Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1895-12-13

are lmpregnable, lnvincible and uncOn-
querable-but probably a better and
fairer test of our condition may be found
in the opinions of other nations. When
the possibility Of trouble between Japan
and the United States arose, Mr.. W. E.
Curtis, at that time in China, discussed
the matter with Ii Hung Chang, who is
recognized as a farseeing statesman, and
thelatter said:
Japan has an army of over 100000 SOL
diers, and the best guns in the world. She
has a larger and better fleet of warships
than the United States. She a ten ii n
as many torpedo boats as your government,
and her sailors know how to use them.
while your ailOr do not. You have only
five ships on the Pacific coast, with a coast
line OF 5000 miles to protect, and several
populous and wealthy cities that have no
defenses whatever. You have no forts at
San Francisco that could keep out the
weakest gunboat in the navy of Japan, and
a single ship OF the japanese navy could
destroy every city on P get Sound without
the slightest difficulty in a week. i have
studied the map and l have talked with
people from your country and l know all
about it. 1t would take you six months to
get any KIND OF a fleet around to protect
your Pacific coast, anu you could not load
them with coal enough to keep their fires
going during the voyage from New York
to San Francisco. Your whole Pacific coast
is entirely defenseless, and President Cleye-
land is very wise in declining to be mixed
up in a row with Japan. If Japan should
declare war against the United States she
could have every soldier in her army and
every ship in her navy on y coast within
a month. She would take possession OF all
your cities and your railroads and your
gold and silver mines and your manufac-
tories, and would hold them until Won Maid
any amount of Indemnity she might ask.
President Cleveland knows that as well as
l do, and for that reason he did not inGer.
fere in our war.
1t was suggested to the viceroy that
the arrival of the Japanese ships would
find a million men on the Pacific coast
to meet them, to which he said:
"That may be so,"sbut what could thew
do without guns or Notifications or anv
other means of defense? You might throw
sticks and stones at the Japanese, like alof
OF old women, but anyone of their vessels
could lombard San Francisco and DESTROY
the entire city before you could get can
mons there to defend it. And what conld
your cannon do against the Iong-ranpe
guns of the Japanese fleet? Their vessels
could stand out ten miles at sea and throw
shells OF dynamite into San Francisco nm
Ill the city was entirely destroyed. Their
vessels could go up into Puget Sound and
ourn Tacoma and Seattle and other cities,
ana they could send torpedo boats IN the
Columbia river to Portland and sat that
city on fire before you could do ANYTHING
70 project It. You cannot Get a big cannon
made in q few days and you cannot build q
fort in a month";"
While it is possible the viceroy's idea
OF the destroying power of the Japanese
heet had been magnified by his own then
recent and rather bitter experience with
Japan, yet the statements made by him
serve to show that the United States is
considered by no means i%mpregnable Of
successful assault. It is true, also. that
while the resources and possibilities Of
the United States are limitless, We might
be sore pressed for a time, were a sud
den attack to be made along our
Pacific coast line. What we might do,
mad we time, and what we could do
at a short notice, would be two entirely
dl1erent things in such ascontingency.