| Show Editorials by the People TAKES ISSUE Editor Telegram In ITi regard to Herbert Quick's Quicks article e eIn In V Sunday Sunda mornings morning's TELEGRAM of at December 12 1915 on Preparedness your readers will discover the fact that he does not attempt to show how why this this' country should involve Itself b by spending spending- millions of ot dollars for tor further further fur fur- ther preparedness although he Is fe a R strong advocate for the same But he strongly ly Intimates that anti anti- preparedness should deliver the goods show why they oppose preparedness prepared prepared- ne ness in other words you antis lead out and I will take the negative ve Now I would like Mr Quick to understand understand under under- stand that I am not a stockholder in any of ot the munitions factories As he ho has stated In his article that Nobody Nobody Nobody No body wants to ass assume me the tack of ot preparedness everybody would like to escape it Also further on the writer says sas Palaver wont won't do I Let them get down to debate debat on military details I will proceed tp quote a limited portion of at the naval hearing report of ot 1914 bearing in mind that at the time this testimony was taken w We had forty battleships built V building and authorized Wel W now have forty Admiral l Fletcher I would say that if it our fleet went out there are more powerful fleets In existence against i II which it could not effectively defend itself Mr That Witherspoon-That That is III what I want to hear about whether about whether there are or not How many battleships has England got Admiral Fletcher Fletcher According According to this table England has twenty dreadnoughts dreadnoughts dread dread- dreada noughts built Mr The Witherspoon-The The total number number num num- numo ber How many has sh she in all aU Admiral Fletcher This Fletcher This table puts it at sixty Mr That Witherspoon-That That is sixty battleships V Admiral Fletcher Sixty Fletcher Sixty battle battle- ships hips Mr 1 t I I did cUd not ask you about that statement I have bao seen lIeen that old statement before I do doriot rot riot care anything about that state sute- ment The rhe Navy NaY Yearbook puts down the number of ot English battleships battle hattle- ships completed bull building dIng and authorized au al au- au at seventy Now your idea Is that if it those thos two seventy-two I ships were pitted against ours w we J could not be able to resist them hem Is I that It V V Admiral Fletcher Fletcher We We could resist I them but bu we would probably be de doV do- V Mr That Witherspoon-That That Is what I mean We Yo not resist them successfully suc suo- Admiral Fletcher Fletcher No No all else be being being being be- be ing equal Mr 1 Witherspoon It It has hasP has been told this committee by high h authority Inthe In Inthe Inthe the navy dep department am among ng others Admiral Vreeland that if it we had a war with England on account of ot Its relations with other nations In Europe Europe Europe Eu Eu- rope it could not afford to send more than half halt i its Iti l ships against us Do you ou believe that i il j so 80 Mr Witherspoon Or Or not afraid of V f war with the rest of at the world not afraid to take all the ships away avay fr from m her coast and to send fiend all of at them or ora a a. large majority of them aga against hut us 7 Your statement is based on that Admiral Fletcher Fletcher- Yes Yes YeR sir It is V based on actual superiority Mr 1 Witherspoon Witherspoon Wen Well on the as assumption assumption as- as that what hat ht other naval experts ex experts experts ex- ex have told us UR is correct that correct that she could not send more than 50 per percent percent cent of ot her hr two seventy-two against vs is- is you yott would not say then that we would not be able abl to resist them successfully suc suc- suc- suc c would you ou Admiral Fletcher I I would not ike LIke to pass Judgment on a suppositious case of that kind V And thus the Investigation continues contin contin- ues lies dealing along the same lines pertaining per per- taming to other nations In order to curtail this article as much as al possible pos poe sible I am quoting the Investigation of ot the English navy as she Is 15 conceded conceded con con- con con- ceded the largest But listen Mr Quick Tu Ju Judge ge Witherspoon With Withe asked d Admiral Fletcher If England ha had any battleships as large as some of ot ours V Admiral Fletcher Fletch r sal saidi She 11 hns bs many ships which are very ery nearl nearly nearl of the same power of ot our own ships of or same date of ot building Mr 1 Witherspoon Let Witherspoon-Let Let us see about that now I do not believe she has though you know