Los Angeles herald., 1909-04-27
fighting BOB
TELLS STORY OF
WORLD VOYAGE
SAYS WOULD ALL CHOOSE LOS
ANGELES, HE SAYS
URGES NECESSITY OF PACIFIC
COAST FLEET
Surprised That Any other Nation
Should Dare Think Of Making
War On United
States

in the navy today among the 15,OO0
men VINO were on the sixteen battle
ships on the trip around the world,
1899 of them would say, Let's go
pack to Los Angeles" declared Ad-
miral Robley D. Evans in his lecture
on From Hampton Roads to San
Francisco" at the Simpson auditorium
last night. you'll have them all back
here some day, many of them to live.
OF course, when we got to San Diego,
the first port where everybody talked
United States, that was the real home
coming. But the welcome at Los An
geles will never be forgotten by the
blue Jackets or the officers-here, most
decidedly, 1t was the people of Los
Angeles entertaining the fleet, not the
fleet entertaining Los Angeles. They
are still talking about 1t as memoir
able feature of the voyage"
Those who heard Admiral Evans
voted him a capital lecturer He told
the story of the wonderful trip around
South America to the California coast
from Fort Monroe simply and directly,
but enlivened with humor that kept
his audience laughing from beginning
TO the close. They appreciated the in
formation about the navy and it's eff
ficiency furnished by the lecturer, and
at every opportunity applauded the
navy, and especially the man who
brought the battleships to the Pacific
for his own ability.
Extends Best Wishes
Admiral Evans made his lecture as
modest as possible. George H. Stew
art, president of the Los Angeles Har-
Dor commission, who introduced him,
assured the admiral Of the apprecia-
ton In which Southern California holds
his achievements, and that he will at
all times have the best wishes of
every citizen of Los Angeles.
IF the voyage of the fleet demon
strated any one thing above all others
II clearly was that you cannot defend
the Pacific coast with a fleet based or
the Atlantic" said Admiral Evans,
with emphasis. ut is absolutely i'm
possible to do this. You must have
your own fleet, and you should have
twenty-four battleships in the Pacific
ocean and everything that goes with
them. When this comes about a dock
yard of the fleet must come to one of
the ports of Southern California
whether San Pedro or San Diego will
depend on yourselves.
1T is up to you, good people, to get
that feet, and you must be moving
about 1t. If this great empire west of
the Rockies will say what it needs the
rest of the country will back 1t up.
sist on 1t. Go for your congressman;
make them keep their feet in the grass
until you are properly equipped to de-
fend this coast"
In recounting the chain of receptions
extended to the fleet, Admiral Evans
referred particularly to the unusual
courtesies given by Japan. He said
that every officer and man who enjoyed
those courtesies would take II as a
mark of favor IL the people of the
California and other Pacific poies
would see that equal courtesies are ex-
tended in turn to the officers and men
of the Aso and Soya, the Japanese
cruisers now anchored in San Pedro
harbor 1.-THE good people of this coast
cannot be outdone even by the polite
ness of the Japanese" he said, land l
hope they will return for us the many
favors shown our navy when the fleet
visited Japan"
Speaks Sitting
A minor operation on his foot, arising
from his civil war experience, compels
Admiral Evans to go temporarily on
crutches, and for that reason he de-
livered his lecture seated. This added
in a way to the natural directness of
his manner, and most of the audience
felt as IL they were sitting down with
the great naval authority for an in
formal but intensely interesting talk
about the voyage of the first fleet ever
sent around the world.
your fleet has been the first to go
around the world" he said. This
country will always hold that record.
others will undoubtedly send their
battleships about the globe, but they
can never be the first. And it was a
great pleasure to be able to telegraph
the navy department from Magdalena
bay that we were safe on this SIDE
forty-eight hours ahead of time and
without scratch or an accident. They
were more relieved than we were. While
1t had never been done before, and
many foreign critics said that there
would be string of disabled American
battleships along the South American
ports for years, we were not worried
about possible failure. 1t was our BUSH
ness. our orders, to go to the Pacific,
and we did It,
'sWhen was summoned to oyster
Bay by President Roosevelt and knew
that the fleet was to go to the Pacific,
the president said, Admiral, I want
YOU to take the fleet to the Pacific on
december 49, I said, Aye, aye, sir
4 want you to understand perfectly
said he, that this is entirely peace.
able cruise and / said, Aye, aye, sir.
Personally, did not care whether IT
was peaceable or not. My business was
to take them where ordered. If any
BODY else thought 1t was not peaceable,
that was their own lookout.
Gas go about this country looking
daily at the faces of the people, I am
surprised," said the admiral, ''that any
body on the face of the earth thinks
of going to war with the United States.
There's nobody who, would amount to
a row of pins with us. That snny settled
opinion"