The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-01-18
ROOSEVELT SAYS
KEEP Up NAVY
Urges That Two First-Class Bat
tleships BE Built at
Once.
NO INCREASE OF WARsHlPs
1t Is Necessary to Turn Out at
Least One Ship Year to Keep
Up Present Standard.

WASHINGTON, January 17-President
Roosevelt has written letter to Chair
man Foss, of the Naval Affairs Commit
tee, urging that an appropriation should
be made at once for two first-class battle
ships of the maximum size and speed. and
With primary batteries. all of twelve
inch guns. The letter states that In addi.
ton to the battleship provided for last
year of the Dreadnought class. another
should be provided for this year without
fail. The President also urges the build
ing of torpedo boat destroyers.
1T must be remembered" the President
says, that l am not asking for any in
crease in the navy, because unless we
can provide at the rate of a battleship
per year, our navy will go backward
Moreover. am advising that our money
be spent economically. 1t has been n
waste of money to provide such ships
as the single-turret monitors, and while
the cruisers and especially the great
armored cruisers serve some useful pur-
poses. 1t would nevertheless have been
infinitely better to have spent the money
which actually was spent on them in the
construction of first-class battleships. Our
great armored cruisers are practically as
expensive to build and maintain as bat
ti'SihPs' eiid Yet, tdNiIS tle DdttleSDlT
all around for the purposes for. which a
navy is really needed, It's superiority to
the armored cruiser is enormous.
Strength in Battleships.
II thoroughly believe in developing and
building an adequate number of subna-
rines; l believe In building torpedo boa,
destroyers: there must be a few fast
scouts. and. of course, various auxiliary
.A1c oF u
strength of the navy rests primarily upon
it's battlesliips. and in building these bat
tleships 1t is imperatively necessary.
from the standpoint alike of efficiency and
economy. that they should be the very
best of their kind. In my judgment we
are not to be excused IL We build any
battleship inferior to those now being
built by other nations. should be glad
If limitation could be put by an inter-
national agreement to the size OF battle
ships hereafter to be built. have found,
however. that it will undoubtedly be i'm
practicable to secure any such agreement
in the near future. In the frst-class
navies generally these big battleships
have already been built or are now build
ing. We cannot 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.
whether in the Pacafic Ocean or In
American waters generally. Our justifi-
cation for upholding the Monroe doctrine
and for digging the Panama Canal must
rest primarily upon our willingness to
build and maintain a first-class fighting
fleet. Be it remembered. moreover, that
such fleet is by far the most potent
guaranty of peace which this nation has
Or can ever have"
The President then gives at length his
reasons for the belief in the advantage of
battleships OF large displacement with
their primary batteries all of one type
OF big gun, as compared with all other
fighting craft.