The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1905-08-17
REAR ADMIRAL EVANS VIEWS
Discusses the Battleship as n Pro-
ftablc Investment.

htablc Investment.
IA battleship is never an orna-
ment, as so many people suppose. It
is always useful But 1t is more use
ful out of than in fight. Its domi-
nant mission is to give peace a
meaning and war a warning to the
world. And because this is so we of
the United States need more and
bigger battleships.
when / say that battleship is
more useful, Is a more profitable In
vestment even in peace than In war,
I mean that It Is the greatest and
surest preventive of war that the
centuries have as yet brought
forth" pursued Admiral Evans
slowly but vigorously. NO one who
carefully studies and duly ponders
the question will rashly gainsay
this"
Admiral Evans made the startling
declaration: Had the United States
possessed, prior to the Spanish
American war, the navy that 1t pos
sesses to-day we would never have
had that war. Why7 At that time
our navy was an unknown guam
uty at best, and comparatively
small quantity-quantity and not
quality-remember at the worst
Spain no doubt Joined with the rest
of the world in Understanding us
as a naval power. Hence she be-
lieved that she was easily our supe-
rior on the sea. Because she hap
pened to be mistaken is hardly any
reason for us to believe that some
one else, should we permit our navy
to remain stationary in size and
strength, is going to make the same
mistake in case OF war.
I'VE are now in a most critical
period OF not only our own but the
history OF the world. Everything Is
changing for better rather than for
worse, let us hope. War and its
methods are changing just as is
business and every branch OF human
activity. But one thing will never
change and that is human nature in
a national sense"
I'VE have within the past few
years, spread ourselves over a vast
territory, engendering vaster re-
sponsibilities than we have hitherto
had in our national history. Our
navy, therefore. has to play the
dual role of protecting those pos
sessions in time of need, and In time
of peace of silently signifying to the
world that such and such Is a part
Of the United States and must be
considered and respected.
Now, nations are no respectors
of nations unless the latter are pre-
pared to enforce respect. Therein
lies the chief value of comprehen-
sive naval force. Give us fifty bat
tleships, with an appropriate COM
plement OF cruisers, torpedo boats,
and other auxiiaries, and the
chances of our beng provoked to
break peace are one in hundred.
But" pursued the Admiral earn
estly, 1T takes time to build battle
ships, and when we need them for
war we need them badly. This was
shown in the case of Russia. What
would Russia not have given for
the battleships OF this sQuadron?"
sweeping one hand toward the mon
ster steel fortresses aligned to the
north and south. 1T was worth--is
worth-almost It's weight in rubles
to her.
And yet," quickly added Ad-
miral Evans, there is no advantage
in having all the battleships in the
world II the men behind the guns
are poor marksmen. Russia has
been supremely unfortunate In not
knowing how to shoot straight. ia
pan, conversely, has been FORUM
ate, but she owes her good fortune
not to chance nor to any superior in
telligence, but to practice, unre-
mitting, oftentimes monotonous, al
ways careful and painstaking tar
get practice in all sorts of seas and
weather.
'As for torpedoes," he pursued.
''it is impossible to infiict as much
damage with torpedo as with ten
or twelve-inch projectile launched
from battleship; and for two rea-
sons, one being the greater difficulty
of reaching the mark with a torpedo
and the other being the greater
sheer, actual destruction wrought by
the projectile hurled from ten or
twelve-inch gun.
while also a torpedo may blow
hole in the side OF battleship 1t
has yet to prove its power to sink
one whenever 1t strikes. In the
much-exploited torpedo attack made
by the Japanese at Port Arthur, an
entire squadron OF torpedo boats
only damaged three out of seven
teen vessels, and the latter were
again in action within less than ten
weeks"
Continuing, Admiral Evans be-
lieved that the United States owed it
to Itself as an international power
to encourage the training of 10000
young mon annually in the naval
service. He believed no school COM