The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1908-11-24
Alumni Banquet of United
States Naval Academy Made
the Occasion.
LETTERS ARE READ FROM
THREE FAMOUS ADMIRALS
Oplnlen Expressed That Our
Ships Are Good as Any Built
at Same Time.

WV. -p.-'TlllNS or the
navy who condemn warships because of
MINOR defects Were publicly answered
Ionlgbt at banquet of the United
states naval academy alumni of the
east.
Six rear. .admirals sat at the banquet
board at the Auditorium hotel. and let
ters scoring recent critics and praisinr
me navy were read from Admiral
Dewey. RearAdmiral Scbley and Rear.
Admiral Evans The rear admirais pres.
ent were:
Washington L. Capps, chief of con-
structlon IN the navy; Albert Ross, Will
lard n. Rrownson, Francis J. Hipeinson
French L. Chadwick and James II. Day-
ton.
Rear.Admiral Capps. after alluding
briefly 10 the development of battle
ships and declaring that the vessels Of
Tins country were fully abreast the
times, said:
Calls Strong Evidence.
81 shall refer you 10 the opinions of
three of the most distinguished admirals
who have ever commanded fleets in ours
or any navy, Each of these opinions
was written IN response To a request.
One evening short time ago / was
walking along the street with naval
othccr whose name Is q household word
from one end of the country to the
other He made very pointed illusions
TO comments recently contained in GER
tain newspapers and periodicals respect.
ing the condition Of our battleships and
their alleged faulty design. ! asked
him to put his remarks in writing,
which he did. He was Rear-Admiral
Schleyh
Rear Admiral Capps then read the
letters. Admiral Dcwey'S letter said,
in part:
What Dewey Says.
"Of the battleships designed during
the past few years ] have spoken aud
shall continue TO speak in the highest
terms. The fleet of battleships now
going around tho world arc of the older
type and some of them have lived half
the life. as commonly estimated, Of a
h9ttleship in the first line. Battleship
building is one of The most progressive
Of modern arts, and old ships arc not
equal TO new; but the vessels which
have recently been received with such
marked consideration In South America,
Now Zealand, Australia. Japan aud
China are the equals Of foreign vessels
of their date of design and completion,
and often their superiorS. There is
probably nowhere in the world today a
ilect OF sixteen battleships OF greater
fighting strength.
Admiral Schley's letter said, in part;
~ am wholly out OF sympathy with
those critics who ind nothing good III
what exists aud whose policy appears
TO be destructive rather than construc
tive. | have watched this discussion in
the press and periodicals with interest
born Of lifetime Of service in every
class of shipping under the flag, aud |
am satisfied that it proceeded from a
spirit OF consciousness that oycriooks
the fact that no such thing as perfect
ship floats at sea today nor is 1t posi-
BILE to create one, no more than il is
possible TO find perfect man.
Schley Takes Exception.
'iI take exception TO such adverse
criticism today, because the fact is
withheld that many of the minor de-
fects referred to were incident TO tho
time and type when those vessels were
constructed, and they are common TO
large percentage OF the war vessels
Of every other power, But the infer
ence sought TO be established that our
ships are inferior in their class 10 those
in foreign navies, is unfair, untrue, ana
unpatriotic. One has only TO glance
over some Of the foreign vessels to dis
cover that there are some critics who
seem 10 think that all is not well IN
these matters on their side OF the ocean.
ONLY last summer ! met All Englishman
who wanted TO Know all about this in
surrection.' as he called it, going on IN
the periodicals over our navy. lie volun-
teered the information that we had the
hest ships in the world, and il was
pity we did not know ii. -
Fighting Bob's" View,
Admiral Evans's letter said, in part:
a. After an experience with our fleet
which few men have had, ] am con
vinced that our ships, taken as a whole,
are equal or superior TO those built by
any other country. OF course, our first
ships are not the equals Of the last for
eipn ships. and no sane man would eX,
pgct them TO be, but, date for date OF
design, they are the equals Of any, eX,
cent in tho case of our latest designed
ships. where the great superiority OF
ours is beyond question. AS hghtinR
machines. our designs Of the last few
Years show great advantages over any
tbinT proposcd abroad. l have made it
nav business TO study the recent crlt-
ciSms of our navy published in various
mnpazines and papers, and ! have no
words with which TO tell you how un:
INST misleading and silly they are. II
ever the results of the Newport confer,
ence become known, ] think You wlll
find that a majority of officers agree
with me,