Waterbury evening Democrat., 1907-12-03

| war, but the aboVe are the most lm' portant.
 LARGER NAVY NEEDED.
 Appropriation For Four New Battleships
 Strongly Recommended. ~
 It was hoped The Hague conference might deal with the question of the limitation of armaments, but even be- fore it had assembled informal in- quiries had developed that as regards naval armaments, the only ones ill which this country had any interest, it was hopeless ts try to devise any plan for which there was the slightest pos sibility of securing the assent of the nations gathered at The Hague. No plan was even proposed which would have had the assent of more than one first class power outside of the United States. The only plan that seemed at all feasible, that of limiting the size of battleShips, met with no favor at all. It is evident, therefore, that it is folly for this nation to base any hope of securing peace on any international agreement as to the limitation of arma- ments. Such being the fact, it would be most unwise for us to stop the up- building of our navy. To build one battleship of the best and most ad- vanced type a year would barely keep our fleet up to it's present force. This is not enough. Ill my judgment, we should this year provide for four bat tleships. But it is idle to build battle ships unless in addition to providing the men and the means for thorough training we provide the auxiliaries for them, unless we provide docks, the coaling stations, the colliers and supply ships that they need. We are extreme ly deficient in coaling stations and docks on the Pacific, and this defcien- cy should not longer be permitted to exist. Plenty of torpedo boats and de- stroyers should be built. Both on the Atlantic and Pacific coasts fortifica- tions of the best type should be pro- vided for all our greatest harbors.
 We need always to remember that in time of war the navy is not to be used to defend harbors and seacoast cities. We should perfect our system of coast Notifications. The only effi- cient use for the navy is for offense. The only way in which it can efficient ly protect our own coast against the possible action of a foreign navy is by destroying that foreign navy. For de- fense against hostile fleet which &C., tually attacks them the coast cities must depend upon their forts, mines, torpedoes, submarines and torpedo boats and destroyers. All of these to- gether are efficient for defensive pur- poses, but they in no way supply the place of a thoroughly efficient navy capable of acting on the offensive, for parrying never yet won fight. It can only be won by hard hitting, and an aggressive seagoing navy alone can do this hard hitting of the offensive type. But the forts and the like are neces- sary, so that the navy may be foot loose. In time of war there is sure to be demand under pressure of fright for the ships to be scattered so as to de- fend all kind of ports. Under penalty of terrible disaster this demand must be refused. The ships must be kept together and their objective made the enemy's feet If Notifications are suf- ficiently strong no modern navy will venture to attack them so long as the foe has in existence hostile navy of anything like the same size or efficien- cy. But unless there exists such navy then the Notifications are power less by themselves to secure the vic tory, for of course the mere deficiency at his leisure combine all his forces upon one point with the certainty that he can take 1t.
 Until our battle fleet is much larger than at present it should never be split into detachments so far apart that they could not in event of emergency be speedily united. Our coast line is on the Pacific just as much as on the At lantic. The interests of California, Oregon and Washington are as em- phatically the interests of the whole Union as those of Maine and New York, of Louisiana and Texas. The battle fleet should now and then be moved to the Pacific, just as at other {ip,ae # cbn,,Id Io Lant f,, fha fIont;c When the isthmian canal is built the transit of the battle fleet from one ocean to the other will be comparative ly easy. Until it is built I earnestly hope that the battle fleet will be thus shifted between sle two oceans every year or two. The marksmanship on all our ships has improved phenome- nally during the last five years. Until within the last two or three years 1t was not possible to train a battle fleet fin squadron maneuvers under servise conditions, and it is only during these last two or three years that the train- ing under these conditions has become really effective. Another and most necessary stride in advance is now be- ing taken. The battle fleet Is about starting by the strait of Magellan to visit the Pacific coast. Sixteen bat tleships are going under the command of Rear Admiral Evans, while eight HrmOred cruisers and two other battle ships will meet him at San Francisco, whither certain torpedo destroyers are also going. No fleet of such size has ever made such a voyage. and it will