Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1908-02-08

inc Monroe doctrine would now be Il
dead letter. A foreign flag would
have leen planted within the confines
of the American Hemisphere. The
United States would have been for
ever estopped from becoming the
world power that 1t is now.
What has been well begun and prov
ed so important under Democratic
President, the argument ran
should certainly be continued
and assisted by Democratic votes un-
der Republican President. In order
that the emergency OF Il not far dis
tant future may be met successfully.
In advancing this view tho President
spoke very earnestly. He. In fact. Is
declared to have actually plead with
the Democrats. But he did not speak
of immediate war. He, however,
wanted to face the situation squarely.
with 13inch guns, and plenty of
them. AS for the fleet. 1t was sail
ing around to the Pacific. in order
to be sailing around to that ocean. II
was n good place to which the feet
might sail. II all went well, the feet
would be brought back to Atlantic wa
ters within year. possibly by the
Suez canal.
Hale Against the Plan.
Senator Hale is not at all friendly
to the administration naval policy.
He attacked the navy in speech last
winter on the floor of the Senate and
then declared his belief that one bat
tlcshlp year would be sufficient.
Whatever the wisdom of the one
ship a-year proposition year ago.
naval experts point out that the naval
situation Of the world has completely
changed within tho past year. in spite
OF The Hague Conference and the Of
fort made there In the direction OF
disarmament
Disarmament having failed, the
great nations of the world, with the
single exception OF France, which has
been rather retrograde In the author
ization OF new ships. have greatly In
creased their programs. Japan, ac-
cording to the tast advices received
here. In proposing to lay down four
large battleships under 1908 program.
England is laying down three great
Dreadnoughts under her 1907 pro-
gram. They are known as the st.
Vincent. the Colingwood and the Rod
ney, and the keel plates of the two
former of these have been laid within
the last iive weeks ut the great Brit
ish dockyards at Davenport and Ports
mouth.
Seven Dreadnoushts Soon.
This will givo England seven bat
tlcships OF the Drcadnought type, MI
of powerful arament. and rs the Brit
lsh dockyards turn out big ships
quicker than the building establish
ments oil any other nation, England
will have all seven Of these great hat
tleships In commission some months
before we get our Delaware and
| North Dakota ready. These three new
British ships awaited the decisions at
Tho Hague respecting disarmament,
and when that decision was negative
the laying of their keels was ordered
! by the British Admiralty.
Germany Is also embarkinE upon n
| larger program than most nations bo-
llioved her willing to undertake in
view OF tho large expenditures re-
Qulred for her great military machine
on land The Germans have con-
/ tinuous shipbuilding program, adopt
cd In 1900. requiring the laying down
OF 80 many ships each year and the
! replacing OF other ships IA they be-
come obsolete by larger and more
modern vessels until the total num-
her reaches 5S capital ships, of which
IS will be battleshlps, mostly OF the
Dreadnought type. and tho other 20
very powerful armored cruisers.
Germany'a New Scheme.
In order to reach this great total
within short space of time. the orig
lnal time limit teing 1920, the Ger
man Government has now decided to
reduce the age of battleships from %
years to only 20 years. Under this
plan number of existing ships will
be rendered technically obsolete five
years earlier than usual. and this
scheme will bring about the laying
down OF three improved Dreadnoughts
each In 1908, 1909 and 1910 for the
German navy. in addition to armored
cruisers and torpedo flotillas.
All European naval experts are
pointing out that while the United
States ranks second only to England
now on paper in the strength of the
navy. having within the last year
passed France in the race for slpre-
macy, the United States states will
not be able to maintain this position
unless this government lays down at
least nine battleships In the next three
years, this being the German pro-
gram,