Bisbee daily review., 1915-08-27
DEMAND INCREASE OF
SUBMARINE FLEET
TO GUARD COUNTRY
National Defense League Says
UtBoatS Are Absolutely NeCeS-
Sary to the United States in.
Campaign for Preparedness.


WASHINGTON. Aug 26.-'Without
a greatly increased number of sub
marines for our navy the present
movement for military preparedness
in this country will appear to the 9th
er nations of the world as ineffective
and absurd" according to statement
today Of the National Defense League.
This, in brief is the substance Of
the information which will be given
President Wilson within the next few
days i'm connection with his effort to
ascertain all things needed to put the
country in state of better prepared
ness for war Primarily, the demand
for big increase in submarines
comes from the navy officers and nav
.al experts, but it is significant that
this request is backed up by army Of
ficers of high rank. Particularly a.
mong the coast artillery and the coast
fertilization experts is there strong
demand for submarines.
The explanation of this lies i'm the
fact that there are at various points
on the shores of the United States
portions of the sea which can be pro
tected only by submarines This is
because fortifcauons are not built
so that the guns may sweep these
waters, and the currents are so swift
and ungovernable that mines cannot
be placed i'm them with any hope of
definite results.
There has come about. therefore,
the unusual spectacle of a group Of
army officers joining navy officers in
the demand for better submarine pro-
lection. That this will have a pro-
found effect on the President IN the
preparation Of his recommendations
to Congress in behalf of greater pre-
paredness is accepted as certain i'm
Washington.
A big American submarine building
company, according to reports receiv-
ed here today is operating in Canada
so successfully that, as soon as the
submarines are completed for the Al
lies they are put into the water and
sent across the Atlantic under their
own power with full war equipment
and ready to meet the enemy. The
building in Canada, which is devoted
to assembling boats of the Holland
type, is made necessary because Of
the international law against building
them in the United States and then
sending them TO the Allies.
A submarine costs about half mil.
lion dollars. Three hundred submar-
ines flying the Stars and Stripes
would cost less than a week of actual
war the authorities estimate. and,
since submarine can destroy any
4 battleshiD that floats, a hotlla of 800
of the under-sea craft would be an un-
failing insurance against invasion by
a foreign foe at any time
The President will be told that now
is the time to engage the talent and
resources of American submarine
companies so that not all Of their out
/ put can be sent to foreign countries.
/ The National Defense League. which
viii hold a great conference on Ma
tional Defense in Washington. Octo-
Der Al, Immediately following the
Grand Army Of the Republic Encamp.
ment, has for years persistenuy advo-
Gated large appropriations for submar.
ines. Some of the officers of the
] League declare that the United States
should not have less than 300 of the
undersea craft.
With 300 modern submarines the
United States could defy the world to
successfully land troops on American
soil"
This statement was made recently
by Lieut. c. r. Morrison, chief aide
on the stan of Rear-Admiral Grant
commander Of the Atlantic submarine
hotilla and considered the foremost e1
pert on undersea craft
There is not a foreign nation, or
even a combination Of nations. that
could successfully land sufficient
troops on American soil to combat
even our present army" declared
! Lieutenant Morrison.