158 Admiral Dewey 



ships, the excellence of their gun practice, the good 

 discipline of their crews, and their eager desire to 

 win honorable renown. All these men were a unit 

 in their faith in the then Commodore Dewey, in 

 their desire to serve under him, should the chance 

 arise, and in their unquestioning belief that he was 

 the man to meet an emergency in a way that would 

 do credit to the flag. 



An excellent test is afforded by the readiness 

 which the man has shown to take responsibility in 

 any emergency in the past. One factor in Admiral 

 Dewey's appointment of which he is very possibly 

 ignorant was the way in which he had taken re 

 sponsibility in purchasing coal for the squadron that 

 was to have been used against Chile, if war with 

 Chile had broken out, at the time General Harrison 

 was President. A service will do well or ill at the 

 outbreak of war very much in proportion to the way 

 it has been prepared to meet the outbreak during the 

 preceding months. Now, it is often impossible to 

 say whether the symptoms that seem to forbode war 

 will or will not be followed by war. At one time, 

 under President Harrison, we seemed as near war 

 with Chile as ever we seemed to war with Spain 

 under President McKinley. Therefore, when war 

 threatens, preparations must be made in any event; 

 for the evil of what proves to be the needless ex 

 penditure of money in one instance is not to be 



