The St. Lucie County tribune. (Fort Pierce, St. Lucie County, Fla.) 1905-1920, 1910-05-20
FLORIDA THE
GREAT STATE
Governor GiIChrist's Speech At
Launching of Battleship Florida
MOST NATIONAL STATE
Highly Appropriate That Great Ship Should
Bear Name Of State That Contributes
So Much Joy and Comfort

At the dinner given by the employees
of the New York Navy Yard, in con-
nection with the launching of the mon
ster battleship Florida, Governor AL
bert w. Gilchrist, of Florida spoke as
follows:
Mr.. Toastmaster, Ladies and Fellow
citizens: | am to speak on the great
state of Florida. The greatest part of
this great state now is the great battle
ship Florida. The battleship Florida is
the greatest ship ever launched from
the governmental navy yard; and we
Flordians think the greatest battleship
ever launched by any nation in the
world. The successful launching. the
character Of the work. the cost and the
time consumed proves cOnc!usively the
error in the statement that the govern
ment could not do work as successfully
as private contractors. You gentlemen
connected with the building and with
the launching of this great ship fully
realize the labors incident thereto
None of you realize that the labors of
a Governor incident to the launching of
the battleship Florida are far greater
than the labor incident Of the launching
of the Ship of State of Florida. The
affairs of the ship Of State of Florida
rest just on good, common sense. The
state of affairs due to the launching Of
the battleship Florida rest:upon numer-
Gus little details hundreds of letters of
inquiry involving every proposition this
side of the tail of Halley's comet.
have fairly well battled with the most
of them. To- an old bachelor, one of
the hardest question to answer was:
What should woman wear?" felt
like replying in the language of mar
red gentleman who in presenting the
present, kimono, at card party said
it was the most becoming garment
woman could wear save one.
1t is best for the best and one of the
largest batteship of the best and one
of the largest nations on earth to bear
the name of the best and one of the
largest States Florida. Few people
realize that our SO. $50 square miles is
second to but one in area of all the
State east of the Mississippi. On the
day of which this is the anniversary,
81 years ago, fernando DeSoto set sail
for the west coast of Florida, finally
the Mississippi River, the
great Father of Waters. This was a
most formidable expedition, consisting
of nine vessels and $40 men. Formida-
BILE as it was in those days, the entire
fleet would be to this one battleship,
which these wOrkmen are building, as
the dugOut canoes of our Florida Indians
was to this fleet.
The power and strength of our great
bn 81
our men and women to the flag has been
so thoroughly established that there is
no nation or combination of nations on
earth who would dare to invade our
borders. There may be some who, if
we were unprepared, might be fool
hardy enough to try conclusions with us
IN the waters. On all occasions, even
when our navy was so small as to he
in its armament and the
number of its ships, the navy has ever
Upheld the honor and glory of our flag.
Such results could not have been ac-
,ompliShed but for the men like your
selves who built our vessels strong and
rue and but for the officers and but for
he men behind the guns. In our in
fancy twice have we successfully arb-
> Il
he world, using the persuasive argu-
nents of shot and shell. In our own
titanic struggle among ourselves, we
showed the world that there could be
10 such heroes as they who wore the
blue and the gray, and no such heroines
is their mothers, wives, daughters, sis
ers and sweethearts. 1t was in this
var that armored vessels were first
lsed. In our more recent contest with
he old Mistress of the Western Hemis-
)here, we showed how results could be
accomplished, as Admiral Dewey wired
without casualties. and how sailors
.ould be thoughtful as well as brave.
t was Captain Cook. of the navy,
Who at the battle of Santiago, said
Don't cheer, boys, the poor fellows
ire dying" Brave and noble men are
,ver generous 1t was the same cap
ain to whom wire sent, cautioning
lin to look out for the vessels of
certain feet. He replied: "We are
ooking out for them" A few such
'essels of the type of the battleship
Florida will ever carry through their
)ortOles the sweet message of sweet,
weet peace.
Her name, Florida" will ever sug.
rest to her officers and to her men the
scent of the roses of the orange bios
sons, Of the honey suckle and of the
and the sunbeams of our be-
owed State.
On Easter Sunday, 1877 years ego,
Ponce de Leon landed in Florida in
earch of the far-famed Fountain of