The Former President had a disagreement with President Woods over the delay in construction of the Battleships> Teddy was a proponet of building a big navy and any delay in the project caused problems. The former President's son however attempted to prevent a breech between the two men warning his father that a split might divide the National-Republican Party and thus allow the Democrats a chance to win the Presidency and perhaps gain control of either the House or Senate for at least 2 years.