The Washington herald., 1917-01-18
Army and Navy News

Two of the four big battle-cruisers au-
thoribed by the last naval Appropriation
bill will be built in the Philadelphia Navy
Yard IL Secretary Daniels has his way.
Testifying before the House Naval Az
fairs Committee he said that the keel of
the first battle-cruiser would be laid in
the Philadelphia Navy Yard in a year
and three months. He said that bids for
the ways to make construction Of the
first big cruiser possible would be opened
here within the next few days.
The Secretary stated that in his opin-
ion no time would be lost by being forced
TO wait more than Il year for the laying
of the keel. He said that during the time
building materials could be manufactured
and assembled on the ground ready for
use.
Secretary Daniels said there was ample
room for a second way in the PhiladeI-
phia yard and that about the only pre-
liminary expense involved In the prepara-
tion to build two bsttle-cruisers there at
one time would be in the construction OF
second way. The yard can be fitted UP
for the construction OF the two big war
vessels at one time at q cost OF IS Sooo 900.
he told the committee.
In addition to the two at Philadelphia.
Secretary Daniels favors building one
each at Norfolk and New York.
Representative Butler of Pennsylvania
ranking Republican member of the Ma
val Affairs Committee, asked the Secre-
tary whether the Navy Department ought
not to prepare to build the entire three
year naval program voted in the last
session of Congress Representative But
Ter said he saw no hope OF getting il
through private shipyards The Secretary
did not agree. He said that IL the gov
ernment was in a position TO build big
ships and compete with private yards IT
would get satisfactory prices from pri-
vate builders.
In an article on The Next Five Years
In the Navy in the current number OF
Worlds Work, Rear Admiral Bradley A.
Fiske L. s. N. retired, sees danger that
European power may attack this coun-
try TO obtain a large Indemnity. In the
present state OF unpreparedness. Admiral
F1ske says. large indemnity might be
collected by the simple act Of blockadIng
the principal ports. stopping export and
import trade and making aerial raids on
coast cities.
1T has been said by many persons Of
Importance" he says, that there is no
danger OF the United States being drawn
into war with any nation or nations nov
fighting In Europe because those nations
will be too exhausted in men and money
to be able to do any more fighting This
idea seems good at first thought, but the
persons who hold IL forget that the
nations now fighting are fighting with
armies and that they would not need
armies to fight us. but only navies
And they forget. too. that the war
probably will end with their navies at
least as formidable as they were; that
the expense of sending any feet or neets
across the Atlantic would not be very
much greater than that Of maintaining
them where they are; that the risk of
sending very large force against US
would not be great, especially il an at
tack were simultaneously threatened on
our Pacific coast. and that the amount
of indemnity that could be exacted and
collected would be so great and the
security or chance of success so good
as to make the enterprise a good busi-
ness venture.
IF actual invasion by troops would be
necessary. the venture would be more DIFF
ficult and expensive, but not so difficult
and expensive as the pacifists declare;
for the reason that we have no resisting
force that would be adequate in numbers
material or training to oppose the troops
that would be sent, fresh from the most
instructive and practical experience that
the world has ever given. Our people do
not realize the difference between the
highly trained. highly officered and high
ly generated European army that would
be sent and the unframed army with
which We should oppose it: ofiiCered by
inexperienced officers, generated by in
experienced generals, unused to act to-
gether as an army, and no more to be
compared with the armies operating in
Europe now than a boys baseball team
in country village Is to be compared
with the Red SoK team Of Boston"