Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1920-01-07
Wednesday, January z, 1890.
1.-THE world Of fools Mas such . store
That he who would not zee an ass
Must bide at home and bolt his door,
And break his looking glass"
Our Navy

SNtu0 ~ Vos> we sOO's''S
Our Navy
'Britons, to whom and to whose
empire their navy 10 their all in all.
are the last in the world to challenge
either the right or the justification OF
America to become and remain
strong ct sea-"
So spoke Admiral Jellicoe. it Is
said, when interviewed recently.
with regard to the necessity Of Eng
land maintaining as large q feet he
is reported as saying:
Certainly it will be difficult for
Britain to match such enormous ma
val appropriations as the United
States proposed for 1920"
Our fiscal problem, fuite apart
from our naval necessities. Is a
worry serious one. Every country to-
day is faced by desperate financial
problems. Britain's naval problem is
vitality different in one outstanding
respect from that which America or
any other great power has to face.
We ARE an island kingdom and de-
pend on sea. borne food supplies. The
moment our food routes are cut off,
our very existence Is in jeopardy.
Whatever other countries. In the ex-
ercise Of their sovereign privileges
and in defense Of their national Sc
curity may do, Britain's imperative
security and paramount duty is to be
invulnerable at, sea. II America
adopts the same policy. she will only
be carrying out the principles that
Mahan laid down in his Incompatible
treatise"
There are naval authorities who
argue that a navy to be at all effec-
tive must be the equal Of any, and
cite Germany's navy as illustration.
Notwithstanding it was formidable it
was not equal to that of Great Brit
ain and at no time was able to ac-
complish any decisive results.
If that conclusion be correct, and 1t
evidently comedies with .England's
view. she will be obliged to match the
naval development Of any other
country. though to do this now i'm
poses a severe strain on her finances.
1t IL not clear to some of US just
what conditions now call for extraor-
binary naval increase on the part of
Uncle Sam.
Indeed, we had not supposed our
naval program merited the descrip-
ton, enormous" applied to it by
Admiral Jellicoe. Congressman Pc
, tiers in his admirable speech in the
House favoring it. described it as the
carrying out Of the policy adopted
three years before of planning for the
navy several years ahead instead Of
in a haphazard manner.
He favored "a large and powerful
American navy-not as large az
Great Britain's, because I cannot
conceive the possibility Of trouble in
the future between the English speak
ing peoples which will require fight
to settle it-and believe that from
now on our Job in the world is the
same as hers: but 1t is at least inter.
esting to recall that within the mem
ory Of men in this House the two
nations have been twice on the verge
Of war. Great Britain must Of nee.
essity have the most powerful navy
for purposes Of defense. For
ty millions Of her home people dwell
on q little island which can not pro.
duce enough to feed them"
It should not, we believe. be thu
purpose under present conditions d
this country to build . navy larger
than England's. But we have wha'
might be termed an enormous" coas,
line. and to defend this would require
more Of navy than the present pro.
gram will afford. This was vel
brought out by Mr.. Peters. He said
Germany projected plans long befors
the war that whenever she might at
tack this country she would effect 9
landing In Frenchman's Bay. FORTH,
the surrounding hills and establish q
base there. Coast defenses cannot b
constructed the entire length Of the
coast. SO for adequate defense re.
lance must be placed in a navy.