
OTely by ships built long in advance and by
otncers and crews who had been trained
during years of sea service for the supreme
DAY when their qualities were put to final
cit was this preparedness which was the
true secret of the enormous difference in
eInclency between our navy and the Span
Ism navy. There was no lack of courage and
ueVOuon among the SpaniardS, but on our
SIDE, In addition to the courage and devo-
ton, there was also that training which
comes only as the result of years of thor
ough and painstaking practice. Annapolis
is, with the sole exception of it's sister
academy at West Point, the most typically
democratic and American school of learning
and preparation that there is in the entire
| country. There each man enters on his
merits, stands on his merits and graduates
in a service where only his merit will en-
able him to be of value.
The enlisted men are of fine type, as
they needs must be to do their work WELL
and out of the fine material thus provided
/ the finished man-Of-wars man is evolved
! by years of sea service. 1t is impossible
after the outbreak of to improvise
| either the ships the men of a navy
! The shipbuilders and gunmakers must keen
| ever on the alert, that no rivals pass
| them by, and the officers and enlisted men
on BOARD the ships must in their turn, by
| the exercise of unfiagging and intelligent
| ZEAL keep themselves fit to get the best
use out OF the weapons of war intrusted
| to their care. The instrument is most
| important, but the man who uses it is
/ more important still.
! I'VE must constantly endeavor to perfect
our navy in all its duties in time of peace,
ana ABOVE all In maneuVering in q sea way
and craftsmanship with the great guns In
battle the only shots that count are those
! tnat nit, and craftsmanship is matter of
! long practice and of intelligent reasoning.
A naVy's efficiency in a war depends MAIN
| ~ upon It's preparedness at the outset of
that war. We are not to be excused as a
| nation II there is not such preparedness
| or our navy. No nation has a right to
undertake the big task unless it is prepared
TO do IL In masterful and effective style.
1t would be an intOlerable humiliation for
| followed from our declaration of war with
! Spain and not make good our words by
deedS-nOt be ready to prove our truth by
| our endeavor whenever the need calls
The good work of building up the navy
| must go on without ceasing. The modern
| WdISIlp cannot WITH advantage be allowed
| TO rust in disuse. 1t must be used in active
| service, even in time of peace. This means
! that there must be a constant replacement
| of the ineffective by the effective The work
OF building up and keeping up our navy is
| therefore one which needs our constant and
| unfiagging vigilance. Our navy is now
| efficient, but we must be content with no
! ordinary degree of efficiency. Every effort
must be made to bring it over nearer 10
| perfection. In making such effort the prime
| factor is to have at the head of the navy
| such an official your fellow-townsman
Mr.. Moody; and the next is to bring home
TO our people as a whole the need of thor
ough and ample preparation in advance:
this preparation to take the form NOT only
of continually building ships, but of keep
ing those ships in commission under con-
ditiOns which will develop the highest de-
gree of efficiency in the officers and enlisted
men aboard them"
Returning to the station the President
took leave of Secretary of the y Wy MOODY
and Senator Lodge. who remained in this
city. Just before he left President Roose.
welt, when asked regarding Haverhilrs
welcome declared that lit was a whopper'
The police arrangements were Inadequate
and the crowd surged around the Presi.
dents carriage, rendering his progress diff.
cult and made it necessary for the secret
service men to accompany the President
on foot