The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1912-05-11
TAFT-ROOSEvELT
ROW MARS TEXAS
LAUNCHING
Biggest BattIeship in the World
Cut BY Society.
MOST SILLY FUSS IS RAISED
All Because Cecil Lyons Daughter
Was Chosen to Break Bottle
and Lyon is for Roosevelt

Washington, May 10.-When the
battleship Texas slides into the wat
ers of the Atlantic from the docks of
the Newport News Shipbuilding COM
pany at 10 o'clock next Saturday
morning. she'll go freighted with
whole shipload of apples of discord.
She's the biggest battleship ever
built in the United States; she's big
ger than any ship in any European
navy; her size is comparable to no
other boats save two now building
in American shipyards for the Ar
gentine Republic; she cost nearly
$4,000 900, she's to bear the name
of the biggest state of them all, yet
the president won't be at the launch
ing; the secretary of the navy won't
be there, nor the governor OF Texas,
nor members of the Texas delegation
in Washington, and, taken altogether
as an official and semiotficial event,
the big boats official dip into the
water is going to be a driZzling fail
ure.
Ii all grows out of Miss Claudia
Lyon, daughter OF Col Cecil Lyon,
Republican state chairman and nat
ional committeeman, being chosen as
1 sponsor for the boat. Politics and
social preferment unlimited are tied
up in the story.
! Il was announced some weeks ago
that Miss Lyon, who is only twelve
years old, had been chosen by Gov.
! Colquitt of Texas to name the Tex
! as. and that announcement caused
wives of prominent Texas Democrats
who have attractive young daughters
| TO ask their husbands whatever the
} governor meant by 1t all. and could
MT something be done TO stop II.
II you don't happen to know any
thing about the naming of battle
ships, you've no idea of the impor-
lance of the ceremony. Those who
have officially bestowed names upon
battleships have formed themselves
into sort OF close corporation.
known as the society OF Sponsors of
Battleships of the United States Ma
Wy, a society which in time promis-
es to rival the d. a. r. and the Col
| onal Danes and the like
Yet 1t was announced that the gov
I ernor has chosen Miss Lyon.
Now II develops that Gov. Colquitt
had nothing whatever TO do with the
selection. and that his announcing
the selection was purely perfunctory.
The sponsor was chosen by the Sec.
rotary OF the Navy.
The rule of shipbuilders Is that
when a boat is ready for naming the
owner is asked to select her sponsor.
and. as the government owns a bat
tleship, il follows that the secretary
OF the navy has the right to choose
the sponsor-a right which hitherto
has been waived out of courtesy to
the governors of states.
So when the secretary OF the navy
had the opportunity of choosing a
sponsor for the Texas he chose Miss
Lyon. whose father was chief dispen-
ser OF good things under Roosevelt
in Texas. The choice of Miss Lyon
was made before Col Roosevelt threw
his hat into the ring. and when Col.
Lyon Topped clean over. and has
been accredited with having had
much to do with carrying Texas for
Roosevelt against the president
Therefore, Il follows that not alone
will distinguished Texans stay away
from the launching, but the president
also will not attend. He has replied
to the kind invitation OF the ship peo-
pie that he expects to be prevented
unavoidably from attending and the
secretary of the navy also has intim-
ated that IL will not be convenient
for him to be in Newport News at
10 o'clock on the morning of May
is.
The shipbuilders. Texans, and navy
department officials regret the whole
affair, as, with the Ane spring wealth
er and the patriotic enthusiasm OF
the Texans, they had hoped to make
the launching Of the biggest battle
ship brilliant event. Instead II Is
going to be about as cheerful as O
bolt OF crepe.