Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1907-01-24
TWO Great SHIPS
The President Writes a Letter to
Chairman Of the House Com
mittee on Naval Affairs.
WANTS TWO DREADNAUGH1S
Larger BattIeships More Economical
AZ Well as More Effective Than
Smaller Types-Mu4t Keep
Abreast Of Other Navies.

washington, Jan. ia letter writ
ten by the president In advocacy OIL
the plan for two pattleships Of the
Dreadnaught class became public
Thursday. 1t is dated January II and
Is addressed to Chairman Foss of the
House committee on naval affairs.
Following is the letter in part:
Washington, Jan. II, 1906.
THE White House,
"Sir:-I feel so strongly that there
should be two first Grass battleships
of the maximum size and speed ana
with their primary battery all OF
twelve-inch guns added to the navy
this session that desire to lay the
matter before your committee through
this letter. These two big ships
should include the one provided for
last year and the one provided for
this year. 1t must be remembered
that am not asking for any increase
IN the navy because unless we can
provide at the rate Of q battleship per
year our navy will 90 backward.
Moreover, l am advising that our
money be spent economically. 1t has
been a waste Of time and money to
provide such ships as the single tur-
ret monitors; and while the cruisers,
especially the great armored cruisers
serve some useful purposes, 1t would
nevertheless have been infinitely bet
ter to have spent the money which
was actually spent on them in the
construction of first class battle
ships. Our great armored cruisers
ara practically as expensive to build
and maintain as battleships, and yet,
taking the battleships all round for
the purposes for which a navy 10
really needed, its superiority to the
armored cruiser Is enormous.
II thoroughly believe in develop
ing and building an adequate number
Of submarines; I believe in building
tOrpedoboat destroyers; there musI
be q few fast scouts and Of course
various auxiliary vessels Of different
kinds. But the strength Of the navy
rests primarily ON it's battleships
and in building these battleships 1t ia
impsratlvely necessary from the stand
point alike Of efficiency and economy
that they should be the very best Of
their kind. -
"In my judgement we are not to be
excused II we build any battleship
inferior to those now being built by
other nations. l should be glad If a
limitation could be put by information,
al agreement to the size Of battle
ships hereafter to be built. I have
found, however, that 1t will undoubt
eddy be impraoticable to secure any
such agreement in the near future
In the first-class navies generally
these big battleships have already
been built or are now building. W.
can not afford to fall behind, and we
shall fall behind II We fail to build first
class battleships ourselves. Unless
we intend to go on building up the
fleet, we should abandon every effort
to keep the position which we now
hold. Our justification for unfolding
the Monroe doctrine and for digging
the Panama canal must rest primarily
on our willingness to build and main
tain first class fighting fleet. Be
It remembered, moreover, that such
a fleet is by far the most potent guar
aDty Of peace which this nation has
or can ever have.