The age-herald., 1900-07-22
A COMMAND FOR DEWEY
The Admiral Will Go to China in Case
 of General War

from all parts of the world reach the Count
 Keenly alive to the possibility of gen eral war growing out of the Chinese situa- ton, the Navy Department, through its strategic board, which met in Newport last week, has prepared a comprehensive plan of campaign. In the event Of a general war in China it is considered highly prob able that Admiral Dewey will be assigned to the command of the American Asiatic fleet; in fact, he has declared that in such an event he would volunteer his services for this command When last spoken to on the subject he seemed to have fear of international complications growing out of the desire of the European powers to parti- tion China. Bearing in mind the success he had in keeping the hands of other powers off the Philippines during the Spanish war, officials of the administration believe that the moral effect of Dewey's presence in command of the American forces would be a sufficient guarantee that the United States would not suffer when the time ar rives for formulating a policy in regard to the separation or future government of China.
 As president of the Newport Strategy Board Admiral Dewey was able to ad- vance many valuable suggestions in the preparation of the plan of campaign for the East, and if the time comes for carry Ing it out, it will be known as the Dewey project. In brief, the project contemplates a squadron of more than double the size of the present Asiatic and Pacific fleets outlining plans for quick reinforcements from this side. Charts of the entire coast of China were carefully gone over by the board, and points designa, for the loca- tion of ships and vessels lected for the navigation of the shallow yers. Plans are also included for meetirN conditions which may arise from complications with other powers, but, of course, no details on this point are available.
 Unlike the navy, the army has made no preparations for a Chinese war. All that Is being done by the War Department be- yond the sending of a few troops for the expedition to Pekin Is the preparation of a Chinese map, which will be valuable only in indicating the point of trouble. Practi- cally nothing is known of the topography of China, that the map from a strategi- cal or tactical standpoint will have no val ue, and when troops are landed 1t will be necessary for their commanders to make study of the country before they attempt to advance. Nor does it appear that the War Department has made any preliminary arrangements for the transportation of troops beyond the facilities they already have at hand for carrying troops to and from the Philippines.
 From the way the state department and army officials talked yesterday it would seem that the sending of large body of American soldiers to China is not under contemplation. Indeed, there are reasons to believe that if the present troubles in China should result in general war of all the powers against China the United States will have a smaller representation of American troops than any other of the allied countries and that we will depend largely upon Japan. There are reasons for believing that negotiations are now in pro- gress between the allied powers looking to an agreement as to the number of troops each will send and the policy to be pursued in regard to the future government of China. By reason of the close proximity of Russia and Japan, 1t is naturally as stunned that those two countries will have preponderance of troops in the field