The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1907-03-01
MONEY is WASTED
REPUBLICAN POLICY COSTING
TAXPAYERS MILLIONS.
Congressional Committees on Naval
Affairs Refuse to Take Advice Of
EHperts-Squander Public Cash
on Obsolete Armament.


Tho 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 anoat The size
OF the battleship is not the only thing
to be considered, for 1t 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 IA or lGinch 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 a ship with two such
| guns could batter the Dreadnaught on
the ancient plan of the bow and stern
| chascrs with which the privateers OF
| the war Of 1872 were armed which en-
| abled them to stand off and make easy
prey of ship of greater power and a
much greater broadslde of lighter
guns
II requires 10 argument to prove
that battleship of 10000 tons. carry.
ong four l6.lnch guns and having SUI.
pcriOr speed, would have the 10000.
ton Dreadnaught at her mercy, al
though the latter has ten l2.lnch guns
In her brOadside The faster ship will
always be able to select the distance
she will fight ut and would naturally
choose to be where her antagonist
could do her the least harm
The ship with Finch armor is now
comparatively safe outside OF the
range of torpedoes whose radius is
from 1000 to 5000 yards, because the
present l2inch naval gun Is unable to
pierce l2-inch armor at that distance,
but a smaller battleship with larger
guns and with the necessary speed
might lnfict such damage as to lead
to her sinking.
1t would seem to be waste of money
for Uncle Sam to continue to build
battleships of the same size and with |
the same armament as the battleships |
that other nations have already con.
structed, for. with the constant evolu. /
ton In size and speed and greater ar. |
mament, such ships are comparatively |
worthless before they have a chance |
to ever go into action.
II is demonstrated that guns OF II |
or l6inch will weigh but little more /
than the present l2-inch naval gun, |
and 1t Is not necessary to use such |
enormous powder charges, yet the |
range OF these larger guns is superior
to the 12.inch type The construction
OF these larger guns Is urged by the
chief OF ordnance of the army, and his
recommendation Is based upon long |
series Of experiments, so his conclus-
ions must be accepted as correct As
1t Is now, we are following in the wake
of England and are throwing away
millions of dollars every year on ships
and armament that have already
proved to be OF an obsolete type and !
yet our pottering Republican politi-
clans seem determined TO pcrpetuate
q type Of ships and guns which will
soon he turned over to the junk heap.
They persist In providing for shells
that experience proves will not pene-
trate the armor of battleship at the
distance that the known range of tor
pedoes cOmpels the commander OF
battleship to place his vessel at, not
withstandng that experiments have
proved that shells which explode on
contact are available and the present
shells In use are comparatively worth.
less.
The committee of the house and
senate on naval affairs must wake up
and learn their lesson and not con.
tinue in rut that will bring disaster
II we shall be so unfortunate as to en-.
gage In a war with a first.class naval
power. Uncle Sam must have the best
and the most modern ships, guns and
that the ingenuity of our
inventors is offering, and the expense
Of experimenting with the new ideas
offered is but small matter com.
pared to the millions we are annually
that are wasted.
InMarAis, allan lnr,,a.,daa