The Semi-weekly leader. (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1905-1941, 1914-11-28
BATTLESRIpS MERE GRAFT AND
a WASTE SAYS WITHERSpOON

VI M6Iiuldu 1nuraQAy received q re-
quest from the New York Herslc
as to his views on the navies Of the
world and asking if he had echang.
ed his opinion on this subject
since the European war. Mr.
Witnerspocn is a member of the
house committee on naval affairs
and has given the matter Of navy
construction and relative value Of
different vessels considerable st.
tention. says the Meridian Despatch
In reply to the inquiry made,
the following was sent to the Her.
| aid:
In reply to your telegram, the
present European war demonstrates
that we need no increase of our
navy. The main argument in IA
vor of an increase has been that
preparedness for war preserves
peace. In no period of human
history have the nations of the
world been so completely prepared
for war as now, and this perfect
preparedness has involved all of
them in war, just as in all depart
ments of life men do those things
which they have prepared them
selves to do,
This preparedness for war has
involved every nation of the world
in barbarous blood-shed which had
prepared to do so, except Italy and
some of the Balkan states, whose
thirst for blood has lately been
quenched, and even they may be
drawn into 1t. Spain and China,
two nations unprepared for war are
both at peace. The United States
is no exception. If Mexico had
been able to fight US, our prepared.
ness for war would have prolonged
and continued the bloodshedss ssand
carnage which we began there
few months ago. - sSss
The war also demonstrates that
the opinion of Dewey. Goethals,
Scott and other high authorities.
that Notifications, submarines,
mines and torpedoes, have rendered
battleships and dreadnoughts use-
less is correct. In world-War of
more than three months not a bat
tleship has fired gun. The Ger
man battleships and a part of the
Russian fleet are close together in
the Baltic Sea and neither has dar-
ed to attack the other. If it be
said that the Russian fleet does not
attack the Germans because 1t is
not one-fourth as great in numbers,
then why does not the German feet
attack and destroy the Russian? The
only answer is that the Germans
know that before they could get to
the Russian ships their battleships
and dreadnoughts would be destroy
ed by mines, surbmariEjls and tor
pedoes. The English and French
battleships and dreadnoughts are
about two and one half as many as
those of Germany. The latter are
just inside the Baltic and the for
mer ust outside. Why don't
they fight each other? If the Ger
man battleship fleet could ever be
of any use. the time was when Eng
land was transporting half mil
lion soldiers across the Dover
Straits to fight Germany. Why
didn't they show that they were
useful thenl Why don't Englsnd
and France send their fleets into
the Baltic and destroy the German
fleet, so that they could land an
army on the German coasts and
force Germany to withdraw from
Belgium and france, and stop the
terrible destruction and ruin of
those countries? The only answer
to these questions is that the Ger
mans, English and French alike
\ know that If any one of these ma
tions we're to attempt to use their
bartleshIp fleets they would be de-
stroyed by mines, submarines and
torpedoes before they could reach
| those of the enemy. They all rec
ognize the fact pointed out by the
highest authorities long before the
beginning of the war that the day
of the battleship is ended.
The object of building dread
thoughts is not to fight. but to give
immense profits to grafters and
spend-thrifts, and to make floating
monuments for naval secretaries
who are unable to do anything
else to immortaIize themselves.
/ You speak of warships protect
ing commerce That is impossi.
bic. and this war shows it. Eng
land has twice as many warships
as any other nation, and all her
ships aided by those of France and
Japan have been unable to protect
her commerce. Her merchant yes.
sells have been destroyed in great
numbers. and those which have es-
capped destruction have been saved
not because they have been pro-
tected by warships, but because
the oceans are SO large that they
have MT met hostile ships. In or.
der to protect commerce, several
warships would have to accompany
every merchant vessel, and this
would be impossible.
If the battle fleets OF Germany.
Hungary. Russia, France
England ere powerless to attack
each other on account Of mines,
submarines and destroyers. it is safe
to ay that no one Of these nations,
and no combination Of them would
dare to venture among the vast
number Of mines. submarines, and
destroyers By which our coast Is de.