Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1908-07-22

MONROE DOCTRINE "o,scRAcED"
President Attends Important Confer
ence With Object Of Preventing
Charges Against Construction
Boards - Presidents Yacht coIIides
With and Sinks Schooner.

New port R. l., July 22.-President
Roosevelt arrived here at 10 this morn
ing on board the Mayfiower, to take
part in the most important conference
of naval officers, affecting the future
construction Of American battleships
and cruisers. in the history of sea-
fighting establishment. More than 100
officers Of the navy with large rep
resentation from the army participated
in the conference. The president de-
livered an address, after which he par
ticipated In discussion Of the merits
of the various plans with the officers.
and took up the criticisms that were
recently made upon the American
naval construction. 1t Is not expected
that definite solution Of any one
problem will be reached today. The
conferences will continue after the
president returns to Oyster Bay this
afternoon. It is believed that whatever
consensus of opinion is formed here, 1t
may ultimately be that the whole
problem of warship designs will be re-
ferred back to the war college and
the board of construction at Washing
ton for determination, with the presi-
dent as the final arbiter.
Prior to entering the conference
room the president made an extempor-
aneous address in the Nbrary of the
war college before 200 naval officers
and their wives and it was a stirring
appeal for hard hitting navy.
Good Fighting Navy or Mono.
II want q first class fighting navy
or no navy at air. be said, because
effective guaranteesscf peace this ma
ton can have. There are always a
number of amiable. well meaning peo-
pie who believe in having navy mere
ly for coast defense. A purely defens-
i've navy would be almost worthless
To advocate such navy, Is like advo-
eating school prize fight, in which
no one should do anything but parry.
Wants to Avoid Trouble.
Il hope this nation will never have
to hit. We should do everything that
honorably can be done to avid trou-
BILE. But when we do go to war, that
war is only excusable if the navy is
prepared to hammer its opponent, un-
til 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 protection of our coasts
we need fortifications, so that the navy
may be left free to stretch out and de-
stroy the enemy That is its function"
The president declared that even If
the United States had no island pos
sessions, the need for an aggressive
naval policy would still be present.
Monroe Doctrine Almost Diseraced.
"The Monroe doctrine he declared,
"had almost fallen into disgrace and
contempt, until the American nation
began to build up its navy" Discuss
ing the question Of emigration the
president declared the American peo-
pie have a right to say who shall come
and dwell among them. 1T is our
duty" he declared ito exercise that
right in way calculated to provide the
least friction. If we choose to say who
shall come, however, we must be in
trim, and uphold that right in case
challenges it."
President Roosevelt declared the
cruise of the battleship fleet around
South America was the most instruc-
tive object lesson ever offered Of the
reality of the Monroe Doctrine.