Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1903-08-07
ROOSEvELT'S NOVEL DREAM.
II Transcends the Arabian Nights Degree Of
Masnificence.

n. y. World.
President Roosevelt's Fourth Of July
pronouncement that we need o navy
equal, ship for ship, to the navy OF
any other nation" must mean, of
course, that an American Navy equal
to the British is national necessity.
If the President is right, it is worth
while to count the cost. The British
Navy, according to the latest official
return, made at the beginning OF the
current year, included SAG vessels of
l ,40l ,OlS tons already built, and 7S
vessels building, of 4O6,S56 tons.
Against this total OF 624 vessels, of
1,S07,S74 tons, comprised in the
Kings Navee," the United States
had on the same date 100 vessels OF
27S.259 tons already built, and A ves-
sells, of 3OO,4S4 tons, building; in all
153 vessels of 573,743 tons. From
this it plainly appears that to realize
Mr.. Roosevelt's ideal navy We must
build at once battle.ships, armored
cruisers and other varieties of the ship
militant aggregating the little triAe OF
l ,229, ,l31 tons.
Now, what would this cost?
The shortest way to answer the
question is to reduce it to battle-ship
terms. A first-class battleship aver
ages $1,000 tons displacement and
costs at least S., 100000 to build. To
get even in the matter of ships built
and building with the British Navy,
as the account stood on Jan. l last,
we must therefore build the equiva-
lent of more than 80 bat.leships at a
cost of $4OO,OOO,OOO. Admiral Mel
vile has stated the actual first cost OF
our navy as it stands to-day, includ-
ing the vessels now building, and the
auxiliary expenditures indispensable
to maintaining it ahoat-docks, coal.
ing stations. training-ships, &c.-at
$55O,OOO,0OO. The same authority
says the actual cost OF creating navy
is double the mere first cost OF build.
ing the ships. On the basis OF this
expert testimony Mr.. Rooseyelt's navy,
"equal ship for ship" to Great Brit
aims, would cost US $500, 900 900 plus
what we have already spent-just to
call it into existence. Meanwhile the
ships we have are becoming obsolete
or worn.out. The New York, Indiana
and Iowa are "laid up for repairs"
that will cost $500, 900 for each.
Furthermore, Great Britain is year
by year increasing the pace of naval
construction. She has increased her
naval expenditures nearly threefold
during the past fifteen years, and they
now exceed $3.50. 600, 600 annually. A.
our present rate OF construction. un-
less the British pace is lowered, we
shall never catch up with her, but
shall grow relatively weaker. We
must " see" her $3.50, 600, 900 year for
naval purposes and add at least $7O..
OOO, 600 year to it in order to over.
take her within thirteen years.
This is in fact an underestimate, be-
cause it costs us 80 per cent. moro to
build a warship than it does Great
Britain and 80 per cent. more to main.
tain it in service. Hence nearly one
third must be added to the vast totals
of cost above given for the realization
of our fighting Presidents naval dream.
Naval appropriations aggregating not
much less than $30O,OOO,OOO yearly,
and continuing for thirteen years to
come, is the unavoidable price to be
paid for the whistle OF a standing navy
as big 40 Great Britain's.
But what for? Do we really need
it? Who threatens us? Or whom do
we desire to threaten? What is the
worldwide game of war for which Mr..
Roosevelt would have US 60 into train
ingf And would the game, whatever,
it is, be worth so costly q candle?