Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1915-11-18
WHY A LARGER NAVY
is NEED OF NATION.
Mason E. Mitchell VIII Tour South Ex-
planning Necessity.

J
need of a larger and more efficient
navy. Mason E. Mitchell, representa-
/ tive for Arkansas and Texas, of the
Navy League. of the United States, and
well known here, has arrived in Little
Rock from Washington.
Mr.. Mitchell expects to open his
headquarters there within few days
and will remain in Little Rock and in
Arkansas until after Christmas. when
he will go to Texas to further the work
of the League in that State Mr.. Mitch
ell is native Of Conway, Arkansas.
Many people do not understand the
true functions of our navy" Mr.. Mitch
ell said. THE general conception Of
the navy as a fighting unit is wrong.
That is the smallest part. The nayy's
functions are to back up our diplomat
ic relations. TO protect our interests in
foreign waters and TO protect our com
merce on the seas.
THE United States needs a larger
navy without doubt Not for offensive.
but for defensive purposes. We need
it as insurance against war l shall
60 all over Arkansas in an attempt to
teach people these things and to make
them to see the real needs and true pur
poss of the navy. / shall also speak
before the schools. colleges and com
mercial bodies and ask their support in
the efforts of the League.
I'VE can never tell what is going to
happen. People say there is no dan
ger of our being involved in the war.
If anyone had said two years ago that
the present struggle in Europe was
imminent the people would have called
him a dreamer. as they called Jules
Verne when he wrote Twenty Thous-
and Leagues Under the Sea.
In the light of current history it is
folly to say that this country may not
be drawn into war, and crimina to
neglect its adequate defenses. If this
country is to be attacked its greatest
strength lies in its isolation-in three
thousand miles of water that must be
crossed before injury is possible
"Our legal defense, therefore. is a
command of the sea and block the
ocean pathway against would-be in
vaders. In our democracy national
policies are adopted because they rep
sent the united demands Of major
ity and majorities are able to make
their influence felt only when organ
lied.
An overwhelming majority of the
American people has expressed itself
in favor of adequate defense. The
Navy League seeks to concentrate the
weight of this majority behind a ma
tional policy which will give us GER
tain security 1t calls upon every cit
izen to cooperate.
The Navy League holds that in
view of these facts the only logical
course for the United States to pur-
sue to insure absolute freedom from
attack and invasion is to take advant-
age OF its wonderful position of STRAIT
egic isolation and create a navy suf-
fciently powerful to hold the sea
against any possible opponent
We believe that a full two-thirds
OF all Americans agree in the Leagues
belief that a powerful navy is neces-
sary to the nation as an insurance
against the possibility Of war within
the borders OF the homeland, and we
seek to band together in a powerful.
well-OrganiZed association which shall
have only one purpose-to see that
whatever else politicians may do or
leave undone, they do not fail to keep
our navy in an efficient condition and
powerful enough to hold command of
the sea against the fleets of any pos
sible opponent
I'VE also want 10 interest the peo-
pie in a larger army. Our army
should be at least twice it's present
size. We also want better co-opera-
tion between the army and navy"
Mr. Mitchell has been in the employ
OF the United States Government for
nearly twenty years. He was appoint.
ed to the Naval Academy and remained
there for two years. going from there
to the Navy Department as chief clerk
in the pay department He has been
for the last eighteen months superin-
tendent Of schools in Samoa. His
travels have taken all over the world.
and he has been a keen student of
naval affairs. He IS a Spanish veter-
an, having seen active service in the
navy under Admiral Schley.
The Navy League works in coniunc-
tion with the National Security League
The National Security League is more.
however, for the strengthening of the
army, although both leagues have as
their basis more adequate national de-
fense.