Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1908-11-24
AdmiraIs Dewey, Schley
And Evans Unanimous.
Say That Yankee Ships Are
The Best Craft Af|oat.
Defend Navy and DepIore Its IN.
Just and Wrongful Criticism.

Chicago, Nov 23-Critics of the
navy who condemn warships because
of minor defects were publicly an
swered at a banquet tonight of the
United States Naval Academy Alumni
Of the West. Six rear admirals sat at
the banquet board at the Auditorium
hotel and letters scoring recent critics
and praising the navy were read from
Admiral George Dewey, Rear Admiral
Schley and Rear Admiral r. D. Evans.
The admirals present We're: Washing
ton L. Caps, chief of construction IN
the navy; Albert Ross, Willard II.
Brownson, Francis ]. Higginson,
French f. Chadwick and James II.
Dayton.
After abiding briefly to the develop
ment of battleships and declaring that
the vessels of this country were fully
abreast of the times, Rear Admiral
Capps said:
Il shah refer you to the opinions of
three of the most distinguished Of
ficers who have ever commanded
fleets in our own, or any other navy.
Each Of these opinions was written in
response to a request"
He then read letter from Admiral
Dewey in part as follows:
"Of the battleships designed during
the past five years, l have spoken and
shall continue to speak in the highest
terms The South Carolina and
Michigan, the North Dakota and that
class, are, in my opinion, equal IN
value to any battleships Of their dis
placement in any navy, and this, is. l
believe. the general naval verdict upon
their power and efficiency.
1.-The fleet of battleships now going
around the world are of older type and
some of them have lived about half the
life. as commonly estimated, of a bat
tleship in the first line
"Battleship building is one of the
most progressive of modern arts and
old ships are not equal to new ones,
but the vessels which have recently
been received with such marked con-
sidera ton in South America, New Zea-
land, Australia, Japan and China are
the equal of foreign vessels of their
date of design and completion and Of
ten their superior. That this has been
the estimate placed upon them by
foreign observers cannot be doubted.
There is probably nowhere in the world
today a fleet of is battleships of great
er fighting strength
Admiral w. S. Schleys letter said in
part:
81 am wholly out Of sympathy with
those critics who find nothing good in
what exists, or whose policy appears
to be destructive rather than construc-
tive. 1t is the same old heresy of our
boyhood. when we thought the apples
in our neighbours garden superior to
our own. I have watched this discus
sion in the press and periodicals with
interest born of q lifetime of service in
every class of ship under the flag, and
I am satisfied that it proceeds from a
spirit Of consciousness that overlooks
the fact that no such thing as a per-
feet ship floats the seas today; nor is it
possible to create one any more than it
is possible to find a perfect man. The
whole discussion of minor errors APP
pears to me more academic than vital,
while the fact seems to be ignored that
ships at best have to be compromises
to some extent in order to accommo-
date many essential things that they
have to carry in their equipment for
War.
II take exception to much of the adj
verse criticism today because the f act
IS withheld that many of the minor de-
fects adverted to We're incident to the
time and type when those vessels We're
constructed. and they are common to
large percentage of the war vessels OF
every other power. But the inference
sought to be established. that our ships
are inferior in their classes to those in
foreign navies, is unfair. untrue and un-
patriotic. One has only to glance over
some of the foreign periodicals to dis
cover that there are some captious critics
abroad, who seen. to think that all is
not we'll in these m alters on their side
Of the ocean,"
After reading these letters, Rear Adj
miral Capps said:
'While it would unquestionably he pos
sible to obtain opinions from many dis
tinguisEcd naval officers similar in ten,
or to those just given, I requested an
opinion from only one other and this Off
Ger is one who has served as a com
mander-n-chief of modern fleets for a
longer period than any American naval
officer now living He Is an officer of
whom the President of the United States
expressed himself in the following terms
in letter referring to a publication soon
to appear
"'Your career has been one that has
reflected honor upon the entire Amer-
can people,
"Of course there is no doubt as to
whom the President referred. I will
read the letter from Rear Admiral
Evans.
"I am glad YOU are going to Chi
cago to dine with the Naval Academy
men there, for l believe you can do the
service much good by giving the men
you will meet at the banquet facts as
to our present condition. After an eX-
rerience with our fleet which few men
have had, l am convinced that our
ships. taken as 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
IL closing Prof. Craig spoke of the sue