The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1896-09-15
JAPAN COULD WHIP Us.o

Ii Hung Chang, the great Chimes,
moSul. who put his mouth In every
bodv's business while in this county
ana, who received with scant courtes,
the great honors paid him while among
us. told Correspondent Curtis, of tn,
Chicago Record, that Japan could whir
the United States lin jifry," and seem
cd To eNuli over what he was saying.
"Japan." said he. has all army of
over 100000 soldiers and the best
guns in the world. She has n larger
ana hetter ileet of war ships than
the United States. She has ten
times as many torpedo boats us your
Government. and her sailors know
now TO use them, while your sailors
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
mat have no defcnSes whatever.
You have no forts at San Francisco
that could keep out the weakest
EunDoat of Japan, and n single shin
or the Japanese navy could destroy
every city on Puget Sound with
out the slightest difficulty in week.
have studied the map and / have
talked with people from your coun-
try. and | know all about It. 1t
"'",u '.ihe you SIX months to get
any Kind of fleet around to protect
Your Pacific coast. and you could
not load them with coal enough TO
Keep their fires going during the
voyage from New Yorw to San
Francisco. Your whole Pacific coast
Is entirely defenseless, and Presi-
dent Cleveland was very wise In de-
Ginning 10 be mixed up in a row with
japan. If Japan should declare war
against the United States she could
nave every soldier in her army and
every ship in her navy on your
coast within month. She would
take possession of your cities and
railroads. and your gold and silver
mines and your manufactures, and
would hold them until you paid her
any amount of indemnity she might
ask. President Cleveland knows that
as Wen as do, and for that reason
he did not interfere in our war"
or course 1t is all nonsense to talk
about Japan being able to whip this
country. but the old Chinaman comes
pretty close to the mark when he speaks
OF the defenseless condition of our
coast and the difficulties we would en-.
counter to defend them in case Of wal
with foreign power. The correspond.
ent. after listening to the Viceroy, ven.
tured to say that while his description
of the defenseless condition of our coast
was undoubtedly true. there would be q
million men on the Pacific coast to NEE,
the japanese army and fleet when i,
arrived there.
That may be So" he interrupt
ed. with some Impotence. but what
could they do without guns or forth
ncatlons or any other means Of de-
tense? They might throw sticks and
stones at the Japanese, like a lot of
old women. but any one OF their YES
sells could lombard San Francisco
ana destroy the entire city before
you could get cannon there to defend
IT. And what could your cannon do
against the long-range guns of the
japanese fleet? Their vessels could
stand ten miles at sea and throw
shells of dynamite into San Francis
co until the city was entirely de-
strov. Their vessels could go up into
Puget Sound and burn Tacoma and
seattle and other cities. and they
could send torpedo boats IN the
columbia river to Portland and sat
lhat city on fire before you could do
awning to protect II. You cannot
make a big cannon in a few DAYS
ana YOU cannot build a fort in n
month"
There is truth in this also-iust
enough to set the people of the United
states TO thinlsing-and while it is a sad
commentary. that We should be made