The morning journal-courier., 1908-11-24
Dewey, schley and Evans Call Our Battleships Highest Type of Fighting
 Machines,
CRITICS RoUNDLY SCORED
Latest Thing in American Warships Far Superior to Anything shown Abroad, Says Fight
 ing Bob.

Chicago. Nov 2S.-Critcs of the navy who condemn warships because of minor defects were publicly an sWered at d banquet tonight of the United states Naval Academy alumni of the west Six rear admrals sat at the banquet board at the Auditorium hotel, and letters scoring recent crit ics and pralsing the navy were read from Admiral George Dewey, Rear Admiral Schley and Rear Admiral R, D. Evans, The rear admrals present were Washington l.. Capps, chief of construction in the navy; Albert Ross, Willard II. Brownson Francis J. Hig- ginson French E. Chadwick and James H. Dayton,
 After alluding briefly to the devel- cpment of battleships and declaring that the vessels of this country were fully abreast of the times, Rear Ad- mral Capps said
 " shall refer you to the opinion of three of the most distinguished off, cers who have ever commanded fleets in our own or any other navy Each of these opinions was written in re- sponse to a request.
 Admiral Dewey's letter follows in part;
 Of the battleships designed during the past five years, 1 have spoken and shall continue to speak in the highest terms, Tho South Carolina and Mich igan, the North Dakota and that class, are, in my opinion, equal in value to any battleships of their displacement in any navy and this is, ] believe, the general naval verdict upon their pow CT and efficiency"
 Admiral W. s. Schleys letter said in part:
 "I take exception to much of the averse criticism to-day because the fact is withheld that many af the minor defects adverted to were lncl- dent to the time and and type when those vessels We're constructed, and they are common to q large percent age of the war vessels of every other power But the inference sought to be established, that our ships are in- feror in their classes to those in for- elgn nayies, is unfair, untrue and un- patriotic One has only to glance over some of the foreign periodicals to discover that there are some cap toUs critics abroad, who seem to think that all Is not well in these matters on their side of the ocean. Only last summer I met an English gentleman who wanted to know all about this ruction, as he called it. going on in the periodicals over our way. He volunteered the information that we had the best ships in the world, and t was a pity We did not know l.
 Rear Admiral Evans sava
 After an experience with our fleet which few men nave had I am con vinced that our ships taken as q whole, are equal to, or superior to those built by any other country Of course, our first ships are not the equals of the last foreign ships, and no sane man would expect them to be, but date for date of design, they of our latest designed saips where the great superiority of ours is beyond question As fighting machines, our designs of the last few years show great advantages over anything pro. posed abroad I have made 1t my business to study the recent criticisms Of our navy published in various mag a2lnos and papers, and I have nc words to tell you how unjust, mls- leading and silly they are"