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Show NOT ONE OF THE VESSELS REM Captain John Hood Tells of Condition of United States Fleet When Assembled Last October. GIVES VIEWS AS TO OUR NAVAL POLICY Should Have 4S First Line Battleships by 1925, With All the Lesser Units and Auxiliaries. WASHINGTON, April 10. Not one of tho thirty-one battleships battle-ships and twenty-four do-stroj'ers do-stroj'ers that constituted the fighting force of 127 vessels which assembled as-sembled for review in Now York harbor har-bor lust October was ready for war, Captain John Hood, then captain of the dreadnought Delaware, the pennant ship of tho fleet, told tho Navy league today nt its session here. Captain Hood, now a member of the navy general board, gave his views on a desirable naval policy. "Not counting the British fleet, with which no conflict need ever bo feared," he said, "in 3909 Germany can put to sea 41 battleships, of which 25 will bo dreadnoughts, and also 15 battle cruisers; France will have 38 capital ships, of which 23 will be dreadnoughts; Japan will have 36, of which 17 will be drcaduoughts or dreadnought cruisers. Could Not Compete. "Nothing short of the general board's policy of -18 battleships for tho United States can even approach adequacy, and a fleet inadequate is a burden without protection. At our present rate of growth wo, in 1920, could put out against those armaments 33 ships all told, of which only 10 would be dreadnoughts. "At no timo has our fleet boon do-veloped do-veloped along lines of consistent thought lo meet a definite end which should bo the guarantee of the nation's peace. Todaj' we have a floct too small and heterogeneous to meet the ends which justify its maintenance and too large to be carried as a burden for a plaything. "Tako as tho basis of your naval policy a building programme that will givo us by .1925 a fleet of 48 first line battleships with the lesser units and auxiliaries that co with them. Advice as to Future. "Cut off ruthlessly and sell and scrap all vosbcIs on the naval list of minimum fightinir value and all superfluous super-fluous yards and stations not needed for tho maintenance of the fleet, which uselessly are nbsorbiug large sums of public money in their care and upkeep. Provide and train enough officers nnd men on tho active list and in tho ro-servo ro-servo to fully man this fleet for war. Provide nccossary bases and arsenals and educato the people that no fleet is adoquato for tho preservation of peace which has not the readiness and strength to meet tho enemy and say, 'Thou shalt not,' Show them its trifling tri-fling cost as compared with even tho smallest aud most successful war our war with Spain. May Need Fleet. "We have inhoritod from our fathers fa-thers no entangling alliances, but wo havo tho Fonroe doctrine As the nations na-tions of Europe and Asia become overcrowded over-crowded with their ever-increasing populations, pop-ulations, this doctrino promises to be a fruitful source of contention and challenge chal-lenge and this doctrine is no otrongor than tho Amorican fleet. There is tho principlo of Asiatic exclusion; the principle known ns the open door policy poli-cy and thoro is our determination to assume military control of the Panama canal territory nnd its contiguous wa ters. I do not beliovo tho nation stands ready to modify or abandon any of theso principles and only a lack of knowledge by tho people at largo is responsible for keeping tho country in a stato of unroadinoss to maintain them with roasonablo surety of continued peace and honor.1" Must Change Habits. "Though we have put on the garments of pcHCo and honor, and though wo have been softened by Christianity and have Rtrlvou nearer to altruism In thought and act tho great fundamental underlying oasslons and springs of action in mun uro tho enme today us thoy woro when Cain Mow Abel, Fluman nature In the mass fins changed little or none since the days ? tho Pharaoha. Tho nations of today most likely to challenge our rights and JnllcleH and with whom our interests most conflict are the strong men of the (Continued on Pago Two.) V IT ONE Of VESSELS OEM IN CASE OF M (Continued from Pago Ono.) nations, armed and ready. The habits of expediency that wo have followed must cease If we are to hold our places among the nations." Captain Hood declared that such a building policy as he outlined had been formulated by the general board In 1903, but never had beon acted upon. Perry Belmont urged the creation of a national council of defense as an expert body to advise congress on military questions, ques-tions, and pointed out that one of tho planks of the Democratic convention at Baltimore declared In favor of it. Eight cities have sent invitations to the league to hold Its convention next year within their borders. They are; St. Louis. San Francisco, Buffalo. Nashville, Milwaukee, Boston, Denver and San Diego, Cal. |
