The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1914-05-17
Not q Shot Fired.

Not Shot Fired.
When left the Presidency, finished seven
not one shot had been fired against foreign
foe. We were at absolute peace, and there was
no nation in the world with whom war cloud
threatened, no nation in the world whom we had
wronged, or from whom we had anything &c
fear. The cruise of the battle feet was not thu
least of the causes which insured so peaceful IN
outlook
When the feet returned after its sixteen
months voyage around the world, went down
to Hampton Roads to greet it. The day was
Washington's Birthday February %, 1909.
Literally on the minute the honling battle craft
came into view. On the flagship of the admiral
l spoke to the officers and enlisted men as
follows:
"Ad,nirdl Sperry, Officers and Men of the
Battle Fleet:
"Over year has passed since you steamed
out of this harbor and over the worlds rim, and
this morning the hearts of all who saw YOU
thrilled with pride as the hulls of the mighty
warships lifted above the horizon. You have
been in the Northern and Southern hemisphere
four times you have crossed the line; you have
steamed through all the great oceans; you have
touched the coast of every continent Ever
YOUR general course has been westward and
now you come back to the port from which YOU
set sail. This is the first battle feet that has
ever circumnavigated the globe. Those who
he h,,t {o1I
footsteps
THE little torpedo fotila went with YOU
around South America, through the Straits of
Magellan, to our own Pacific Coast. The ar
mored cruiser squadron met you, and left you
again, when you were halfway round the world
You have falsifed every prediction of the proph-
cts of failure In all your long cruise not an &C.
cident worthy of mention has happened to
single battleship, nor vet to the cruisers or tor
pedo-boats. You left this coast in high state
of battle efficiency, and you return with your eff
hciency increased; better prepared than when
YOU left, not only in personnel but even in ma
terial. During your world cruise you have taken
your regular gunnery practice, and, skilled
though you were before with the guns, you have
grown more skillful still and through practice
you have improved in battle tactics, though here
there is more room for improvement than in
your gunnery. incidentally, 1 suppose l need
hardly say that one measure of your fitness must
be your clear recognition of the need always
steadily to strive to render yourselves more fit;
if you ever grow to think that you are fit
enough, you can make up your minds that from
that moment you will begin to 60 backward.
''As war machine, the feet comes back in
better shape than it went out In addition, you.
the officers and men of this formidable fighting
force, have shown yourselves the best of all pos
sible ambassadors and heralds of peace Where
ever you have landed you have borne yourselves
so as to make us at home proud of being YOUR
oountrymen. You have shown that the best type
of fighting man of the sea knows how to appear
to the utmost possible advantage when his bust
ness is to behave himself on shore, and to make
good impression in foreign land. We are
proud of all the ships and all the men in this
whole feet, and we welcome YOU home to the
country whose good repute among nations has
been raised by what you have done
(THE END.)