The Madisonian. (Richmond, Ky.) 1913-1914, 1914-06-02
KEEP UP THE navy
HOUSE VOTES APPROPRIATIONS
FOR TWO DREADNAUGHTs AND
OTHER VESSELS.
RESULT OF MEXICAN MENACE
Need of Protection for the Canal Zone
Also Influences the DemocSatic Ma
jority to Become More
Liberal. 81
BY GEORGE CLINTON.

BY GEORGE CLINTON.
Washington.-The house has voted
appropriations for two dreadnaughts
for the United States navy, and for
number of smaller craft 1t is said
sible for the generosity of the repre-
sentatives in the matter of appropria-
tons for naval purposes. 1t is ex-
pected the senate will sanction the
house action. 1t is known that the
president will sign the bill, for he has
approved Secretary Daniels recon-
mendations for naval increases.
Battleships deteriorate rapidly, or
at any rate comparatively rapidly.
Boats of the type built ten years ago
rapidly are going out of date, and are
now used largely for the reserve fleet,
ships that will act as harbor and coast
defenses in case of attack from the
sea by foreign enemy.
One battleship year, it is said by
the navy experts, will not keep the
fleets at their present strength 1t is
even urged that two battleships year
are not sufficient to maintain the fight
ing strength at it's present level. The
navy, however, is much stronger today
than it has been before, even if the
number of ships has not largely in
creased
Vessels more recently constructed
are the biggest in the world of war
ship type, and those that will be con-
tracted for as the result of the pres
ent appropriations by congress will
be still bigger. In order to keep the
navy from being too heavy it is neces-
sary to construct cruisers, gunboats,
torpedo boat destroyers and torpedo
boats as auxiliaries to the dread
naughts. Almost every year congress
provides for number of smaller YES
sells, and this year is no exception.
Democrats More Liberal Now.
Next year, 1915, marks the time
once set by the Republicans in con-
gress to stop appropriating for two
battleships each year. Once when
Roosevelt was in the White House he
recommended the building of four bat
tleships. It was generally believed
that the president wanted to make
sure that he would get two, and that
it was for this reason that he recon-
mended four. Then the house naval
committee reported at that time favor
ably on two battleships the Repub-
lican majority went on record as in
favor of two ships each year I'M
til the Panama canal should be opened
This resolution Of the Republicans of
course had no binding effect on sue
ceeding congresses, even those in
which the Republicans were in the ma
jority, and the resolution probably was
intended simply as sort of incentive
for future congresses to do likewise.
The Panama canal will be opened
next year, but there seems to have
been recently a more friendly feeling
among the Democrats toward an en-
larged battleship program than there
was when the party was in the mi
nority in congress, so the chances
seem to be that the navy will be kept
at least at it's present strength during
the years to come, and it is possible
that it may be added to because of
the increased American merchant ma
rine made possible by the Panama
canal trade. The idea is that coun-
try with a growing merchant marine
needs a growing navy to protect it.
OF course this is based on the suppo-
sition that the merchant trade is to
grow, although there are representa-
tives and senators who say it cannot
grow unless there are subsidies.
Canal Needs Protection.
One reason given by the naval au-
thorities for a considerable increase
in the United States navy is that the
Panama canal needs protection on
the seas in order to make 1t safe from
assault The big Notifications at the
entrance to the canal can keep off
any feet which any nation of the
world can send against it, but there is
nothing to prevent a foreign nation.
If it secures mastery of the oceans,
from landing troops north or south Of
the canal, and from making an at
tempt to capture it by an advance
across country.
The thought of the naval authori-
ties is that this country should have
a navy big enough to prevent any 9TH
er nation from getting control of Re
seas In the vicinity of Panama Not
within the range of the widest dreams,
however, of the navy men, is there
picture of this country having as
great navy as has Great Britain.
Somehow or other the officials In
Washington never think OF any pos
sibility of war with England. They
think Of war with Germany as pos
sibility, with Japan perhaps as a
probability, and with France and Rus
STA as remote possibilities, and 1t is in
connection with thoughts of conflict
with any one of these four nations
that the navy advocates urge the
strength of the fleets be increased suf-
fciently to cope with the ships of any
one Of the foreigners named.
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