The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1915-06-14
Gardner Aims Twelve Dqng Iorpedoes Secretary
the Navy Daniels and Demands That the American Public Be Told the
About Inadequate Naval Policy and Steadily
of Real Unhampeed

ITO the question. Are We ready to 30 to war
tomorrow with . hrst-class powerr It will
require a radical optimist to answer In the
affirmative"
Secretary Redneld is obviously not the only
radical optimist in the Cabinet
TORPEDO NO. 11-Admiral Fletcher. com.
mander.in-chief of the Atlantic deet, testified
that there is an alarming shortage OF over
5000 men on the twenty-one battleships under
his command, without reckoning the shortages
in the rest OF the feet, the shortages in other
fleets, or in tho crews Of vessels laid up In
"cold storage" The secretary's logical mind
finds an answer to Fletcher in calling attention
to the fact that there are 1924 more men in
the navy than on March l. 1914 II were .
politician instead Of being q statesman, might
use that incautious admission by way OF .
frost for Secretary Rednelds ever.howerinE
prosperity plants which continually bud. but
never bloom. might 90 SO far as to surmiss
that lack OF other employment might have some
bearing on the increase.
TORPEDO NO. IL (the biggest torpedo OF
alD-In 1903 the General Board OF the navy.
under orders from President Roosevelt and
Secretary Moody, Investigated the building
programmes and the naval and the political
conditions OF all principal foreign countries.
The General Board also looked over the whole
field Of the international relations Of the
United States. and likewise It considered the
military situations which might possibly de-
velop in time of war. In its report the board
recommended a building programme for our
navy, a programme which, In the boards esti.
nation, would be the minimum sufficient for
our safety. Our safety against what! Our
safety against the navy OF any nation upon
earth, perhaps you think. BY no means The
boards plan contemplated q navy sufficient to
make us safe against the navy Of any nation
ercept Greet Britain.
modest enough programme every sensible
man must admit! Personally confess to A
hankering for a navy that does not leave US at
the mercy Of the friendliness Of any maritime
nation upon earth, including Great Britain or
course. the membership OF the General Board
OF the navy has changed every year since 1903.
Yet. with unimportant alterations, they stick
to their guns and still insist that we must have
forty-eight battleships less than twenty year,
old if we wish to be safe against Germany
furthermore, this building programme OF the
board contemplates 1S2 destroyers, Z larre
number OF cruisers and various other types.
The number Of submarines has lot yet been
fixed upon. Admiral vreeland testified that We
ought to have 100 submarines tor harbor do.
tense alone.
Remember that this programme Of forty.
eight battleships was laid down twelve years
ago, and then consider this sentence from the
most recent report Of the General Board Of tho
Navy:
This shows that we are now deficient A.~
battleships. built. building and authorized.
from that contemplated in the 1909 pro-
gramme."
Ten battleships is terrific shortage from a
minimum of forty-eight. To be sure since this
report penned, Congress has authorized
two batteships But they will not be completed
until 1919. Meanwhile the battleship Iowa will
have passed the fatal twenty-year mark. while
the battleships Kearsarge. Kentucky and
Alabama will be nineteen years old. reckonink
from the age OF completion.
In the matter OF destroyers our shortage n
still more extraordinary. In lieu Of the 1872 de-
stroyers recommended, we have only seventy.
four destroyers. built, building or even author.
lied. The General Board originally recon.
nended forty-eight fast scout cruisers to act
as the messengers and eyes OF our heet
Probably such a large number is unnecessary
in vie of the development of other craft Few
people, however. could consider twenty fast
scout cruisers excessive.
In lieu of the recommendations Of the Gen.
eral Board, Congress-. in its wisdom. has built
just three fast scout cruisers. and they are
only fast in a ladylike
AS to the submarines, II you count the F.l
at the bottom of the sea and all the submarines
which are in the scrap heap or ought to be in
the scrap heap, and all the submarines that
are now building, have just hfty-nine Of
them. and a sorry mass of insists many OF
them
This year Congress adopted the advice Of the
General Board of the Navy and provided for
sixteen additional coast submarines and two
ocean-going submarines. No thanks, however,
to that sad sea-dog our optimistic Secretary
of the Navy. He cut the General Boards sub.
marine recommendation in two before he sent
his estimate to Congress. Congress. however.
firmly. but kindly. ignored the Secretarys es-
innate. but we had awful row before the
peace professors were beaten.
In view OF the fact that It ia q matter OF
record that Secretary Daniels, in both his an.
nual estimates. has cut in two the building rec
concentrations OF the General Board, to those
OF us who know the truth It is profoundly di.
verting to observe the Secretary arrayed in the
1916. by the Star Company. Great Britain Right
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