Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-11-21
Andrew Carnegie Wants Big
Ones and Plenty Of Them.
ITS WARSHIPS HE OPPOSES
Believes Ten Millions for Single
Vessel Is Useless Tax.
SUGGESTS WAY TO AVOID WAR
Says United States Has Only to
Close It's Ports to
Commerce.

Special Dispatch to The Star
OLD POINT COMFORT. Va. Novem-
Der 2O.-Andrew Carnegie whom Pres!-
dent Taft s1nilinsly called his "neaceful
brother" in his speech at the Cape Henry
oyster roast yesterday. today told a few
newspaper men that he isn't opposed to
Notifications such as Mr. Taft would
have erected at the entrance to Chesa-
peake bay:
1t was on the way over from Norfolk
TO hampton. Mr.. Carnegie. 81. Horace
Plunkett, his guest: DR.. Charles W. Eliot
and Mrs. Eliot stood up in the saloon
Of the little ferryboat which PHYS be-
tween Sewells point to Old Point Conn
fort. and looked out at the dancing green
waters where Mr.. Taft wants to see i'm
pregnable Notifications on our coast.
II am for fortificattons,,' said Mr.. Car
negie. The President when he twitted
me In his speech at Cape Henry made
the mistake of thinking that I am op-
posed TO all forms of preparation for
war i, believe in forts, big forts the
biggest and best forts in the world. and
plenty of them. Forts are for defense;
they safeguard our ports.
Opposes Expensive Battleships.
1T ls the mad race to see how many
expensive battleships we can construct
to which 1 am opposed. Ten million dol
lars apiece for battleships is huge tax
on the national Treasury and a useless
one
How about Your commerce on the
seas? How will you protect that?" in
ferJected Sir Horace Plunkett, Mr. Car
neg1e's companion. ,.z =. :.
I'VE. have no commerce on the seas. =
was the quick rejoinder. AT least,
hardly any of our ocean-going freight
would be endangered in time Of war. for
precious little Of 1t is carried under the
American flag"
Besides, continued Mr.. Carnegie. I'VE
have surer way of ending any war into
which we might be drawn. All we have
to do is to close our ports to the COM
merce OF the world. We won't have to
wait for the enemy to do that. 1t will
be our surest method Of terminating hos
tllltles. Let the enemy starve.
suppose We went to war with Ger
many that's the country that seems to
worry YOU Britons most he said, and he
smiled at Sir Horace as he said it. AFTER
dent would send an army OF 5000 man to
Winnipeg. They could stop all transpor-
tati0n Of grain eastward. III three weeks
all Europe would be on the verge Of star
walton.
Menace of Combined Opposition.
"How long could Germany. keep up a
fight against the combined opposition OF
all the hungry powers? l think We would
be justified in asking Canada not to send
supplies to our enemy. furthermore. do
not think either Canada OF Great Britain
would take a very different view. espe.
cially il it were Germany that We were
fighting.
LAS for landing a hostile army on our
coast-pooh,> We would welcome them with
open arms. The reporters and the news
paper photographers could throng out ia
get interviews and pictures. 1t would be
tremendously interesting. We could say
to them, Come ashore, gentlemen. Well
board you for a few weeks and then you
can go home by any route you choose.
am afraid going home wouldn't be any
thing like as easy as getting here
Changing the subject said Mr.. Car
negie. Il want to tell you what good
work President Taft is doing down here
in the south. He is splendid fellow,
and lie is making friends every time he
speaks.