Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1898-05-19
Our Bermudas in the Pacific.
(New York Mail and Express.)

What would England take for her
Bcrmudas? She has been their owner
for 800 years. Though numerous, they
contain only nineteen solid square
miles. Bermuda'S commercial relations
are almost altogether with this coun-
try; her exports TO US are forty times
as great as To Great Britain, and i'm
ports twice as to Great Britain, and
her imports twice as great. Financial
" She is not worth TO England one
one hundre1th part OF the money ex-
pended upon her. her exports being in
1897 trino over 100000, and her i'm
ports about the same. But England
would not probably sell Bermuda for
500, 100000. She has spent millions on
her forts, her harbor, her drydock and
three regiments CT redcoats there, un-
der distinguished acknowledgement
in charge as govcrnor-in-chef There
were fourteen war vessels, large and
small, in her harbor only this last
spring. She has dozen forts Next
to Gibraltar and Malta, bermuda is
said to be her most strongly fortified
port in all of the British domains.
Why?
A glance at the map, or better yet,
globe explains. These islands are en-
tirely by thepselves in the midst of the
Atlantic No land is within 600 miles.
\ closer survey Will show that they are
about equi-distant from Newfoundland.
Nova Scotia. Maine, New York. Nir
GINA, Georgia. the Bahamas, Haiti and
the northern Antilles-all OF them from
COO 10 700 miles away. The map Will
show them to be the center Of a circle
the western half Of which Is outlined
by all these other islands and the Uni
ted States coast. In case Of war with
Spain, France or Denmark. England
could sWoop down on their West India
possessions in one-fourth the time they
would require to reach them. In a
war with the United States she could
be within the above distances of all
our forts. All this. beside having an
easy protection of the mouth Of the ST.
Lawrence. She could rush her fleet out
for attack, or retreat easily for safety
and repairs and would have what none
of the rest of us have. coaling sta
ton out in the middle of the sea. She
could concentrate a hundred vessels
there. and hurl British Armada
against the American or European con-
tinent From there she easily can de
fend her possessions near our southern
coasts and be not too far of to keep
sharp eye out on the future Nicaragua
canal 1t is simply an invaluable pos
session.
Now. what the Bermuda Islands are
to Great Britain the Hawaiian Islands
are to the United States in the Pacific.
They. toe. are midocean group. They.
too. are isolated from all others. They
800. form the center Of a full third Of
a circle with radius Of 1000 miles,
which reaches the various ports Of Cal
fornia. oregon. Washington. British
America. Alaska, the AIeutian Islands
Siberia and North Japan. They are
the center of this almost unislanded
sea Then, South America. Korea.
China. India ana the nearest Of the
Australasian Islands are hardly twice
that distance from Hawaii Geograph
ically she belongs 10 us, as We'll as
redemptively. through our early teach
ing Of her children. British America
is a. near to her almost as us, and
England would undoubtedly find her
a desirable link to join her Asiatic to
her American possessions. But we
need her immensely more than she
She is in the middle of the Pacific. Hike
a huge turreted monitor at sea, facing
the approaching enemy from any AMI
every side. And she offers herself
without price, to be our Monitor Is
land there
As naval station we might always
find it convenient to have some of cur