The Washington herald., 1915-10-24
GARDNER urges
GREATEST navy
Representative Wants Fleel
Even More Powerful Than
Britain S.
PUTS VIEWS In LETTER
Massachusetts Member Suggests thai
Naval Committee Get Ideas
from Experts.
PUTS VIEWS IN LETTER

Instead of a navy Sufficiently strons
to defend the United States against
any nation except Great Britain
Representative A. p. Gardner OF Mas
sachusetts, yesterday urged that the
American navy be made second to none
in the world. and so expressed himself
In a letter to Representative LemucI
=. Padgett. chairman of the COMMITTEES
on Naval Affairs. And Mr.. Gardner
believes that his views are shared by
ian overwhelming majority" OF the
American people
Beyond this. Mr.. Gardner requests
that the Committee on Naval Affairs
get the views of naval officers Other
than the bureau chiefs and the officer.
who are in immediate and constant
touch with the Navy Department"
Among these. he suggests Admirs.
Cameron MGR. winslow. commander
in-chief of the Pacific Fleet: Rear Ad-
miral Austin NJ Knight, president OF
the Naval War College. and Rear Ad-
miral Bradley A Fiske. recently senior
advisor to the Secretary Of the Navy
is especially anxious that Admiral
winslow be called.
Text of Letter.
Mr.. Gardeners letter to Mr.. PadEett
reads. in part. as follows:
My Dear Mr.. Padgett: Permit me
to congratulate you on the fact that
this winter you are to pass upon the
most liberal naval appropriation bill
which has ever been presented to Con-
gress. l believe that the administra-
ton has embarked on a sincere effort
to perfect the defenses of this country
and ' know you well enough 10 -
certain Of your cooperation. I f'"T
sure that you will not take il am:sS !
submit for your consideration some
comments on the navy program.
You are familiar with the fact that
for years the building program of the
general board of the navy has contenl-
plated a navy strong enough to make
us safe against any nation except
Great Britain. In the present war my
sympathies and, as I believe, those of
the country are entirely with the
allies yet after speaking repeatedly
in many different States. am con
WINGED that our people desire to have
the United States made safe against
any nation on earth including Great
Britain. 1t is my deliberate judgment
that Americans by an overwheIming
ma jority do not wish the safety of the
United States to be dependent on the
of any nation whatever.
Il think that you will agree with
me to the necessity OF determining
not expert opinion considers that the
proposed building program calls for a
navy adequate to insure our defense
against Great Britain. I confess fear
that ii falls short of that STANDARD
You know that the naval plan laid out
by the general board over ten years
ago contemplated forty-eight battle
ships less than twenty years old: but
avowedly il did not undertake to make
US safe against an attack by Great
Britain's fleet ] am somewhat con-
cerned to find that the proposed plan
when completed will only give US
battleships and battle cruis-
ers less than twenty years old. OF
7 realize that battleships are
much more powerful than they were
when the hitherto existing plan of the
general board was formulated: but that
observation applies to the battleships
Of foreign navies as we'll as to our
own"