more about it than I do In this Navy Yearbook which gives lveR a alIst list of ot f English battleships battleship I find that the last five dreadnoughts that England built bunt or ur Is building are arp named flamed the tho Royal Sovereign Ro Royal RoyalOak al Oak Revolution and Revenge Re its- each pach ot of which has a tonnage of ot 21 V V Admiral Fletcher Fletcher Yes Yes sir Mr Witherspoon And Witherspoon-And And we have V two ships the Pennsylvania and the No 59 39 which have a tonnage of 32 2 In oth other r words the tonnage of ot the Penns Pennsylvania and No 3 39 is tons greater than that of ot the last five English dreadnoughts that are building building build build- ing and the last three dreadnoughts that we are building have a tonnage of greater than the last five En Eng Eni- lish Ush ships Do you t tell ll me that thc thee e English ships are equal to ours Admiral Fletcher Fletcher No No I 1 did not that V say eay V V Mr Do tf-Do tf Do not you re re regard gard garci them as as' inferior to ours 7 Admiral Fletcher Yes Fletcher Yes as ne near r as s' s swe we can an estimate I must skip considerable of ot the vital points but Jn jl closing with permission permie- permie sion slon of or the editor 1 I will quote a few more lines Mr Witherspoon Then Witherspoon-Then Then understanding under understanding under under- standing your testimony after aner re reviewing reviewing ro- ro viewing it it do ou want us 11 to understand under r. stand that England Is the only nl n tion on earth that has a navy that w we could not successfully resist Admiral Fletcher Fletcher T I think that i ithe I. I the fair conclusion sir sIr at the presort time f V In closing let it be understood that that thai Admiral Fletcher in rank is the highest highest high high- est et active officer in the United States navy nay a andY and should gain aln m more re V c cance ance from the tile fact that he was wa forced f into making the above st state state- te ment m ent The above is la a few of ot my reasons reasons rea rea- sons ons S why I am an I a and nd would be he pleased at any time timp in inthe i ithe t the he future Mr Quick to cut out all P and get down t to details and continue c on to to show that preparedness prepared prepare n ness ess is detrimental to the masses ot otur o our ur great social structure I think that any preparedness must a agree gree with me that Admiral Fletcher la is somewhat of at an authority on tho the above bove a subject and if it you oU still per per- persist per per- s filst in in increase rease of militarism etc we a antis will have to admit that you a are more m ore qualified to handle this subject ct t than han those that make a 8 profession of ot m machines of destruction Respectfully Respectfully Respect Respect- fully ully f ROBERT L LEGGETT South First West City RESOLVE NOW I Editor Telegram New Y Years Year's ars ar's daya day I Is a good time to make malte self improve Improve- m ments Almost everyone can n make mak t this his resolution and be improved by a adhering to It Start going to Sunday Sun Sun- day d ay school I have attended all my li life lite fe and it is one of ot the best things a anyone can do from the oldest to the youngest y of ot us It is 18 sad aad but iut true t that hat many preachers commercialize I r religion but they cant can't do that with Sunday S school Start in some Sund Sun Sun- d day ay y school cho l this year It will wUl do you g good s SELF IMPROVEMENT ANOTHER KIND RICHMOND Utah Telegram Preparedness P is a a. very popular subject sub sub- j but I have failed thus far to see a anything said by its advocates about encouragement e to the tho vast number o of ot f toilers employed and unemployed l Including widows and children Think of at o f th them m and their to o obtain the necessities of at life All AU eyes a are re watching ng congress and Its ultimate ultimate ulti ulti- mate m ate decision on the subject of ot national na na- na- na ti onal preparedness Who Vho is thinking o of ot f the more serious question of ot personal personal per per- onal s preparedness for tor life Why do in donot inot n not ot the lawmakers insist of ot the captains cap cap- t ains of or Industry that they divide t their heir huge hug profits on a basis bams more r righteous than at present This w would be he more morl nearly nearh preparedness t than han the preparation of at a large army anny a and nd navy I think I favor being being- pre pre- p pared r for war but for living i in n this land of ot ours I favor reform f for or the betterment of ot mankind First o of ot f all let the 1 toiling masses be prepared prepared pre pro p pared ared with more of the things the they I p produce SUBSCRIBER |
