Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-07-22
PRESIDENT IS THERE
Greatest American Naval Con-
ference Begins at Newport.
MAYFLOWER ARRIVES LATE
A Heavy Fog Kept Her Speed
Down.
BIG GUNS BOOM A WELCOME
Secret Discussion Will Be Held Con-
corning Recent Criticism Of T..
Construction of Bat
tleships.
BIG GUNS BOOM A WELCOME
Special Dispatch to The Star.

through heavy fog from Oyster Bay
to attend the largest and most i'm
portant conference of naval officers
ever held in this country
| AS soon as the Mayflower poked her
nose into Narragansett bay. Just below
Castle Hill, the fog lifted and the sun
came out At the same time the station
ship Constellation. Rear Admiral Mer-
rell's flagship for today. fired the presi-
| Dental salute of twenty-one gums
which was taken up by the old frigate
Cumberland, the new battleship Mis-
sissippi. Dewey's old flagship, the Olym-
| pia; the cruiser Montgomery and the
| dispatch boat Dolphin. AS the Presi-
dents boat passed. the bluejackets on
the Constellation and the Cumberland
| formed along their decks on the off
shore. and as the bugle sounded the
first of four f1ourishes the men saluted.
| all remaining at salute until the last
flourish died away
The President and his family entered
a launch as soon the Mayfower drop
ped anchor and were taken to the Mer-
cedes' dock, where the Reina Mercedes
| of the Spanish Santiago fleet Is moored
| when at Newport The President was
met at the dock by Rear Admiral J. P
|
| and by the officers of the college staff
all in special full-dress uniform The
| brigade of apprentice seamen from the
| naval training station. with band and
| Dusle squad, was also formed on the
dock.
Presidents Flag Flies.
Just as the President stepped from his
launch to the dock the Constellation
broke out the small. blue, eagle-crested
presidential flag at the main and hauled
ooWn the rear admirars station flag
from the mizzen. The Constellation then
| doomed another salute and the process
college w '''o wal
me presidential party was due to
| reach mere at g. o'clock. but the heavy
| orizzhnE fog made fast going impos-
s,ans. me omcial party on the cruiser
yacht included the President and Mrs.
roosevelt. Miss Ethel Roosevelt. Ker-
NIT, Quentin and Archie. Mr.. and Mrs
N. e. Roosevelt, T. H. NetherIand and
Sonn McGrew from the Presidents Of
A1oe stan ana two secret service men.
strtctest Privacy Maintained.
| inc strictest privacy will be maintain
81 at the station during the Presidents
visit. AT midnight last night the station
on orders from Admiral MerreI. was
closed. and no officers or enlisted men
were allowed shore leave The cause
way gates were closed and the sentries
ABOUT the station were doubled. Only
| tnose holding official passes were admit.
extended to the government landing. at
| newport, the officers and marine qua nd
| mere having orders to allow no one on
ooar1 the government launches except
The conference today is to be held at
the Naval War College on Coasters Har-
| Dor Island near the mouth of Narraean-
sett bay. and is unique in the history Of
United states naval affairs. The Presf-
dents visit is sure to be followed by many
cha nges In naval construction. More than
100 officers of the navy, together with a
| large representation from the army, will
be addressed by the President. After the
conference the President will participate
In discussion of the merits of various
plans with the officers. The recent criti-
cisms made upon American naval con-
struction will also be discussed. The con-
ference will he held In secret Officers
! taking part in the conference are the
members of the war college staff the
| members of the battleship commission,
| members of the Newport summer confer
ence and of the general board from Wash
Officers at Conference.
Besides President Roosevelt. Assistant
Secretary Eewberry and Admiral Pills.
bury, chief of the bureau Of navigation,
and the following members of the bat
| tleship commission were present: Rear
| Admiral C.. F. Goodrich commandant
navy yard. New York; Rear Admiral E.
II. c. Leutze. commandment navy yard,
Washington; Rear Admiral A. r. Couden,
president special board of naval ord
| nance; Rear Admiral William Swift,
commandant navy yard. Boston; Rear
Admiral r. c. Mclean. president board
Of inspection and survey; Capt. N. f.
Capt G.. J. Badger. superintendent
| United States Naval Academy: Capt.
| Aaron Ward, supervisor of New York
arbor Commander w. S. Sims. bureau
Of navigation. Navy Department: Com
mander Albert Key. inspector Fore River
| shipbuilding; Lieut.. Commander NJ l..
Bristol, inspector of ordnance in charge
naval torpedo station; Lieut.. Conn
mander G. B. Bradshaw. bureau Of navi-
m n A. L. Willard. Z. S. S. Idaho:
Lieut.. Commander N G. Mcfarland,
navy yard. Philadelphia Lieut.. Com
mander F. A. Traut. U. s. s. North Caro-
lima: Lieut.. Commander ]. r. P. Pringle.
mander w. 8. Crosley. navy yard. New
York; Lieut.. q. W. Timmons, T. S. 8.
| Idaho, navy yard. Philadelphia: Lieut..
p w. Foote: navy yard, Washington;
Is Cuttlefiesh: Lieut.. d. c. Bingham. COM
mandine L. S. s. Viper. navy yard New
York: Naval Constructor D. W. TAYLOR,
bureau of construction and repair:
Naval Constructor H. G. Gilmore. super-
Intending constructor. Quincy, Mass.
Presidents Address.
President Roosevelt. addressing the con-
ference, made a stirring appeal for a
hard hitting navy.
II want a first-class fighting navy. or
no navy at ALL" said the President DE
cause a first-class fighting navy is the
mos, effective guarantee of peace this ma.
tion can have.
There are always number of amiable
and well meaning people," continued Pres
ident Roosevelt. "who believe in having
navy merely for coast defenses. A purely
defensive navy would be almost worth
less To advocate such a navy is like
advocating a school for prize fighting in
which no one should do anything but
parry.
II hope this nation will never have to
hit We should do everything that hon
orably can be done to avoid trouble But
when we go to war that war is only ex-
cusable II the navy is prepared to ham
mer it's 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 Notifications, so that
the navy may be left free to stretch out
and destroy the enemy. That is it's
function
Monroe Doctrine.
President Roosevelt declared that even
4