Evening Republican, Volume 19, Number 24, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 28 January 1915 — NAVAL LECTURE WAS VERY MUCH ENJOYED [ARTICLE]

NAVAL LECTURE WAS VERY MUCH ENJOYED

William M. Lewis Delighted Large Audience With Exposition of Work of Navy League. The opera house was packed Wednesday evening to hear William iM. Lewis, field secretary of the Naval League of the United States, discuss the important question of the needs of our national defense and to see about one hundred stereopticon views of battleships and othee naval scenes.

The lecture proved a real treat, both in the way of entertainment and instruction and it is safe to say there never was a more attentive audience in the Ellis theatre than the one that followed . every word of the speaker from start to finish of the lecture. As a patriotic diversion the event was creditable, for every person in the large audience stood at marked attention while the ‘Star Spangled Banner” was played and indulged in liberal applause when the speaker paid tribute to its heroes or spoke in praise of our country John O’Connor, who brought the speaker to Rensselaer, had general charge of the meeting and introduced (Mr. Lewis to the audience.

(Mr. Lewis explained that the purpose of the Naval League was to secure for the United States the best defense at the minimum of cost. He stated that its object was not to promote -war but to promote peace by having adequate defense and proved quite conclusively that it was necessary for the peace of our country and the success of its manufacturing, commercial and farming enterprises that our navy at all times be equal to furnishing protection. He said that the civil war would have been over in six months if the United States had possessed a navy large enough to have controlled the Atlantic coast, thus keeping England and other European countries from supplying the south with supplies. The speaker stated that this was the only country in the world that had no means of oral communication (between the legislative and executive branches of the government and he charged that the fact that the naval and military laws of the country are framed by men who are sent to congress for only short terms and who are unable to secure Information from men who have made these departments of government their life, study was responsible for a vast amount of t waste. He said that he did not come to advocate an increase in the naval appropriation but to advocate the selection of a board of national defense composed of experts who would be afble to make the annual appropriation of $140,000,000 do much more effective work than it now does. He stated that many of our battleships are unable to compete with the great war vessels now in use in the navies of England and Germany and that with the large guns that man their ships they could anchor 3,000 yards beyond the range of our most powerful coast defenses and destroy them all. He said that experts figured that we needed 48 battleships and the necessary auxiliary craft to guard our coasts from attack and invasion. He said that the panama Canal had added new responsibilities and urged that for independeht and patriotic reasons this country should adopt a liberal policy in providing for its defense. The pictures of vessels were interesting, covering the time from 1799 up to the latest ' pattern superdreadnaughts. The method of manning the vessels, the speed of the vessels, the effect of the fire upon targets, the size and weight of projectiles and the cost of firing single shots were told as the various pictures were shown and to persons who have never seen fleets of war vessels or been on any of the ships the lecture and views approached as nearly as possible a visit to thegreat ships of our navy. It seems quite certain that the spirit of patriotism, of love of country and of admiration for our navy and the men who have made and are making It famous was promoted by the visit of -Mr. Lewis and it is probable that Mr. O’Connor will find it quite easy to form a section of the Naval League in this city, several having signified their Intention Wednesday evening of being identified with it. iMr- Lewis- left this Thursday morning for Chicago and will go from there to Milwoukee. He will have chaige of the work of the Naval League at the Panama exposition in San Francisco this year.