The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1915-02-09
PLAN ONE OF CAUTION
Grand-AdmiraI Rooster Says
Fleet Must Be protected and
May Not Accept Battle Only
When 1t Can Reckon on Vic
tory; Prods English Boasts
About It's Ships

Berlin. Feb. 7.-(Via London, 1884
r. M.)-Grand Admiral Won Rooster.
president Of tho German Navy
League, in an adCv~ at Kiel Univer-
sity today ~discusseu conditions gov
erning the part to be played by the
German navy in the war. He de-
clared the relative strength Of the
German fleet compared to the Anglo
French-Russian feet is perhaps one
to four. The British, he added, per-
haps estimated German lust for bat
tie SO highly that they a said to
themselves:
"Sor day they will come. and we
shall be able to assume battle in a
situation favorable for u.s."
Another possibility, Admiral Won
Rooster declared, was that the Brit
man fleet than Nelson had for the
French or the Spanish. That the Of
fensive spirit of the Germans is great
er than the British, the admiral con
tinued, can justly be assumed when
one recalls that the Germans took an
offensive against E~ngland's east coast,
whereas the English have not dared
to approach the German coast.
Means Death or Victory.
I'VE are full of the firmest conf
dence in our fleet said Admiral Won
Rooster, but we know that a sea bat
tie means death or victory, and that
a destroyed fleet cannot be replaced
in the course Of the war, even if II
lasts for years. We. therefore, must
be cautious and allow ourselves tC
be melted to no deed which Nigh,
eventuate in our defeat.
For what would be the situation
if a sea battle took place tomorrow
in which each one of our ships tool
a hostile ship to the bottom with it
and perhaps some others? We would
!, be without a fleet, and England could
! proceed gradually in it's attack
. against our coasts. And you can b,
r sure after the conduct of England il
our colonies that no city would b
spared. III coast from Emden t
Memel would be most severely threat
e ened. Landing attempts, if they wer
we'll prepared, could succeed at place
e most uncomfortable for us.
y Must Protect Fleet.
II "Our feet must protect US undo
II all conditions, and nay accept battl
only when it can reckon on victory.
e Admiral o Rooster declared tn
course of the naval war up to tn
q present had caused him great SUI
'e prise. He added the British Secre
e tary of State for the Navy seven yea,
re ago declared hat Germany woul
. wake up some morning and find he
~ fleet gone. He also recalled the u
~terance of Winston Spencer Churchill
First Lord of the British Admiralt
in a speech at London last Septen
j, Der. in which the German feet W:
III designated as a luxury" and
r. which he said that if the warshil
did not come out and fight, the
. would be dug out like rats in a hole
after these sayings" Admiral We
= Rooster declared, lone expected 9th
things from the British fleet han
Az l Al, 1iCHn oln -
- tempted to believe the spirit of Ne
~ son no longer ives in it."
The admiral said the fac that A
or miral Fisher, the British First S
~ Lord, had not changed the plans tn
~ were being pursued by Prince Lot
NO of Battenberg, the former First S
Lord, can be taken as showing En-
lands intention to dictate terms
- peace eventually with it's fleet"