The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1909-11-20
He Thinks That the American
People Should Have a Fleet
That Not Only Looks Good,
But Can "Scrap."
A GREAT INSURANCE
OF NATIONAL PEACE
Executive Also Favors Max
ing Hampton Roads lmpreg-
nabIe by Constructing An.
other Mighty Fortress.

OusCs "S9SSly VOTUcSSs
Norfolk. Va. Nov. 2O-As one Of the
concluding features OF the convention
Of the Atlantic Deeper Waterways as
ISOLATION. and to accept again the hos
pitality of the people OF the Old Do
minion. President Taft came to Nor
folk yesterday. reviewed . parade.
made two speeches in which he bespoke
his interest in a practical system of
waterway Improvement to be carried
forward on q ife-like basis and no;
merely as a means of distributing pat
ronage: partook of an oyster roast ut
Cape Henry. and attended a smoker IN
honor OF visiting newspaper men.
Would Fortify Hampton Roads.
In speech the president. after de-
failing his views rs to waterways I'M
provement, spoke q word for the Unit
ed States navy. declaring that the pres
tige Of the nation demands that the
navy be kept to q high standard o.
force and efficiency.
The president also declared he was
in favor Of fortifying Hampton Roads.
the greatest strategical base in the
world. by erecting an impregnable fort
on an island placed half way between
the Virginia capes. He hoped to see
the plan adopted during his term as
president
Mr.. Taft WAS introduced by Governor
Swanson. and said In part:
Il am glad to be here to testify 10
my interest In the waterways work.
What I wish to deprecate is q general
proposition to raise lot Of money and
dump some here and some there and
some back here. just in order to dis
am opposed to that. ! am in favor OF
expending money for an Improvement
in Norfolk. and not spending 1t for
improvement somewhere else, II the
Norfolk project Is good one and the
one somewhere else is not.
Il want to say that / will take NJ
what is projected and proposed with
all the sympathy possible. but. never
the less, with what hope is judicial
spirit to reject what the evidence does
not sustain. and to approve what the
| evidence does sustain"
Wants Fighting Navy.
The president referred to the battle
of the Merrimac and Monitor. and said:
Il want q navy to continue to be main
tained worthy Of this country. We are
not knocking anybody's chip off his
shoulder. and we are not having q chip
on our shoulder. but we are q great na-
tion Of sO.OOOOOO or 9OO0OOOO people.
and we must In order, under the pres
ent conditions. to maintain the pres
tige that is proportionate to our stand
before the world. have a navy that II
worth seeing and able to fight IL II has
to-"
The waterways delegates. having
practically completed the business Of
their convention. gave the day over
in participating in the welcome to the
president.
| In order to make himself heard in
speaking at Cape Henry. the president
stood on chair. Next to him sat An
drew Carnegie. Who Joined the presi-
Dental party this morning.
II am glad" said Mr.. Taft, ito be
here, where. in spite Of the views OF
my distinguished neighbor. Brother
Carnegie. We ought to put formida-
BILE fortress-right here. Both Broth
er Carnegie and are working toward
the same end. and we believe in peace.
though am not quite 80 near the mil
lenium rs he In. But We are WORKING
in the same direction and With the
same principles. and We don't differ
SO much.
4 Favors still-Vvater Passs0e.
"Now about this waterways associ-
alton. I have heard gentlemen-I
think heard one distinguished
speake rintimate that he did not &c
what was the necessity Of . waterway
when 1t was only biscuit throw ove-
into the ocean. but that Is because h.
comes from Illinois. II in the dis
charge Of his duty it had been his fate
rs It has been mine. to 90 around this
neishboring Cape Hatteras. he would
understand the difference in biscuit
throw. He would know that there n
} something In quiet water. II he does
not believe it let him 60 on the Sylph
: or the Mayflower and travel MP from
here when there IL . good. strong wind
blowing in Hampton Roads and tell the
difference between Chesapeake Bay
and the Potomac river. He would
: tell It in his stomach.
seriously speaking. my dear friends.
think it il . ripe moment to say that
conventions are good and speeches are
good of . general character In stirring
Iup . movement toward . result but
Won don't reach the result, and Jon