Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-11-04
Admiral Evans Makes Typical
Farewell Speech ut a Dinner
in His Honor
SAYS euNNERs CAN'T MISS.
Admiral Fears Gang at San Francisco
More Than He Does tho Japs-
Depew Says War Scare is Bosh--
Fleet May Go Whore It Wills--Pot-
ter and Others Speak.

will sail from Hampton Roads on De-
cember 49, / don't think anybody
wants to stop 1t. l don't think any
body will stop it. for l know the men
and l know the ships You won't be
disappointed in the fleet, whether 1t
proves to be feast, a frolic. or a
fight"
That is what Admiral Robley -.
Evans, who Is about to depart in com
mand Of the United States battleship
squadron for the Pacific, said at a din
ner given by the Lotus club In his
honor last night.
Former Secretary Of the Treasury
Shaw was at the banquet He listened
attentively to Admiral Evans and
when his turn came to speak he said
this:
IF this were war cruise instead
of one of peace. who would haul our
coal. Don't deceive yourselves into
believing we are prepared for war. We
need Golfers as much as we need
guns. Here a man may not say before
the press what we think In our
hearts,"
Evans Opinion Of Frisco Gang.
Admiral Evans didn't care whether
the press knew what he thought about
it or not. He knew that his gunners
could hit under all circumstances ana
l. H. SnpnahnU
ut would please me very much
to take the fleet to Yokohama" he
said II know the japanese, and
know that we would get welcome
there. know it would not be the well
come we would get from y certain
gang In San Francisco. l do not fear
the flower shows and the dog shows,
but I do fear the hospitality Of those
western people.
when took charge of the fleet
two and half years ago we had some
target practice out there which
thought was good, and 1t was good.
But during our last target practice in
Massachusetts bay we did better than
ever was done in the world before"
Then he described the target prac.
tice, when 30x30 foot target was shot
at a range Of Ave and quarter miles,
just as would be done in battle. Flo
said proudly that the target practical
fifteen seconds. When 1t was exam
inted there ware tUuY IL inch shells,
nine inch shells, and seventeen z inch
shells in the target. In the night prac-
tice, to repel night attack by three
torpedo boats, each ship firing at all
three at once, approaching from diff
ferent directions, in the first minute all
three torpedo boats were destroyed.
Former Secretary Shaw had to adj
NIT that was pretty good work.
TT costs us $1.42 per capita to keep
up our navy. But 1t is worth SLAP to
hear the. admiral tell about target
practice"
Depew Comes to Life.
After which Senator Chauncy M.
Depew, who was also at the banquet.
took up the running just to show he
was still in the going.
"The commotion which this expedi-
ton has created" said the senator,
land the discussion 1t has aroused all
over the world is one Of the eccentrici-
ties Of the times. We have 5000 miles
of coast on the Atlantic and it's har-
bors are familiar with our fleet We
have an equivalent number of miles
on the Pacific and most of it's har-
bors have never seen an American bat
tleship.
'"rhe orient, which believes only
what it sees, must be reminded Of the
fact that the United States is second
among the naval powers of the world
Why can our fleet sail only on the At
lantic and must not sail on the Pa
cific ocean. The answer is be-
cause it would offend the susceptible
ties of the new power in the east
Japan.
I'm the first place believe that the
japanese statesmen are too sensible
and too we'll informed to have any
such feeling or to desire trouble with
the United States. In the next place.
where any fleet Of any friendly ma
ton goes ours can go if it likes and 1t
is no ones business but our own"
Senator Depew said the right of the
American navy to sail over the Med
iterranean, on the Atlantic, and on the
great lakes was settled forever a hun
dred years ago by cambridge, Deca-
tur, Hull, Rogers and Perry. He con-
tinued:
"And now. after century of prepar-
alton of production, Of progress, and
of power, it is proposed to close the
Pacific, in which we have as great
interests as any other nation. Cen
tlemen, there will be no war In this
expedition the American fleet will be
able to sail where it is ordered, and
when the United States government
thinks 1t expedient without any ques-
ton being raised on any pretext of
or hostility"
Other speakers at the banquet were
Bishop Potter, Seth Low. Admiral
and Nicholas Murray But
Ter. president of Columbia university.
TO sIDETRAcK TAFT?
Tkok ilon$ e