The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1908-11-08
BAT TLESH|PS ARE
: NOT MERE JUNK
NavaI commission Reports
That Criticisms Are
Unjust.
cERt0lISI c0NcERNED
SERIOUSLY CONCERNED.
POSSIBLE UNDER PRESENT CON.
DITIONS FOR ANYONE TO
LEARN CONDITION OF AMERI.
CAN MEANS OF PROTECTION.
Especial to Palladium.)

months or so ago there was SO much
criticism Of our battleships that many
people became convinced they were
littlo better than floating heaps OF
junk. The critics told us they were
built on plans fundamentally wrong
and direful predictions were made as
to what would happen to them were
they ever called upon to go into battle.
Naval officials at first were inclined
to scoff, but the criticism were SO in
sistent and SO detailed that finally the
navy department itself got worked up
and ordered q conference Of naval ex-
perts to convene at Newport and
thrash out the whole subject. These
experts spent weeks in elaboration,
and their report is just in. They find,
in effect, that the criticisms are wholly
unjustified, but that In some of the
vessels there are defects in design that
should be remedied. The armor belt
is to be widened and the ammunition
HOSTS on a number of ships changed
SO as to afford better protection to the
magazines.
The most important recommends
ton of the experts is that the maxi
mum of armament be increased from
12-inch to 14-inch guns. 1t has been
believed for many years that the IL
inch guns represented tho limit in
caliber. The recoil OF large guns, 1t
was believed, would be more danger
GUS than the shells Of an enemy, but
%ba tay >F 10 10
increase in the size OF the ships makes
both possible and desirable increase In
the size of the guns. With 16,OOOton
battle ships 12-inch guns were the
limit, but with an increase in the size
to 10000 tons the guns may be in
creased to 14-inch. The prediction has
been made that within another decade
we shall have 4O0OO-ton battle ships,
and it is to be supposed that the guns
will increase in caliber accordingly.
Though naval officers are relieved
that the commission Of experts has not
sustained the criticisms, they are SER
iously concerned that 1t is possible for
such criticisms to be made. II it is to
be possible for Tom, Dick or Harry to
discover defects in our national de-
the world the American navy Is OBJ
viously placed at very serious disad-
vantage. In case or war our enemy
would know just where we were weak
and where we were strong and could
guage it's attack accordingly.
No other nation would permit such
free exposure of its military secrets.
In high naval circles the ACCESSIBILITY
has been discussed of asking congress
to establish some sort of q censorship
of such matters, but even should the
request be made it is not likely con-
gress would heed 1t. In the first place.
it would be contrary to the spirit OF
things American; ana In the second
place, the navy would be told that
when congress votes the peoples
money for building battle ships the
ships built ought to be above criticism.
Congress undoubtedly would think
that the navy went bit to far when
1t asked that law be passed to pre-
vent its own shortcomings from see
ing the light of day.
Few people outside of military cir
cles realize how much has been done
during the past few years to increase
the efficiency of the national guard of
the several states. At the breaking out
of war with Spain our national guard,
neither in equipment nor In training,
was Of large value. Army officers
were Of the opinion that raw recruits
could have been taken and in thirty
days made as efficient as the guard.
Now, not only has it's equipment been
modernized, but it's training is largely
in the hands of regular army officers
and should another war come it would
be ready almost at a moments notice
| to take the field.