The daily sentinel., 1910-09-02
ROOSEVELT
ADVOCATES
BIG NAVY
IRy Associated Press. !


Omaha, Neb.. Sept, 2. 2.--EntertainS
ed at luncheon by members of the
Omaha Field club. Theodore Roose-
welt today renewed many acqu1fnt-
ances of formes years in this city
From the time of his arrival here
today Colonel Roosevelt had many
callers but his desire to rest caused
him to decline to see most of them.
Instead of the extended night enter
tainment planned for Mr.. Roosevelt
arrangements have been made to cur
tail the programe at the "Ax-sar-ben
Den" so as to enable him to retire at
an early hour.
Shortly after the lunch at the Field
club. veterans of the Grand Army OF
the Republic and Spanish-American
war visited the club house and shook
hands with Col. Roosevelt. and were
briefly addressed by him. In the
auditorium Col. Roosevelt was intro
duced to great assemblage by Sen
ator Burkett
That part of Mr.. Roosevelt's
speech which dealt with the subject
of strong naval organization is as
follows:
In travelling in Europe last spring
one thing which especially struck me
was the fact that the two feats which
made the deepest impression abroad
were the cruise of the battle fleet
around the world, and the digging of
the Panama canal. These were the
two feats TO be credited to the Amer
ican people during the past decade.
which had most profoundly and favor
ably affected foreign Judgment of
America during that time. Such
judgment depends not in the least
upon what people say they can do,
but on what they actually do; upon
their willingness to meet responsible
ities, and the success of their efforts
to meet them.
Now, there is no use of nation
claiming to be a great nation unless
1t is prepared to play great part
A nation such as ours cannot possibly
play a great part in International af-
| fairs, cannot expect to be treated as
| a weight in either the Atlantic or the
| Pacific. or to have its voice as to the
Monroe Doctrine, or the management
of the Panama canal. needed unless
ii has strong and thoroughly eff
| cient navy. Within the last decade
the American navy has been about
trebled in strength, and much more
than trebled in efficiency, due to its
extraordinary progress In marksman-
| ship and maneuvering. So far from
this increase in naval strength repre-
| senting on our part either menace
of aggression TO weaker nations or a
menace of war to stronger nations
1t has told most powerfully for peace
Everywhere in Europe the cruise of
the battle fleet around the world was
accepted. net only as an extraordi-
nary feat, reflecting the highest hon
or upon our navy. but as one of the
movements which tended markedly
to promote peaceful stability in inter
national relations. No nation regard
ed the cruise as fraught with any
| menace of hostility ii ITSELF and yet
every nation accepted it as a proof
| that We were not only desirous our
| selves to keep the peace. but able to
prevent the peace being broken at our
| expense. No cruise in any way ap-
preaching it has ever been made by
| any fleet oS any other power; and
| the best naval opinion abroad had
been that no such feat was possible,
| that is, no such cruise as that we act
| ually made could be undertaken by a
fleet of such size without innumera-
BILE breakdowns and accidents. The
success of the cruise, performed as it
was without single accident, i'm
| measurably raised the prestige, not
| only of our fleet, but of our nation;
| and was distind help to the cause
| OF international peace.