The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-02-07
SAYS PRESS | IS UNJUS |HObSOn Complains Of Bad Treatment. WILL CONTINUE LEcTURHns s If Eyes Get Well He Will Re enter the Navy. The Hero Says That Hs Cannot 1Is,s Living Now at the ons
 Trade Which He Has i Learned.
 
WILL CONTINUE LECTURES
Tn. Hero Says That Hs Cannot 1Ealls

New York, Feb. s.-<Special. )-N9X Constructor Hobson was eeen at tho Ax1ay and Navy. Club today shortly after hle| receipt of the Presidents acceptsnes c his resigna1pn-s
 He made the following statement re1ne tive to his retirement and his plans fok the future: eS
 "Mine was simply . straightforw1t4 apptcat tion." he began, to be put on tne retired list. and it was apprdved o1lct-a ally by a board of officers in Maniln, III the committee of the Senate. and by tl6 President himself. Not until it reacheG Congress was my application denied. au1 then simply because my lifelong frfend, Congressman Bankhead. was fearful that I had an intention of running asainnt him in the next campaign.
 As a result of prolonged agitation, tho press of the country. of my own State, Alabama. in particular. has condemned this action of mine without an exception. 1t is most unjust. and I feel that I de- serve chance to put the true facts of the case before the people. In the firut place, the very. nature of my duties as . constructor are entirely to do with plans and specifications. More than any other branch of the service. this requires the constant use of my eyes.
 Barred from Work.
 "As can be readily seen, my eyes prs vent my entering into the Commercial field of my profession. I am not only barred out of the navy. which havs tried to serve faithfully. but I cannot earn my living by the one trade know. But am not going to desert the navy. The next twelve months am going tu lecture in the Middle-West on the propa- ganda of a world-size navy. Congress iz behind the people. way behind and what our people wsnt Congress must give them My mission Is simply to start them think ing of the new role the United States has taken to play. for we have a new role now. We are a world power and and everywhere
 ''Will you lecture In Alabama" he was asked.
 "No. am afraid Bankhead might in- fer that was trying to boost my politi- cal future by. this means.''
 Seriously though" he continued, "the question of what stand we are going to take among the worlds powers is no longer one which we can afford to- let go by unanswered. In my lectures to more than 100000 citizens in the East I have discovered that if Congress were doing twice as much as they are now in the way of appropriating for the navy the people would demand twice as much again. The spirit of the country is to have a naval power which would be supreme. And to reach that end spas modic outbursts of fear and the conse- quent appropriations for more ships In such events as this Venezuelan trouble are not what is needed.
 "One last word and am done. It Ia simply that am ready to state definitely that if my eyes get we'll, and expect just that with the rest I'm going to give them. I am going to make a second application. not for political aggrandixe- ment, but to be reinstated in the service. to take up my duties as naval construc- tor" ~