From The Indianapolis News, Friday, July 9, 1915: Major J.J. Dickinson of Washington, DC, field secretary of the Navy League of the United States, is in Indianapolis to establish a state branch of the league to educate the citizenry on the need for a more adequate national defense and a greater navy. “National defense is not a political matter; it is a subject of vital interest to every American. In our present deplorable state of unpreparedness, we could not defend the Monroe Doctrine against a powerful foreign assault, and we would be utterly helpless to defend our shores from an invading force,” Dickinson said. The Navy League supports progressive policies for the navy and national defense that have not been supported by Indiana Congressmen. The Navy League wants to help open the eyes of voters in Indiana.