What would Benjamin Tillman think about being remembered chiefly for giant battleship proposals?
Short answerHe would hate it because he opposed very large battleships and considered them a massive waste of money.
NotesThe name 'Tillman battleship' now evokes some of the largest American design studies of the era, which runs against Tillman's own politics. He opposed very large battleships and regarded them as an enormous waste of money. The name attached to a proposal can obscure what the politician associated with it actually believed.