The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1915-05-26
DEWEY LAUDS NAVY
DANIELS ANSWERS CRITICS Al
NEW YORK BANQUET
NAVY NOT LARGE enough

NAVI NUI LARu[ ENUUun
Secretary Says Review is the Begin
ming of Policy of Expansion and
Better1nent-De the State
ments of the National Security
League Circulars.
Officers of the Atlantic fleet assem-
bled at New York Saturday night at
a dinner in their honor heard Secre-
tary Josephus Daniels defend the
navy as efficient and prepared for
war and promise that the administra-
ton, with the support of the people,
would make it more powerful and
more efficient.
Mr.. Daniels answered the navy's
critics, particularly the National Sc
curity League, which recently made
public an open letter declaring that
investigation disclosed that the navy
was inadequate and unprepared for
war.
with the praise of a great city
ringing in our ears" said the secre-
tary, with our mighty ships in all
their splendid strength lying just out
side; in this hour Of natural and par
donable eXultation in our great navy,
as the head Of that navy feel It
right to utter word Of warning
lest we forget those who may feel
; inclined to rest too sure on this vis-
ibie and outward display of our
strength and at the same time to
speak word of promise and cheer to
those who, perhaps, have looked too
| despondently upon the task that still
| lies before US in our efforts to reach
as near as possible to perfection.
"Our navy is good; it is not good
enough. With your help, as long as
I am secretary of the navy, we will
all try to make it better. The navy
is strong; it is not strong enough.
With the help of the whole American
| people, with the help Of a congress
and an administration thoroughly
| committed to the policy Of taking
| leave to be strong upon the seas we
Will make It stronger.
"This review is not the end Of
| century's labors. We do not here e1-
| hibit our completed work. Rather,
we here begin new era, supported
| by the chief executive anG by an en-
lightened and progressive congress,
which gave evidence of its faith in
strong navy by the passage of the
best navy bill in the history Of your
country.
1--WE are entering upon an era Of
progress such as the navy has never
| known before, whose keynote will be
onward and whose watchword will be
forward-an era marked by the lift
ing of our navy out Of politics and by
the subordination Of all things afloat
| or ashore to the efficiency Of the fleet
in order that by our very strength we
| may be able to demand the right to
live at peace with all the world.
"You have seen-and lately you
have heard far too much-of the pet
| rifed pessimist who visits one Of our
leviathials of power with sour and
| disappointed visage, looking for
something upon which he can hang
tale of woe and wall a jeremiad.
'The navy and it's head have been
a target of much criticism Of late,
some from those honest in their be-
liefs, but sadly ignorant or misin-
| formed, and much from purely parti-
san and political sources which had
no interest in facts whatever. AS for
such criticisms as concerned myself
= " e;1n o1Jrfi ir1Cf "
or time condemn.
"The splendid condition Of the
ships for which you are responsible;
the splendid discipline Of the crews
| which you have established, make to-
day a far better answer than any
thing I could be able to say. As they
ride tonight at their anchors on the
river let them stand as their own
spokesmen, and I rejoice that it is my
pleasure to greet here tonight the
commander-in-chief Of the Atlantic
fleet, Admiral Fletcher.
"a few days ago a new organiza-
ton, bearing the name of the Nation
al Security League, issued an open
letter announcing the result Of in
vestigations,' and published to the
world this statement:
Investigation discloses, it is as
serted, that the navy is neither ade-
quate nor prepared for war; that it is
inadequately manned, is short Of am
munition and has no organized re-
serve of trained men; the submarine
flotilla exists chiefly on paper; that
fast scout cruisers, battle cruisers,
aeroplanes, mine-layers, supply ships
and transports are lacking and that
target practice has been neglected or
altogether omitted
'If the gentlemen who signed the
above libel Of the navy had known
the real truth their signatures would
never have been appended. If they
had not been misled and misinformed
they would have written instead:
Investigation discloses that the
navy is efficient and prepared for
war; that our ships are well manned;
that the supply of munitions is vastly
larger than ever before, and the ca
pacity doubled; that the last congress
authorized naval reserve which is
in process of organization; that we
have seventy-four submarines author
lied, built or building, which are the
equal Of those Of any other country,
and that one flotilla Of submarines
has just completed remarkable long
distance run; that we recognize the
need for more fast light cruisers;
that we have lately ordered eight
aeroplanes and dirigible out Of a
million dollars specially appropriated
by the last congress for aviation;
that within the last two years the
nayy's mine equipment has been
more than doubled; that we are add
ing yearly to our force Of auXiliaries,
while more time has been devoted
this year to target practice an d man
oeuvres than in many years past. We
are proud of our navy as it is. We
are resolved to give our cooperation
in making it better and greater"
Admiral George Dewey. president
of the general board of the navy for