The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1908-07-23
FIRST-CLASS
NAVY OR NONE
Keynote of Roosevelt at Naval
Conference
APPEALS FOR WARSHlPS
Idea Of Navy for Defense Alone Is Rid.
culed--If Forced to Fight We
Should Be Ready to
Strike.
APPEALS FOR WARSHIPS

Newport, r. l., July President
Roosevelt after an adventurous night
trip in the fog from Oyster Bay, dur.
ing which his yacht, the Mayaower, ran
down and sank IA lumber-l laden schoou.
er, rescuing the crew of six men on
board, arrived here at 9:45 a. m, yes.
tcrday, and later in the forenoon, at
the Naval War College, addressed a
naval conference OF nearly 100 naval
officers gathered together from all
branches OF the service to consider
plans for new American hattleshrips.
President Roosevelt made stirring APP.
peal for a hard.hitting, sea going navy.
lie ridiculcd the arguments OF those
who favored a navy Tor defensive pur
poses alone.
81 want frst.class fighting navy
or no navy at all, said the President,
because frst-cass fighting navy Is
the most effective guarantee OF peace
this nation can have. Uncle Sam can
well afford 70 pay for his safety by
so cheap an insurance policy as is re-.
presented by the amount invested in
the American Navy. There is no safer
investment, he could make This ma
ton may fail, no matter how well we
keep ourselves prepared. There are
are only a few things ! desire to say
today to this conference, and what
have to say is said less to the officers
present than TO the great bulk OF my
fellow laymen outside. could not
speak to you technically, but can
speak to my countrymen who are so
deeply interested in the American
Navy, but who sometimes tend TO be
m-ed as to the kind Of navy we ought
to have and what that navy ought to
do. For instance there are always a
number OF amiable and well. meaning
people who believe in having a navy
merely for sefdefensc--a coast de.
fence navy. Such an advocacy illust-
rates habit Of mind as old as nature
itself the proposition to do something
and not to do anything. A purely de
fensive navy would be almost worth
less To advocate such navy is like
advocating school of prize fighting in
which no one should do anything but
parry.
NO fight was ever won yet except
by hitting. The one unforgiyable Of
fence is to hit soft. Don't hit at an
Il you can help il, but when you do
hit, hit hard. This applies to the in
diyidusl as well as to the nation. Yet
there are some who would have us adopt
as national principle the theory Of
hitting soft. ! hope this nation will
never have to hit if it possibly can b.
helped We should do everything that
honorably can be done to avoid trouble
We should serupuously refrain from
harming or insulting Others We should
Put up with a good deal OF misconduct
on the part Of others. But when We
do 60 to war, that war is only excus
able if the navy is prepared to hammer
its opponent until he quits fighting
And you can't hammer your opponent
if you wait for him to come to the
coast and hammer you first For the
protection of our coasts we need forti-
tcations, so that the navy may be left
free 10 stretch out and destroy the
enemy, That is it's function No fleet
is 50 ridiculous as would be fleet for
coast defence purposes,
President Roosevelt discussed the is
land possessions Of the United States,
and declared that even il they did not
exist the need for an aggressive naval
policy would still be present "The
Monroe Doctrine BIZ declared, had
almost fallen into disgrace and con
tempt until the American nation be.
gan to build up its navy He also
discussed the question Of immigration;
and declared that the American people
have right to say who shall come and
dwell among them. 1T is our duty"
he declared, ito exercise that right in
way calculated to. provoke the least
friction. If we choose to say who shall
come, however, we must be in trim to
uphold that right in case anybody chal
lcnges it."
President Roosevelt declared that the |
cruise of the battleship fleet around
South America was the most instruct
i've object lesson ever offered Of the re-
atty Of the Monroe Doctrine
Before entering the building, the
President reviewed the battalion Of
apprentice seamen and in a brief ad. |
dress to their commanding officer com.
plimentcd the men upon their appear
ance and manoeuvres. Following the |
Presidents address to the conference the
naval officers went into executive ses
sion. The President was entertained at
luncheon by Admiral Merril president
of the Naval War College Mrs. Roose-
Welt and the children did not come
ashore from the Mayhower during the