Times-promoter. (Hernando, DeSoto County, Miss.) 1898-1970, 1908-05-22
INTERESTING NARRATIVE OF NAVY
Love A. Dockery Writes Father About
Uncle Sans Ships.
Los Angeles, CAL, April 25, 19Os.

Cidl Opll0I biluSo olai1O my 1lliFai 1ooo
night, and will tellyo about it.
/ left Santa Eulalia Tuesday and
reached here last night; got ON a car
at once and went down to the beach
| (Santa Monica 20 or 30 miles away
to see the fleet, and returned to Los
Angeles at p. m. today, tired and
hungry, and glad to get back. The
cars ran all night, but after trying to
get on one until 70 O'Clock, decided
to stay to see the vessels lift anchor
this morning. Gould get cot in a
room in hotel with another man for
~, but eventually slept on moth
eaten lounge in the kitchen of an
empty cottage for ~. Got out at 5
O'Clock this morning and saw the
ships wake up, also hundreds of peo-
pie, including many women, some
old, who had to sleep on the sand.
They must have suffered from cold
because Ihad to adjust my sheet and
counterpart several times during the
night and was out Of the wind.
175,0O0 people are estimated as the
crowd who saw the ships leave. The
beach for miles or more looked like
a circus ground. had a place on the
highest building and saw everything,
over line of the community hats
that ladies are wearing here, but Cal
ifornia women are short. 1t was very
impressive indeed and no American
who has lived outside lof his country
could see it without feeling prouder
of his country. The navy is not for
the direct protection sof you inland
ers, but for us, who ofder your goods
from a foreign port; and am dis
gusted that the U. s Congress should
have turned down the Presidents 50
earnest plea for a larger navy; half
Of our yearly pension expense, spent
on the navy would place as beyond
any possibility Of u war whereas now
several poverty strickg nations think
they should discipline the upstart.s
Another squadron lilse I saw today
would place us 50 fir ahead Of the
third power, thai we could sleep
nights and read something else in the
papers except about war with Japan.
There are 50 many good reasons for
an increase in the navy SO self-evi-
dent, that I will not mention them,
but will go on record by saying that
we will start it with the next Con-
gress that meets. Roosevelt got the
feet around just at the crucial mo
ment and it must humiliate him
greatly to have failed to interest the
people. Just remember that you can
never get richer unless you get some
thing from somewhere outside Of the
country; pound Of cotton sold in.
China or mining machinery sold in
Mexico, is d direct increment of
wealth to the United States and who
is getting this foreign business for
you?-the Americans in charge Of.
foreign enterprises, buy their supplies
and use their influence, prejudiced in
favor Of their home market; they
need protection and prestige; lots OF
Americans abroad claim to be En-
glishmen to get the respect given an
Englishman all over the world. It's
a shame not to give us back some
thing. have easily been responsible
for the placing of 100000 worth Of
orders in the United States during
my Is years IN Mexico, yet, if in trou-
BILE + should appeal to the English,
rather than our consuls. Enough Of
that.
/ was greatly impressed BY the
fleet. The sixteen ships in 3-mile
line represented a money value Of q
hundred million dollars and carried
IA 900 Of our brothers and husbands,
who, from what 4 saw last night,
seem to be the right sort. $500 Of
them were given shore liberty at 4
time and most Of that number were
on these streets yesterday; they had
to be aboard at ~ o'clock last night,
and I took some pains to study them
and saw 1000 leave the wharf at San
ta Monica for the four shirs an
chored a few hundred feet out. Sail
ors are notorious drunkards, as well
as other classes 81 men who have an
occasional outing. hardships between
and no woman's influence to keep
them straight. Most Of our boys
were sober and wsnt out on schedule