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Show oo SUBMARINE IS NOW THE THING. Senator Reed Smoot of Utah was among the first of our statesmen to realize the importance of the submarine subma-rine In naval warfaro aijd coast defense, de-fense, but at the time lie met with a rebuff from the navy department, because be-cause Secretary Daniels did ,not believe be-lieve in the submarine. Now the secretary is advocating the undersea craft This change of front on the part of tho secretary is thus referred to in the Union of Manchester, New Hampshire: "It Is refreshing to find Secretary of the Navy Daniels, whose attitude toward naval preparedness for defense de-fense In case of war has been that of an obstructionist announcing that he will himself recommend to congress con-gress the appropriation of a million dollars for submarines and aeroplanes. aero-planes. Whereas, less than nine months ago. Secretary Daniels decried de-cried any such proposed appropriation appropria-tion for this purpose as a waste of money, ho now declares his conviction convic-tion that aeroplanes and submarines are "the most powerful weapons of warfare," and says ho will recommend tho construction of a million dollars' orth of them for our navy. Mr Daniels' change of front on the sub ject of submarines and aeroplanes ln- dlcates room, oven in his mind, for doubt on that important point "And Secretary Daniels' change of mind Is typical o what has been taking tak-ing place tho country over. a year or two ago, there were not wanting those, ovon among advocates of a larger and moro adequate navy, who hold tho submarine in slight esteem as an agent of naval warfaro. Whon Senator Smoot of Utah sought at the last session of congress to havo authorized au-thorized the construction of fifty Boa-going Boa-going and twenty-five coast defense submarines, ho was laughed to scorn and his proposition 'died a-bornlng.' " |