Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1914-05-06
THE ANNAPOLIS
NAVAL ACADEMY
Interesting Trip to the Academy,
Where Our Navy Heroes Come
From Described by Corre-
spOndent.
S15 MIDDIES IN DRILLS
AN INSPIRING SIGHT
War Spirit is at a High Pitch ut
Annapolis. Everybody Wants to
go. Washington Petition
ed to Graduate the First
Glass Immediately.
Continued from first page)


with torpedo boat destroyers, tugs
and small craft of every description
One asks the name of the peculiar
looking training ship, to be told that
it is the "Reina Mercedes" captur-
ed from the Spaniards in Cuban wa
tiers during 1898 and now used as
a training and prison ship. Across
the river is more government land,
and mile away is the famous old
Fort Madison.
The attention of visitors is at
tracted by the large number of can
non and trophies of war, and as we
read the inscriptions upon these We
teran guns, we learned that they
were wrested from the Spaniards in
Cuba sixteen years ago, or taken by
Dewey and his officers at Manila
There are plenty of relics from Vera
Cruz, captured in 1S45, and from
the Latin American countries, which
always seem to be kicking up a rum
pus.
In the inspection of captured can
non and flags the conviction drives
home that practically all of our
troubles for more than a hundred
years have been confined to the Span
ish speaking people. The inscrip
tions all point out that the enforce
ment of the Monroe Doctrine or of
a policy of protection, has supplied
the entire activities of navy which
has cost the people of the United
States more money than would have
been required to purchase outright
all of Central and South America
For just as sure as one stands before
and reads the inscription upon one
of the trophies of our struggles with
foreigners, just that sure we find
Latin America as the factor in the
disturbance.
The war spirit is at high pitch
at Annapolis, and midshipman with
whom we talked explained it.
Everybody here wants to go to
war, and we have petitioned Wash
ington to graduate the first class i'm
mediately, instead of waiting until
the regular graduation period, which
will occur in June" he said. Then
he went on to explain that at the
time of the Spanish-American war
there existed a scarcity of naval Of
ficers, and not only was the gradua-
ton period advanced, but a three
year class, which ordinarily would
have remained at Annapolis another
year, was graduated in order to sup
ply officers for our ships. Every
graduate of Annapolis is commission
ed as an ensign. which is the lowest
rank of a commissioned officer; but
advancement comes quickly.
1--WE see the pictures in the news
papers," our midshipman told us,
''and all these men like Fletcher,
Badger and the other officers are
known to us, and their achievements
become our personal triumps and
pride as well as their own" And as
the boy spoke we looked into his fine
manly face, and beheld The Spirit
of 1914"
Annapolis is one of the places
where you get those thrills" that
one reads about. those little crink-
ling movements that chase along the !
spinal column, and find an outlet in
enthusiastic explosions of the vocal
organs Across the drill grounds
you watch them. fine manly young
fellows who come from every part
of the United States, the gait and
carriage of each showing how proud
he is of his vocation. The way he
holds his head and swells out his
chest shows his pride in being de-
fender of the honor Of his country.
They are here for four years, and
the discipline is so strict that every
hour of the twenty-four must be
accounted for by the individual who
enters Annapolis. Each student is
provided a liberal cash allowance,
amounting to approximately $50 a.
month, which pays for uniforms,
board and the annual visit home. |
Each year there is cruise, during
midsummer, and when the great
battleships start for Europe, young
men from Annapolis are placed on
duty on the dreadnaughts and
cruisers, and other vessels, clothed
with full duties as officers. After
four years the graduates take place
upon the battleships, and at first they
receive approximately $1,000 a year
as officers. How we'll these officers
who get their first commissions at
Annapolis perform their duties is
told in the daily papers of today, un-
der headlines of ports located in
the Gulf IF Mayicn