The Washington herald., 1911-10-01
Former Secretary of the Navy Relates
Many Interesting Incidents of the
Mckinley Administration.

time" he said, during debates. The
speakership' then and there was not so
tempestuous a place as was Cannon's.
was always fond of Virgil, Of his
"Aeneid," its story, and Its theme. AS
a teacher at an academy, l taught 1t
two years"
Over against the picture of the scholar
working Latin epic poem into modern
language. can be placed the picture of
hard-headed Boston lawyer suddenly
called to direct a war at sea and to spend
800, 100000 in unexpected directions and to
expend it without loss or scandal OF
the so OOn 900 voted to the President by
Congress to be used at his discretion, and
las a warning to the world, Secretary
Long a plain man, attending Cabinet
meetings with a green bag under his arm.
was Immediately to eXpend considerably
more than half of it for ships. coal. and
ammunition. He had taken hold OF the
navy with energy and intelligence on
March 6, 1897. The blockade of Cuba be-
gan on April 30, the next year. Spain
declared war two days later. The navy
of the United States was ready. We were
inefficient nevertheless" Gov. Long said
TO me, as compared with other great ma
tions. Spain. however, was less formid-
able than IL looked
How n Navy Helps Business.
You believe. then. in preparation both
as a guarantee of peace and of victory II
war really comes?' I said.
Yes: and for other reasons. When
We began to build our new navy in 1888
we learned. for example, to make ana
TO use better marine engines and boilers.
Admiral David II. Porter. who fought at
| ViCkshurg and Fort Fisher, once said that
foreign nations laugh at us and say We
| can neither 90 to war nor defend our
selves from attack, because we cannot
/ build ships nor make guns In those
days We imported ship material, notably
Iarmor. from Europe. Indeed the designs
| for one of our early cruisers were bought
| in England The Chicago. Atlanta, BoS-
ton. and Dolphin, all of steel, the former
three being cruisers and the last one a
dispatch boat. were the first vessels built
for our new navy.
"A high standard was set for the steel
! used by the government, and ii was
| closely followed afterward by our manu-
| faCturers thereby causing a rapid de-
velopment of the steel industry general
". Judge Gary, president Of the United
States Steel Corporation, has punlcH
| given expression to the same opinion
Moreover the metal quickly fell in price
[ from Slo ION ~ S5V q 'O44'
The use OF steel was extended IN
many directions. giving work TO men in
mines. mills, and shops. and returning
! profits to capital. Plants for the manu-
! facture of armor plate were built in this
country Shipbuiding concerns multi
piled. have often said that there is
not an industry in the land which fails
10 receive direct or indirect profit from
the enlargement Of the navy. \ hundred
trades and more are employed IN the
building of a battle ship. Iron, steel.
oil, coal. brass. copper, and aluminium.
brought out of the earth, enter into the
work of construction.
Scientific influence OF Battle ships.
Besides, the influence of government
engineers and experts has been felt in
our technical institutions Of learning.
Chemistry became necessary in the man