Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1923-10-24

| When | left Ellsworth ten years
ago to enter the U. S. naval academy
at Annapolis, my ideas of the navy
and its mission and purpose in the
life of this great country of ours
were confined to those CLEANED from
the histories | had studied in the
schools of Ellsworth, few stories |
I had read about the navy, and what
little | had learned from talking with
people at home who knew little
about the navy.
Ever since then | have often Won
dered why |, coming from what is
virtually a seaport town, in a sea-
going State, really knew so little
| about the real meaning of the navy
and its value to our country. 1t may
| be because | was so young that |
| knew so little, but when | think over
my conversations that | since have
| had, it seems to me that there is a
| lack of knowledge and interest in
| the navy in our town, which might
be expected in mid-continent town,
| but certainly not in seaport. | am
| afraid the ideas of the navy as held
| by lot of our people are those
Sdlueu ny SttliiS pittiCohip VI q
| DESTROYER at Bar Harbor in the sum-
| mer. 1t is shame that the entire
| fleet could not base on Union River
| bay for maneuvers some time, as we
| based on Port Jefferson, Long Island,
during a part of the war!
Saturday, Oct OF, is the anniversary
of the birth of Theodore Roosevelt,
who did more than any one man has
done in the past fifty years for the
advancement of the sea power of this
country. This day has been set apart
by the Navy League of the United
States, with the approval of Presi-
dent Coolidge and Secretary DENLY,
to be celebrated as "Navy day"
throughout this country. 1t is not
the object of Navy day" celebration
to promote propaganda for expansion
of the navy, but, rather, to bring to
the attention of all citizens the vital
mission of the navy in the develop
ment and welfare of our country.
| am afraid that very few of our
people understand the Importance of
sea power>to a nation BY sea power,
| mean not only a navy, but mer-
chant marine, with all its shore
going accoutrements, as well. The
apparent failure of this country's
wartime experiment in shipbuilding
is not due to the fact that the ships
are not suitable, but is largely be
cause the people of this country are
not trained in the operation OF
merchant marine, with all its vari-
Gus qualifications.
History unerringly points out the
effects of sea power. Let your minds
ponder for a minute on the effect OF
the Greek defeat of the Persian fleet
at Actium in the early centuries.
How the Persian hordes would have
overrun Europe and changed the
worlds history had they not been de
feated The destruction of the sea
power of Carthage loosed the
strangle-hold of Hannibal on Rome
Later on, the Turkish menace to
western Europe was effectively
destroyed at Lepanto.
need not go further into details,
but Just ask you all to think how, IN
the past three hundred years, Portu-
gal, Spain, Holland and France have
been forced to give way to the doml-
nant sea power of Great Britain.
When | went to England as mid
shipman in 1914, l was greatly i'm
pressed with the sea power of the
British empire as expressed in the
steady stream of shipping on the
Thames river, and by the fleet review
held at Portsmouth, England, that
summer. DO not forget that sea
power means merchant marine as
well as navy, for the one is an alb
soluteIy necessary auxiliary to the
other.
The English people never lose a
single opportunity to enhance their
sea power, and the leaders OF Eng
lands thought are continually
stressing its Importance. Well they
might, for sea power is the blood and
sinew of England's strength in the
world to-day. David Lloyd George
eX-premier of England, in speaking
at Toronto, Canada, on October 10,
1928, reminded the people there OF
the achieveme of the British EN-
pire in the World war, laying special
stress on the force of the heet. lie
said thao without that fleet, and in
| the face of the German navy, Italy
| could not have come in and Russia
would have been completely isolated,
! | would like to add, from what | saw
| and learned, that if, after we got
! into it. England's fleet hadn't held
the Germans bottled up while we got
ready. | am afraid it would have
been a different story indeed from
| what it was.
Quite contrary to the usual
opinion, history shows that country
with sea power does not make war,
but rather puts a stop to war by its
very power and might. If we were
not a nation with considerable sea
power, | am afraid that the treaty
for limitation OF ornaments would
never have been signed. AT the time
the conference was called which re-
suited in that treaty, this country
n m