The morning journal-courier., 1908-07-23
|LL PLEADS FOR BULLDOG NAVY ldent Roosevelt, at Con- ference of Naval Off, cers, Talks on His
 Hobby. IAKS AS A AMMAN k Confab at Newport--Navy Called Cheapest Form of
 Safety Insurance
 Policy.
< AXIS AS A LAYMAM

1wport. R. l., July 22.-Pleading ] Xoopular support for a "Flrst-class
 Ming navy" navy capable of seek Hout the enemy and "hammering
 until he quits" President Roose- \ was the central figure here today <|he most notable conference of
 rican naval officers ever called to- Yer to consult and discuss in Q
 Id general way, the features of the
 ted States battleship.
 le President spoke publicly for
 than half an hour, and then the Terence went into executive session Zone hour During this session the IBident took leading part In the Fusslon. He argued as a layman, and did not attempt to N advice to professional men. He |reesed upon the officers. however, Et 1t was given to them to keep the |srican navy abreast of the times I to make 1t the ard-hitting. efii- ht fighting force which he believes |be a guarantee against the possibil- of war. Mir. Roosevelt characterize the navy as the cheapest form of 'ety insurance policy the nation sld secure. The President sailed for ster Bay this afternoon, but the bat ship conferences will continue for he time making plans for the ships be laid down in the future.
 The President said in part.
 There are only few things that l blre to say today to the conference Ia what I have to say really Is said Is to the officers present than to the bat bulk of my fellow countrymer 'tside. could not speak to you tech tally. I can speak to my fellow intrymen, who are deeply interested the American navy. but who some hes tend to be misled as to the kind navy we should have and as to what D navy can and ought to do.
 For instance, there are always cer' In numbers of well meaning, amiablt
 dividuals, coupled with others no lite so we'll meaning, who advocat Ierely coast defence navy. Such ad ,cacy Illustrates habit of mind al q as human nature itself-the desir' the time to do something and no
 do 1t.
 No fight was ever won yet excep y hitting, and the one unforglvabl ffense in any man is to hit soft hat applies to the individual and pplies to the nation. and to those wh dvocate a coast defense navy are ad beating that we shall adopt as na onal principle the principle of hit ng soft. l hope with all my hear nat never will this nation of ours hi nless 1t cannot possibly be helped. elieve that the nation should scrup lously refrain from wronging or in ulting another nation, that 1t shoul ut up with good deal in the wa f misconduct on the part of other efore going to war. But when thl ation does have to go to war, sue ,ar will only be excusable if the na lon intends to hammer its opponer nt!l that opponent quits fighting.
 For the protection of our coast " eed Notifications not merely to pro ect the salient points of our posses ions, but so that the navy can | ootless. A year ago, at the time vas, announced that the fleet was 70 abroad, there was a certain nun ter of newspapers, especially In m ,wn city of New York, that raised
 lamorous protest against 1t. It too 1t one time, the form of a mistake prophecy to the effect that the fle' would not be allowed to go aroun he world, and one of the reasons a eged was that to let 1t go around tf world would leave New York d. 'enseless in the event of war TT