The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1916-06-06
At Least Two Battleships should
Re Authorized.


At Least Two Battleships should
BE Authorized.
The Sixtieth Congress to which
President ROOSEVELT sent his special
message on April Il, 1908, urging that
Congress now provide four battle
ships of the most advanced type" was
strongly Republican in both branches.
In the Senate there were 81 Republic
cans and 81 Democrats In the House
223 Republicans and 16S Democrats.
The naval appropriations bill of that
year authorized two dreadnought hat
tlcships of 10000 tons each and ten
~dcstroycrs.
An amendment to the bill. as II was
reported, that four battleships in place
Of two be authorized the House re-
Senate by n vote of 10 to %. At that
time the ~drcadnoughts Michigan and
South Carolina were almost COM
pletcd and the Delaware and North
Dakota were building. The first pair
were 10 have n main battery of eight
L. inch guns. and the Delaware and
North Dakota were to be equipped
with twelve of these guns. The two
new ships authorized by the Sixtieth
Congress at its first session were to
have the like main batteries.
-
Colonel ROOSEVELT now says that
he asked in his special message that
four battleships n year "be u con.
tinuing policy That may have been
in his mind. hut he did not put It on
paper. He wrote that ''thc most vital
and immediate need is that Of the
four battleships.' A fair reading Of
his message gives the impression that
the United States having fallen be-
hind England and Germany in build.
ing and planning dreadnoughts we
should do something toward closing
the gap by authorizing four new ships
Immediately. The Republican Con-
gress could see no emergency warrant
ing such an expansion Of the navy.
In zoos no one dreamed of n great
European war, and at that time the
American navy was distinctly supe-
rior to the navy Of Japan.
Veterans in Congress like Senators
Hale and PERKINS. both Republicans.
and members Of the Committee on
Naval Affairs. were not moved by Pres
ident RoosEyELr's special message.
and they voted against IN amendment
offered by Senator Piles of Wash
ington for four new dreadnoughts.
President ROOSEVELT was regarded as
an alarmist, but IT Is not to be denied
that II Congress had needed him We
should have a stronger navy to-day.
Probably no succeeding Democratic
Congress would have baked at au.
thorizing two new battleships n year.
There may have been nc war cloud
on the horizon in April. 1908. but Mr.
RoosEvELT's instinct was prophetic
He should have credit for II now
The Hon. EUGENE HALE and the Hon
GEORGE &. PERKINS were wrong, and
he was right.
The four ~battlcships should have
been authorized In 1905. We would
feel more secure to-day II they had
been. But certainly the failure to sec
with prophetic eyes canno be saddled
upon the Democratic party. The Colo
mel should take his own party &c
task. 1t was In complete control o'
the Government, the minority beins
negligible.
Now in 1908 there seemed to III
common sense in the position taker
by Congress against President RoosE
VETS four battleships. Congress |.
seldom II v prophetic, and 1t mus
or should deal practically with mp
preparations. 1t Is different to-day
The logic of the changed situation
particularly the lesson of the grea
feht in the North Sea, calls for more
%battlcships. Congress car have NJ
excuse for not authorizing at leas'
two In addition to n squadron O'
battle cruisers, and they should hi
more powerful vessels than the War
spite Of the British navy or the FIR
satz Worth OF the German.