The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1908-04-29
NAVY INADEQUATE
so DECLARES HObSOM,
HERO OF the MERnIMAC
Celebrated Naval Captain Addresses
Over 1000 People In The Meth
odIist Church.

Ou1SC SnuTCn.
Capt. Richmond Pearson Hobson.
hero of the Merrimac. congressman
from Alabama and one of the leading
exploiters of a greater force of sea
fighters, gave mis- celebrated address
on "The Needs of the American
Navy before over 1000 people at
the Methodist church Tuesday even
ing.
Capt. Hobson's remarks were
along the line of national defense
He said: America can not longer
afford to ignore the question. which
in my opinion is one of the most
vital before the American people.
The country is reaching out for ma
tional, commercial and financial SUI
premacy, and must have defenses
adequate to protect these great inter
ests. At the present time the armies
of the world are at our doors; the
waters have been bridged by the
great ships of other nations and it is
now imperative that America stop
long enough in its great rush toward
commercialism to look after the mat
ter of national defense.
"
matter of war. That is why so many
republics have fallen by the wayside
They advocate peace, are usually
weak and neglect the federation of
strength. The fighting of today is
not done by men but by machines
i great nations of the world with
the single exception of our own are
forming themselves into great fight
ing machines, until now it has be-
come imperative that America take
immediate action or some day suffer
in national pride. Naturally as a
defense the navy is preferable be-
cause of the vast coast line America
must police and lie fact that numer-
ically but small number of men are
required to make up the fighting
force of the great messengers of
peace. rhe United States is admir-
ably located and with its unlimited
resources and infinitesmal portion OF
its vast wealth would be required to
make a navy which would leave the
nation in absolute security, and the
greatest peace country of the world
Our nation should be the greatest of
all. Ii should have a margin of SUI
periority over any other nation of the
world America should lead the
world in peace measures and 1t has
all got to rest on power.
"As matter of Insurance this
country should have navy protection.
Billions of dollars worth of property
on the Atlantic and Pacific seaboards
are exposed and the vital interests of
every citizen is involved. With the
changes mat have taken place in the
orient in recent years the needs of
the Pacific coast are as great as the
Atlantic, therefore should have equal
consideration. The coast defenses of
the country are only about half COM
plete and sufficient men are in service
to man only about one-haTf of the de-
lenses.
There are the greatest reasons
why America and Japan should be
the best of friends, the principal one
being from a business standpoint.
but it is palpably wrong for America
not to awaken to the fact that Japan
is looking forward to the time when
the two great countries will test their
steel. Japan is preparing for the
event with a rapidity that can scarce
ly be realized She now has 100000
men under arms and a million and
half ready to enter the field. She
has put out one hundred million of
dollars in warships since the close OF
the conflict with Russia. and has at
the present time $4,000 men at work
in the arsenals working night and
day manufacturing the munitions of
war. She is merely preparing for y
great aggressive movement at an
early date"
Capt. Hobson closed his lecture
with an impassioned appeal to his
countrymen to awaken to the seri-
BUSINESS of the defenseless condition
of the country and that while Amer
lea is great she can not at the sound
of the call to arms put herself in
few days in readiness to defend what
it ordinarily takes years to accom-
plish. He also read memorial to
congress which he had prepared for
presen alton to that body calling for
navy adequate to the great needs
of a great nation He called for an
expression of opinion and one dis
senting voice in the great audience
alone disapproved of the memorial
This single voice. Capt Hobson de-
clared. brought the number of dis
senting votes he had heard to total
of "a out of "A states visited.