New-York tribune., 1907-01-18

Washington. Jan. IA letter written by the
President In advocacy OF the plan for two battle
ships OF the Dreadnought class was made pub
lie to-day. 1t was dated January II and ad-
dressed TO Chairman Foss of the House Com
rnittee on Naval Affairs. 1t is follows:
The White House,
Washington, January IL, 1907
Sir: feel so strongly that there should be two
speed and with their primary battery all OF L.
inch guns, added to the navy this session that
desire TO lay the matter before your committee te
include the one provided for last year and the
one provided for this year. 1t must be re-
nembered that am not asking for any increase
1n the navy. because, unless we can provide at
the rate Of battleship per year. our navy will
go backwards. Moreover, / am advising that
our money be spent economically. 1t has bean
e waste OF money to provide such ships as the
single turret monitors. and while the cruisers.
some useful purposes, II would, nevertheless
money which actually spent on them In the
construction Of first class batueships. Our
great armored cruisers are practically as ex-
and yet taking the battleship all around. for
the purposes for which a navy is really needed.
NOUS
I thoroughly believe IN developing and build
ing an adequate number Of submarines; ! be-
lsve IN building torpedo boat destroyers; there
must be a few fast scouts, and. Of course. Tarf-
GUS auxiliary vessels of different kinds But
the strength Of the navy rests primarily upon
SITS battleships, and in building these battle
ships It is imperatively necessary, from the
standpoint alike of efficiency and economy. that
they should be the very best Of their kind
FIGHTING FLEET GUARANTEE OF PEACE.
In nv Judgment we are not to be excused IL
we build any battleshp inferior TO those now
being built by other nations. should be glad
II a limitation could be put by international
agreement TO the size of battleships hereafter
be built have found, however, that it VIII
undoubtedly be inpracticable TO secure any
such agreement In the near future. In the first
class nayies generally these big battleships have
already been built or are now pulldlng, we
cannot afford TO fall behind, and we shall fall
behind If we fail to build first class battleshps
ourselves. Unless we intend 10 go on building
up the feet We should abandon every efIort TO
keep the position which hold. whether
in the Pacific Ocean IN American waters
generally Our justification for upholding the
Monroe Doctrine and for digging the Panama
Canal must rest primarily upon our willingness
10 build and maintain first class fighting fleet.
Be Il remembered, moreover that such a fee.
is by far the most potent guarantee Of peace
watch this nation has or can ever have.
therefore desire to lay before you the follow
ing reasons for my belief in the advantages OF
hatteships Of large displacement, with their pri-
mary batteries Of all one type of big gun, as COM
pared with all other fighting craft. / need
hardly cay that in what ! am about TO write
speak OF one type OF battleship when compared
with another type the supposition that both
are handled equally well. and that the conditions
under which they meet are normal. A great su
periority of skill will compensate for a marked
inferiority in ships weapons, and under alb
normal conditions even an ordinarily poor ship
may be match for a ship which under usual
BIG BATTLEsHIPs THE BEST.
Much Of the information showing the superior
value of battleships OF large displacement, speed
and great gun power is of a very technical nat
ure. and cannot be briefly stated. This is espe
cially true OF certain confidential information
concerning the requirements necessary for ef-
hcient long range gun fire. 1T being understood
that in this sense efficiency of gun fire refers
exclusively to hitting, that is, to the number OF
large projectiles that can be landed against an
eneIny's hull ia given time. and not to the
number OF all celibres, including 6-inch, etc.
that can be fred in given time, which latter IS
known as the volume of fire." q popular express
sion having no useful meaning in a military
sense
But, disregarding these arguments. IL may still
be clearly shown that certain sum Of money
appropriated for naval construction can be more
advantageousy expended for large. high free
board vessels. having many large guns OF the
freeboard, having fewer large guns and numer-
Gus small guns. For example: Now that a hlgn
degree Of skill has been developed IN navai
Workmanship, especially with heavy guns,
future battle ranges viii be SO great Cthree or or
four miles) that small guns (6-inch. etc) wiz
large vessels having ali Of their guns and gun
crews in 12-inch turrets behind heavy armor
Therefore, the effective offensive power or
battleshIp NAV now be measured by the num-
Der OF heavy Q2-inch) guns she can nTe on
either broadside. For the ordinary battlesnlp
this effective brosdside fire consists OF four l.
inch guns. II follows as a matter OF course,
that large ship having broadside IRE OF tin len
12-inch guns could promptly destroy paltIeenigg palg
or the usual type having four l2-inch guns, an
with the advantage of the greater speed OF te
larger vessel which would enable her to choose
her distance. she would be more lhda O.
match for two OF the smaller vessels
BUT as batfleships are not infended 10 fight
singly their efficiency must be determined py a
comparison Of their relative abilities when hsht-
ing in fleet formation In this respect Teia-
lively small squadron OF large battleships nav
ing The same number Of heavy guns as niucm
larger squadron of small battleships has sun IN
greater natural advantage which is inherent III
the design OF the large vessels. This advantage
consists in the ability of the small SQUADRON OK
large vessele to concentrate upon a limited part
Of the enerny's line the fire of many more heavy
guns than the ships Of that part or the iihe are
able 10 return which OF course. would result IN
the successive destruction OF the entire fleet OF
small vesseip
VALUE OF HEAVY GUNS.
Putting the extreme case for the Sake OF iiius 1
iration fhfs may be shown by comparing tile
fighting value of two squadrons having exacuy
tie same number Of heavy guns mounted IN one ne