The Grenada sentinel., 1907-03-02
MONEY IS WASTED
REPUBLICAN, POLICY COSTING
TAXPAYERS MILLIONS.
Congressional Committees on Naval
Affairs Refuse to Take Advice Of
Experts-Squander Public Cash
on Obsolete Armament

E<PcTtS-o PUBIC CaSn
on Obsolete Armament.
The question OF building more bat
| tleships is again under discussion in
congress and President Roosevelt In
his letter to the chairman of the house
committee on naval affairs urges the
construction "of battleships of large
displacement with their primary bat
teries all of one type of big guns" AS
the battleships at present in commits
sion will all be comparatively worth
less In few years, it is most impor-
tant that such new ships as congress
may provide for shall be of the most
modern type and able to more than
cope with anything adoat. The size
of the battleship is not the only thing
to be considered, for it is acknowl-
edged that battleship of the Dread
naught type would be at the mercy Of
a smaller ship with greater speed and
armed with guns of greater size and
power than the present Pinch guns
Four ii or 16-inch guns mounted on a
vessel Of much less displacement than
the Dreadnaught could stand off out
of the range of her fire and destroy
her, or even ship with two such
guns could batter the Dreadnaught on
the ancient plan of the bow and stern
chasers with which the privateers of
the war of 1912 were armed, which en-
abled them to stand off and make easy
prey of a ship of greater power and a
much greater broadside of lighter
guns.
1t requires no argument to prove
that a battleship of 10000 tons, carry
ong four 16-inch guns and having SUI
perior speed, would have the 10000
ton Dreadnaught at her mercy, al
though the latter has ten 12-inch guns
in her broadside. The faster ship will
always be able to select the distance
she will fight at and would naturally
choose to be where her antagonist
could do her the least harm.
The ship with 12-inch armor is now
comparatively safe outside of the
range of torpedoeC, whose radius is
from 5000 to 5000 yards, because the
present 12-inch naval gun is unable to
pierce 12-inch armor at that distance,
but a smaller battleship with larger
guns and with the necessary speed
might infiict such damage as to lead
to her sinking.
1t would seem to be waste of money
for Uncle Sam to continue to build
of the same size and with
the same armament as the battleships
that other nations have already con-
for, with the constant evolu-
ton in size and speed and greater ar
such ships are comparatively
worthless before they have a chance
TO ever go into action.
1t Is demonstrated that guns of IA |
Dr. 16-inch will weigh but little more
han the present 12-inch naval gun,
and it is not necessary to use such |
enormous powder charges, yet the |
'ange of these larger guns is superior |
% the 12-inch type. The construction |
If these larger guns is urged by the !
chief of ordnance of the army, and his |
is based upon a long |
series of experiments, so his conclus-
oRs must be accepted as correct AS |
t is now, we are following in the wake
II England and are throwing away
Millions of dollars every year on ships
md armament that have already |
proved to be of an obsolete type, and
ret our pottering Republican politi-
ians seem determined to perpetuate
type of ships and guns which will
Don be turned over to the junk heap
they persist in providing for shells
hat experience proves will not pene-
rate the armor of battleship at the
distance that the known range of tor
edoes cOmpelS the commander of a
attleship to place his vessel at, not
that experiments have
roved that shells which explode on
ontact are available and the present
hells in use are comparatively worth
ess.
The committee of the house and
enate on naval affairs must wake up
nd learn their lesson and not con-
nue in q rut that will bring disaster
we shall be SO unfortunate as to en-
age in war with a first-class naval
over. Uncle Sam must have the best
nd the most modern ships, guns and
rojectiles that the ingenuity of our
lventors is offering, and the expense
experimenting with the new ideas
ffered is but small matter COM
ared to the millions we are annually
spending that are wasted.
Investigation Demanded.
Last year the administration with a l
reat flourish of trumpets prosecuted |
le Northwestern Print Paper trust
nd succeeded in having it's dissolu-