The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1906-09-05
The Naval Review
AT Oyster Bay.

Whlle the president has been rather
ceustically criticised In connection
/ with the Labor Day naval review at
Cyster Bay, there is no doubt that it
was for the good of the service and
was spectacle that would have
aroused the enthusiastic patriotism OF
thousands had it been held at a point
where it could have been witnessed
by the masses.
Admiral Robley d. Evans, who com
nianded the feet after calling atten-
ton to the fact that mobilization at
Oyster Bay was no more expensive
than 1t would have been at any other
point, and to the necessity for drills,
states the case in a nutshell He
says:
And the more practice we have the
more benefit 1t will be to our navy. It
prevents men from getting rusty, and
Ut inspires them with an enthusiasm
they would not feel if their COM
rades were not permitted to share the
glory with them"
The New Oorleans Picayune takes
a correct view of the matter and criti-
c;ses the review from the only stand
point from which criticism can be
maintained, as follows:
Yesterday President Roosevelt re-
viewed the most powerful fleet that
has ever been gathered together I'M
der the American flag, the review
taking place in Long Island Sound
jrst outside of Oyster Bay, and there
fore in close proximity to the Presi.
dents summer home. There were
forty[ive ships of all types IN line,
with a very large preponderance of
arniored vessels, such as battleships
armored cruisers and monitors. These
lighting units of the fleet were sup
plemented by a number of protected
cruisers, gunboats, torpedo boats. sub
marines and auxiliaries; in fact, every
type of vessel used in the navy was
represented
While several foreign Powers have
assembled larger and more powerful
fleets. the showing at Oyster Bay yes.
terday was such as to cause the
american people to feel sentiment Of
pride in the growth of the navy,
which less than generation ago
could not have mustered a single mod
ern warship. The only regrettable
feature about the review was the fact
that 1t took place where very few peo-
pie could see 1t, although no doubt
the scene was convenient enough to
the President and his friends, for
whose special benefit it was organ
ICED.
There has been some criticism on
the score of the large expense which
this review is supposed to have cost
las matter of fact, there was no spe
c1al expense attached to it, except
possibly the expenditure of the consid-
cradle amount of black powder used
Dr. firing the Presidential salutes by
all the ships This expense was, OF
course, merely nominal, few hundred
dollars at most. The ships themselves
were all In commission already. and
would have been in commission any
: way, hence they cost no more lying
a. anchor in Oyster Bay than they
would have cost lying anywhere else.
The only proper ground for criti-'
cism was the holding of the review
where 1t could be seen by SO few peo-
ple, instead Of holding 1t in New York
harbor or In some other populous 10
cality where many thousands Of the
people who need to be educated to
appreciate the value of the navy could
see 1t. While no one will grlrdge
President Roosevelt the enjoyment ha
takes in military spectacles, it would
have been Just as easy to have re-
viewed the feet in New York Bay as
et Oyster Bay. His private yacht. the
Hayfiower, could just as easily have
Maylower, could just as easily have
carried him the few miles that were
necessary to traverse to reach the
scene OF yesterdays spectacle. The
location Of the review gave 1t the ap
pearance of a mere private spectacle
gotten up for the benefit Of the Presi-
dent and his friends rather than de-
aHrabse public function intended to
demonstrate the size and power of
the national fleet.