Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1920-06-03

Addressing the graduating class al
the Naval Academy today, Secretary
of the Navy Daniels, in part, said:
"It is my official duty and person
al privilege TO deliver to you, with
the imprimatur of your countrys
confidence, commissions in the Navy
ofN the United States. | use the
word deliver rather than the GUS
tOmary word present, advisedly.
This commission as Ensign is yours
by right of mastery of a difficult
course and the completion of four
years of intense study and drill.
THE delivery of this commission
closes a portion of the contract en-
tered into between you and your
country the day you entered the
Naval Academy. There must be
two high contracting parties TO
every contract. When you proved
by examinations that you had the
qualifications TO enter as a mid
shipman you promised on your part
to be diligent in the discharge of
your tasks and loyal to your Off
GERS and instructors. Authorized
thereto by law, the naval authorities
entered into the contract with each
of you that If you lived up TO your
pledges they would admit you as an
officer into a service honored by
valour and high tradition On your
part, you have fulfilled your con
tractural obligations II becomes
my pleasure to be the instrument
through which the President of the
United States, your Commander-in-
Chief, fulfills the obligations of the
government.
Commission Is Title
81 wish TO emphasize the truth
that you are not being presented
with a commission. Yours is title
to naval honor and opportunity won
in a long and toilsome race, calling
for brains and endurance and char
acter, the trinity OF worthy achieve
ment. AS a matter of fact, young
gentlemen, nothing really worth
having can be given to you No
body can hand you over as a present
the qualities and requirements
which make Tor high usefulness and
honorable service Your father and
mother can give you cleanness of
body and wise bringing up. Your
teachers can give you direction in
the attainment of knowledge. Your
officers by precept and example can
instruct you in the beginnings of the
profession you have chosen.
1T is ever true-and ever will be
true-that every man is master of
his own fate, architect of his own
fortune, creator of his own fame.
Navy Holds High Confidence
at is a matter of graduation that
you come into the Navy in a day
when it holds-and holds deserved
ly-higher place in the confidence
of the American people than in any
period of its history.
ut was not until the days of
Chandler and Whitney that there
came the appreciation of sea
power. and it was not until Febru-
airy 8, 1915, when President Wilson
declared our Navy ought. in my
judgment, TO be incomparably the
most adequate navy in the world.
that we undertook a continuous and
systematic and constructive pro-
gram of building and enlistment and
training which alone made possible
Americas large naval contribution
in the World War
We Escaped RctrOgressiOn
I'VE have escaped the naval re-
PROGRESSION after the World War
which fell upon the country after
Appomattox, for, instead of stop
ping the building of new craft as
was then the naval policy of our Re
public, we are now building eigh-
teen capital ships, which, with the
scout cruisers and smaller and
newer designs of craft needed 10
round out the fleet, will give the
United States the Navy which De-
wey said we should have by 1926
and which President Wilson en-
visioned in his st. Louis speech
Academy Must Expand
There must be no pause in pro-
viding opportunities at this Acad-
envy. Since 1914 the capacity for
the housing and instruction of mid
shipmen has increased from 1,200 TO
2