Navy League of the United States

“ Substantially the age of Government ownership has come in foreign countries. When the war is over, other nations will exercise official control over their shipping and direct that it fetch and carry for the nation's own people and commerce.
America must look out for her own people and her own trade.
Congress (busy with governing a mighty country and perplexed by manifold and conflicting duties) has not seriously grappled with the problem of organizing the Navy as so great an enterprise should be organized.
"Authority equipped with responsibility" is essential to good organization. ”

“ Few people realize what a vast number of merchant vessels are required to attend on the fleet to supply it with coal, oil, provisions, clothing, ammunition, new guns, repairs, etc., and to bring away from the fleet wounded and ill men, and the guns and machinery which need repairs. It is a fact that today more than half of the available merchant tonnage of the world is employed in supplying the fighting fleets. To support the armies which we ought to send to the front will require at least six million more tons of shipping than we have available. ”

“ One of the chief tasks of the Navy League for the future must be to work for a merchant marine, organized and conducted on American principles, without undue help from the Government, and without undue hindrance from unwise laws.
After the present war an American merchant marine is essential to the prosperity of the country. A large part of our products, including both manufactured articles and raw materials, must be exported. ”

“ Naval officers are not trained business men. It is doubtful whether they could remedy all these defects of administration even if given a free hand. It is certain, however, that they are ready to work toward the end of economy and efficiency, and if the business men of the country will take a real interest we will have a business-like administration of the Navy which will mean the saving of millions of dollars to taxpayers. ”

“ To be efficiently administered the Navy must be economically run. At the present time it is most extravagantly conducted. This statement is not made as an accusation of any officer or official. Under present laws and present organization, every official is doing his utmost to be fair and economical with public funds, but the difficulty is substantially that already discussed. There is no man and no board endowed with authority and charged with responsibility for results. ”

“ The Navy League is an organization formed to acquire and spread before the people of the United States information concerning the needs of our Navy, so that the people, being thus informed, will bring the necessary co-ordinated pressure to bear upon Congress to secure the passage of laws which will make possible the economical attainment of a fighting machine of the uttermost efficiency. ”

“ In peace times this shipping is employed in commerce, but in time of war it is absolutely essential to the fighting efficiency of the Navy.
A navy needs not only guns and ammunition to be well equipped, but it must have an immense fleet of auxiliary ships. ”

“ When the present program is completed America will have a Navy sufficiently large to forever protect our shores from attack and our country from invasion. In the future if the Navy receives even one-half of the amounts it is now receiving our force will be sufficient and our commerce will develop unhampered by fear of foreign interference. ”

“ The public realizes how prices have gone up since the mastery of the ocean is no longer in dispute. The fall in prices and the subsequent rise were merely due to the question of the possibilities of uninterrupted carriage of goods to foreign markets. ”

“ The people are, therefore, fully awakened to our need for an adequate Navy. The preliminary work of the Navy League is done. In the future, however, the League must continue to keep alive interest in the Navy and inform each generation as to our naval requirements. ”