The Washington times., 1915-11-21
NAVAL ARCHITECTS
] BACK UP PRESIDENT
Dinner Speakers Urge Of Public
Education for Preparedness.
See an Aroused Country.

NEW YORK, Nov. 21.-National pre-
parodness was the keynote Of all the
speeches delivered at the annual din
nor Of tho Society of Naval Architects
and Marine Engineers, at tho Waldorf
Astoria. That the day Is at hand when
tho country must be up and doing II 1t
is to be prepared TO defend Itself from
any possible enemy or enemies was en-
phasized by Col. Robert NJ. Thompson,
president of the society, who declared
that q nation that spends $l55,0o0. 600
annually for chewing gum can certain
ly afford to be generous concerning 80
vital a matter as national preparedness
Assistant Secretary of the Navy
Franklin D. Roosevelt said that he was
certain the Administrations defense
program would go through the coming
f ha Fore RSeT
Company, declared that the shipbuilders
Of the country were not trying to hold
up the Government in the matter of
warship contracts and that these ship
builders realize to its fullest extent the
patriotic side Of their profession Is
doing their best to uphold and further
the national defense program OF the
The dinner was the largest in point Of
attendance the society has ever held.
and among those present were, Mai.
Gen. Leonard Wood, commanding the
Eastern department of the army; Rear
msndant Of the navy yard; Rear Xd-
miral Caspar +. Goodrich. U. s. N. {:
Homer w. Ferguson, general mangaer
Of the Newport News shipbuilding and
Gyaook Gsy < fe"ERaS p Eback y S M aKSr Rear
Admiral Washington Lee Capps of the
Naval Bureau of Construction; Captain
Gaunt. the naval attache of the British
embassy; Captain Nomura, the naval
mer A. Sperry. Henry A. Wise Wood.
District Attorney Elect Edward Swami,
end Capt. w. sStrother Smith, Y. 8. N.
Tho speakers in addition to those named
were Judge Swami. Mr. Ferguson, and
I'VE have heard It said" declared
Colonel Thompson, that when this war
ends the participants will be too eX-
hausted to think of fighting us or any
body else. That view Is quite contrary
to the lesson that history teaches us.
II We face a crisis In the next two
years. the present. navy. plus the sub
marines and deStroyerS we may be able
to build. will have to be our first line
Of defense. As for the army. the big
gest force that we could put into New
York inside of two weeks would be the
New York police force. Don't laugh. for
this is true.
within two weeks after we lost COM
mand Of the sea an enemy could land
900. 900 men on our coast, and In four
weeks double that force. and II we are
to be properly prepared We must be
prepared to destroy such a force before
IL can make a stand. and militia cannot
destroy 1t. And these troops that would
land on these shores would be well
equipped, we'll trained soldiers. What
do you think about it?"
Assistant Secretary Roosevelt said:
Two years ago preparedness was not
very popular pSl 81 subject; @ Look AT nt II, the
one of the most remarkable changes in
public opinion on great question that
has taken place In years. What Is be-
ing done now Is only beginning. and
I have deep-seated conviction that the
fore. and. Furthermore. that 1t is goinG
through with this proposition to the
udge Swami indorsed what Mr..
,osevelt had said. and added that he
% an ardent advocate Of q thorough
d efficient preparedness.
]. A. Wise Wood said he could not
iorse the naval program submitted
Secretary Daniels. because, in his
inion, it did not go far enough; .
esent Congress-" he said. ''and II
luis Congress does not give us what we
need we must elect one that will"
President Powell of the Fore River
shipbuilding Company said that the
shipyards were never so busy as at the
present time. and said that In the next
year 100000 tons would be added to the
American mechant marine. This means.
he said. that the United States is
progressing in the direction Of mer-
chant marine.
Recently the head OF a great NUM-
ton plant was asked by the Govern
ment. Mr.. Powers said. II that plar
would be prepared to fll Government
orders in the event such action was
necessary. The reply, he said. was that
the plant in Question stood ready at
all times to give the Government first
call on its entire output. 1t was the
tho plant referred to by Mr.. Powers
was the Bethlehem Steel Works. of
which Charles NJ. Schwab is the head.
Mr.. Ferguson. the last speaker, spoke
along the same lines as did Mr..
Powers.