The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-06-23

Referring to the statement that military
naval strategists point out that in case
of war the acquisition of the Hawaiian
Islands by the United States would locate
our first fighting and base line 2OOo miles
west of the Pacific coast, the esteemed
Newport Herald observes: "To 90 1000
miles Tor first fighting base sounds
far fetched. Plain people /. g. citizens
outside the walls of forts and ships, who
are not versed IN the science of military
and naval warfare. cannot always be made
TO understand the significance and the
value of strategic points upon which so
much stress Is laid. But plain people
have sometimes pretty good common
sense. They cannot comprehend how
islands, 1000 miles out in the open sea, no
matter how many guns and how many
men are on them, could possibly prevent
the descent of naval force upon our
Pacific coast -
Approoiating this inability on the part
of plain people" to readily comprehend
the military advantage OF national out
post like that Of Hawaii, our contemporary
should have taken pains to enlighten
them. Newport is an important military
point in our national geography and tho
"plaln people" would naturally look To
lshed there for intelligent information
onssuch a matter. Ihe national War Col
lege is right adjoining. Fort Adams is
at tho sea end and tho Torpedo Station is
in the narbor From any of these sources
we are confident Herald reporter would
be able to acquire an intelligent idea of
the subject for the information of the
Herald editor, thence To be trans
mitted to the plain people" Ihouah, as
a matter of fact. most of US "plain peo-
pie " with or without common sense"
are disposed to rely upon military author
tiles for advice and counsel in military
matters, just as we are on doctors for
our medicine or lawyers for things In
the law and in many cases on the minis
tor for our religious instruction.
Still, 1t is easy TO explain the Hawaiian
claim so that even the "plain people"
may quickly grasp 1t. Nothing of pro-
fessional nature Is more easily compre-
hensibie to the lay mind than the claim
advanced as TO tho military Importance
to the United States by possession OF tho
Hawaiian Islands 2000 miles away MS the
key to the Pacific.
1.-The descent of naval force upon our
Pacific coast evidently requires base
of operations. A naval force cannot de-
scend unless 1t has coal enough to carry
Ii from tho point of departure to tho OBJ
jeot of descent The London Times once
declared: THE maritime power that
holds Pearl river (Hawaiian Islands)
ana moors its fleet there. possesses the
key to the Northern Pacific. Capt
Mahan, recognized authority both I'm
Europe and America, in recent discus
sion of the Pacific situation said
ITO anyone viewing man that shows
the full extent of the Pacific ocean. with
tfo CHI ctH fxxn cir
stances will be strikingly and immedi
ately apparent. He will 500 at n glance
that the Sandwich Islands stand by them
selves in a state Of comparative ISOLATION.
amid vast expanse OF sea; and, again,
that they form the center of largo circle,
whose radius Is approximately, and very
closely, the distance from Honolulu to
San Francisco From San Fran
cisco To Honolulu 2lU0 miles easy steam
ing distance II substantially the same as
from Honolulu 20 the Gilbert Marshall,
Samoan, Society, and Marquesas groups
(the nearest inha bited islands), all under
European control, except Samoa, in which
we have n part influence. Too
much stress cannot he laid upon the inn
monse disadvantages TO us Of any mari
time enemy having Coaling station well
within 2500 miles Of every point of our
coast line from Puget sound TO Mexico.
We're thcro many Others available wo
all. There is however. but one Shut
out from the Sandwich Islands A. a coal
base. an enemy Is thrown back for sup
plies OF fuel co distances OF $500 or 1000
tween 1000 and 5000 going
and coming-an impodiment to sustained
maritime operations well-nigh rrohlb-
itivc tt Is rarely thHt so important n
factor ia tho attack or defense of coast
line--of n sea frontier--is concentrated In
"a aisinglo position, and the circumstance
renders IL doubly imperative upon us TO
secure It. II we righteously can. F"
In word, the possession OF the Ha-
waiian Islands by the United States we'll
nigh prohibits that descent upon ourPa-
ciflc coast, - Of which the esteemedHorald
mentions so glibly, but which, as mat
ter of practice, is quite an undertaking II
the naval force that tries IL can't readily
get coal and supplies somewhere nearby.