Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1912-02-02
SNAP JUDGMENT
Secretary Of Navy Meyer De.
nounces Naval Curtailment-
Taunts Democratic House.
FALSE PRETENSE OF ECONOMY.
Abolish Useless Navy Yards he Says
and Stop a Real Burden on Tax
payers.

{ DUtdDlE
for its plainness of speech Secretary
of the Navy Meyer Tuesday night. told
--what he thought about the action of
I the House Democrats in party caucus
Monday night in going on record as
against any appropriation for battle
ships this year.
Mr.. Meyer says that "the Demo-
cratic party took a step backward
and gave another illustration of gov
ernment by snap judgment.
BY implication the Secretary charges
that the Democratic party lacks the
courage to achieve real economy
through abOlising needless navy yards
which are costing the Government
several million dollars a year for
maintenance alone. He points out
that even with the continuation Of the
two battleships year programme, the
United States will fall behind in the
navy rating, owing to the deterioration
of old ships, and adds that a stronger
navy is now absolutely essential to
this country to enable il to fulfill its
obligations.
Here is the Secretary's statement:
The Democratic party's action
Mon. night took step backward and
gave another illustration of govern
ment by snap judgment. Even with
continuous programme of two battle
ships year the United States would
fall little behind it's present effec-
tive strength for the reason that in
another year four of our battleships
built during the same period will be-
come non-effective
"The Dreadnaught type is the
warship of the present day. One
Dreadnaught is easily the superior of
a half dozen Oregons, and one Dread
naught built by a foreign power is
equivalent to wiping off our list at
one stroke the Indiana. Massachusetts,
Oregon, Iowa, Kearsarge and Ken
lucky.
"All the nations that are building
battleships are building dread
naughts. No nation can exist COM
mercially and exert its proper political
influence among the nations of the
world without navy strong in pro-
portion to its wealth and the COM
mercial interests of its population.
In the history of nations the loss of
power may generally be said to have
been due to the loss of naval power,
although occasionally due to other
causes, but it is certain that the exist
ence of an efficient navy is sure sign
of national power and a safeguard
against war.
1--WE have an enormous extent of
coast line; we have Alaksa, Porto
Rico, Hawaii and the Philippines. and
we have the obligation to guard and
protect Cuba and maintain her neu-
trality. To perform these obligations
satisfactorily we must have a strong
seagoing fleet. The only sure defence
of the country and the only assurance
for safety is for the fleet to be able
to seek out its enemy on the high seas
and to cripple it. 1t does not suffice
simply to drive the enemy few miles
away from our coast and then await
the uncertainty of another attack.
Safety can only be assured by the de-
struction of the enemy's fleet.
1--WE have guaranteed the neutrality
of the canal and must be prepared to
maintain il. The Monroe Doctrine
is as big as the navy and no bigger.
england has authorized for the
year 11-l2 FIVE dreadnaughts. Ger
many has authorized three dread
naughts and one armored cruiser.
Japan has authorized five capital ships
of the latest dreadnaught type in the
last year. Seventy-nine million dol
lars have been authorized by her for
new construction between 1911 and
1917
1.-THE Democrats on the other hand,
might have brought about real econ
omy, lasting and far reaching, if they
had had the courage to- abolish navy
yards which are costing the Govern
ment several million dollars a year
| for maintenance alone. These ex-
| penditures are an outrageous drain
on the resources of the country and a
heavy burden on the taxpayers. To
abolish unnecessary navy yards
would reduce the expenditure of
money not only for one year, as in the
case of refusal to appropriate for
battleships, but for years to come
and without decreasing the efficiency
/ of the navy. A navy for the nation
and not for local interest is what
should be sought.
Officers of the naval service gener-
ally were not reluctant to give their
views as to the action of the Demo
cratic caucus. The general opinion
is that the Democrats would find
themselves supporting policy in op-
position to the will Of the majority of
the people. The prediction was free
ly made that the House majority
woud rescind its caucus gdecision and
decide in favor of least one battle.
ship this year. Naval officers are
convinced that the country is solidly
behind the programme for a large
navy.
II was pointed out that il was the
Democratic party which instituted
the programme Of two ships a year.
The first battleship of the modern
feet, the Maine and Texas. We're au
thorized in 1888. in the Cleveland Ad