The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-12-19
|S|MS'S SPEECH
HAS STIRRED UP
HORNETS NEST
Must Explain His Last
Drop Of Blood"
Oratory.
PROTEST COMES
FROM GERMANY
Prominence of Sims Has Given
Worldwide Importance to
His Enthusiastic Assurance
Of Aid to British Cousins
in Time Of
Need.
Lspeeial TO The Mines pispatch.l

New York. December Is-When Com
mander William S. Sims, U. S. N, COM
manding the battleshtp Minnesota.
flagship of the third division of the
atlantic fleet made that last drop
of blood speech In the Guild Hall,
following dinner and reception ten-
dered the rank and file OF the American
fleet, then in the British waters. by
the Lord Mayor and the,sheriffs of Lon
don, 1t Is reasonably certain that he
had no idea what hornets. nest that
now famous little after-dinner talk
was going to stir up.
The speech was delivered two weeks !
ago last Saturday. and naval officers,
who had quickly noted the rather un-
diplomatic phrasing of the effort. were
| beginning to feel encouraged that it
cially unncticed. A few days ago.
however. rumbings were heard in
| Washington, and Saturday the bomb
exploded, when 1t was officially an
| nounced that the Secretary of the
Navy had cabled Sims for verbatim
copy of the "last dollar, last man. last
drop of blood" speech. 1t is stated
that many complaints had been made
to the department and that many of
them came out of Germany
''Difrercnt" With Sims.
l.
der what Sims will do now?'' said
naval officer to-day, when he read a
Washington dispatch about the turn
affairs had taken as result Of Sims's
famous speech.
Had that speech been made by any
officer below the rank of captain in the
| Atlantic feet except Sims the naval
officer Went on 10 say 1T is dollars to
doughnuts that no attention would
TN tl,.pn ,tr,t frnt
Sims. who. despite his low rank and
youth, is one of the best known officers
In the service, makes 1t different Sims
was and is still particular friend of
Colonel Roosevelt and II. YOU look
back in your files you VII find an Off
cial document signed Theodore Roose-
velt,' in which Colonel Roosevelt, then
President referred to Sims as the man
who in seven years increased the fight
ing power of the United States Navy at
least FIVE times. That was why Coll
onel Roosevelt made him his personal
aid and later gave to him the command
of the battleship Minnesota. Sims be-
ing the youngest man ever entrusted
with so important command in the
history of the navy
1t is needless to say that every of
itcer in the navy is anXiously waiting
to see the verbatim copy of what
Sims said, which copy is supposed 10
be on the Lusitania. due in New York
ont on time se viii ine Is
speech Friday morning. The only
knowledge of what Commander Sims
said at the now historic Guild Hall
reception, that the Navy Department
now has, was CLEANED from the lneagre
cablegrams to the American newspa-
pers and from the reports of the re-
ception which We're printed in the
London papers of December 5.
What He Really Said.
BY carefully reading the London pa
pers Of December 10 1t is possible to
get what is probably a very nearly
correct report of what Sims said
In England the Lord Mayor told his
American guests there is no man more
popular than is the man behind the
gun. and he added that from what he
had observed he believed that the
United states niue Jacket was regard
ed with a large share of that affection
which England had always felt for
her own sailors Then came the turn
ports of his speech printed In the
Times, Chronicle and Daily Mail, this
appears to be what he said:
ut is quite certain that we would
be welcomed In other countries that
the Atlantic fleet might visit. but such
aSwelcome as the officers and menEof
this fleet have received in London Is
such welcome as I,cannot conceive
of being given us anywhere else. ex-
cept in our own country
II have conversed with many of our
men during our stay in British wa
ters, and all of them tell me that they
have been received in the friendliest
possible manner by the citizens of
London. and the reason is not far to
seek That reason is the strong blood
tie that unites the people of Britain
and America
1T is my belief that ii the time evei
comes when the British empire Is Sc
rously menaced by an external enemy
its people might count upon every man.
drop of blood of their kindred across
the sea. and now. with your permission.
In my own way. call for three cheers
for the King. three more for the Bril-
sh people, and three Tor the integrity
of the British empire.
Everybody Cheers.
Tho cheers that followed. accordins
to the London papers. We're such ns
were never before heard In4tl,s y anelsn, an,
the American blue Jackets yellcd them
selves until they We're hoarse
However, from the report OF the re-
ception in the chronicle, appears
only American who spoke ne chief
boatswain OF the Minnesota also gat
In his say, aud he VAS lust Us positive
as Was his chief concernins the tles
Renzon. who is a native New Yorker,
said that the bonds hetween the two
nations were being strengthened every
day, and IN hehslf .of me men ,oi 81 ,ns
tars TO come to America sd that Uncle
Sans men could have chance to re-
turn the courtesies thae had been
heaped upon them in London,
omay these two navies always stand
together both In peace and In war"
n Tor Commander sans. who is
lcallea unon to tell what he said. the