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Show I NOT AN IMPRESSIVE STATEMENT. are informed by s Washington dfgpaten that kear Admiral Fletcher impressively told the house wa committer today that the I n l- d States navy is not prepared to cope with the most powerful navy In the world. "We would have to greatly enlarge our fleet," he said, "to protect American Amer-ican interests against all possible combinations against us to control the ocean." Why It was necessary to make a declaration to that effect surprises us rfiorc than the roar admiral s impressive impres-sive disclosure Wo have never heard of any one who claimed the American navy was as strong as that of Great Britain, or powerful enough to meet "all iossible combinations Our ships are comparatively few. but, up to the present, have met all demands. What this war will prove as to warships is yet to he made evident. evi-dent. It Is possible it will show that the United States, with a very much smaller outlay than that of any otper nation, can gajo first placr in naval Strength. If the submarine demonstrate. demon-strate. its superiority, the naval con-j elruetion of the world will be radically radical-ly changed and toda 's naies will become obsolete. Then will str.rt ai ipce to build submarines and the i United S.ates will be placed on .in J qualit with the naval powers oi Europe Eu-rope in the building rivalry |