The Republican journal., 1898-06-02
Of the War.

u,,..sn+ Awakening of the American
People to Important Facts. The Urgent
Necessity of a Stronger Navy Fully DEM
| Onstrated.
Already the war with Spain has brought
forth problems which are absorbing the
attention of American statesmen. There
are some who are predicting that the pres
ent struggle will have far reaching results;
that if will change the map OF the world
in number of particulars. There are
few who believe that before the conflict
between the United States and Spain is
ended other nations will be drawn into the
fight and that the war Will De more ter
rible one than the world has ever known.
There are some who believe that the time
is now ripe for an alliance between the
two great English speaking nations of the
earth for the purpose of bringing about
the supremacy of the English speaking
people in the Pacific and IN Asiatic waters;
there are others that claim the folly of the
United States in interfering outside of its
own territory has been demonstrated.
The President is being advised strongly |
on the one side never to haul down the |
American flag in the Philippines, and on
the other not to consider the holding of |
these islands as American territory after
the conclusion of the war. But while
opinions differ radically upon the subjects !
of territorial ACKNOWLEDGEMENT and the adj |
visibility of the English alliance, there
are two things developed by the present
struggle upon which there is practical
unanimity of American sentiment. One
is that the United States must have much
greater navy than it has; navy, backed
by the nation other resources, will make
the United States fully capable of hold
ing its own with any other nation in the
L., II, tI,ny ic
comitant of the tirst-more coaling sta
lions.
Capt Mahan, a member of the board of
strategy and one of the most distinguish
ed naval experts n the world has said
that a war ship without coal is like wing
less bird. The full force of this analogy
has been impressed upon the American
: people in the past six weeks as it never
was before. When Admiral Dewey was
forced to leave Hong Kong with his fleet,
lie was practically compelled to fight for
his life. That he succeeded so brilliantly
does not in the least affect the fact that
when war was declared the declaration
left him in most desperate straits, as he
was over 5000 miles from home and having
no port in which he could enter for refuge
or to re-coal The difficulties Spain has
had to encounter to get her fleet across the
Atlantic are too fresh in the public mind
to need repetition.
NEED OF CoALING STATIONS
"Coaing stations,' said naval expert
to-day, "are the great necessity of mari
time power 1t would be better for a
warship to be without guns than to be
without coal: for if she should have coal
and be without guns she would at least
have a chance of getting away, but left
without coal she is at the mercy of the
enemy. Whether theU nited States Govern
ment shall decide to give up the Philip
pines OF not when peace has been restored
it may be taken for granted, | think, that
this government will at least retain one
coalng station in the Philippines, which
will be strongly fortified, so that in the
future, in case of war between this coun-
try and any other power, our Asiatic fleet
will have some harbor of refuge. Our
lack of coaling stations and the advantage
of possessing them in such a situation as
the country finds itself at present is the
reason for the strong revival Of interest in
the Hawaiian annexation proposition Ii
it had not been for the war with Spain
Hawaiian annexation would almost GER
tainly have been beaten, but now it looks
as if there was a splendid chance of its
success. Naval and military strategists
have long contended that the United
OldleS ueeQeu luOSe lSlduuS DIS d DdSG lOC
operations in the Pacific, and now the
public is coming around to that view.
Modern ships of war and commerce need
facilities for frequent coaling and for ire
!, quent docking for repairs.
II "a neutral port can not be used as base
II of supplies in time of war. This was
u emphasized during the Franco onquin
: war, when England refued to allow French
- ships to coal at Singapore, and France was
Y forced to send coal transports from Mar
j. settles through the Suez Camel to Saigon.
& Spain likewise will be Obliged to send
Il transports through the Suez Canal in case
she intends any attempt to recapture the
. Philippines. Hawaii not having declared
e neutrality our ships which will 60 to the
If relief OF Admiral Dewey will be enabled
to lecoal at that port. II Hawaii was
was in possession of hostile or even
neutral power it would be impossible for
this to be done, and the matter of sending
if relief to Dewey would be one of very much
l. greater difficulty than it will be under the
$ present circumstances. With Hawaii in
our possession and Pearl Harbor fortified
> and stored with coal we need fea1 no at
tack from across the Pacific. We should
require fewer warships in the Pacific and
fewer TO rtifcations on Western andAlaskan
coasts tt an would oe required if Hawaii
should remain in it's present condition or
> pass into the possession of a foreign
power.
EXAMPLE OF ENGLAND,