The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-01-30
MUST COMMAND PACIFIC.
IMPORTANCE OF CANAL IN TIMES
OF WAR on PEACE.
President OF Naval war College
Urges UntrammeIed Control by
United states in Order to Main
tain Ascendency ON West Ocean.

NEW YORK, Jan. 29.-"Command Of
the sea on our North Pacific coast and
the waters of the Western basin of the
North Pacific should be In our hands. In
peace and war time. This can only be
effected by readiness of a proper and suf-
fcient naval force. either on the spot or
to be furnished from the Atlantic, through
an untrammeled canal. In addition to
this, and ready for combining. should be
the available forces normally attached
to the Philippines. the Pacific ocean from
Samoa northward should be within our
control"
These observations are made hy. Capt.
c. H. Stockton, president of the naval
war college, In an article In the proceed
ings of the naval institute. dealing with
the commercial, naval and political con-
ditions of an interoceanic canal. across
the Central American isthmus. Refer
ring to the Clayton-B ulwer treaty, Capt.
Stockton says:
1T is safe to say that It is practically
the opinion of all Americans that this
treaty should either be abrogated or very
materially modified. The change OF con-
ditions since the signing of this treaty;
due to our West Indian acquisitions and
more specially to the great developments
Of our Pacific coast and territory, should
cause Great Britain also to see the de-
STABILITY, II not the necessity of this
THE proposition for canal, exclusively
owned or controlled by the United states.
In war and peace, means the direct or in
direct purchase or construction OF the
canal by. the government OF the United
states In time OF war It would mean "a
maintain the canal open against an ex-
terror attack from any power or alliance
OF powers, with the force they can spare
from European waters.
Need strong Naval Force.
'The first thing that presents itself in
connection with the canal and naval pro-
fession is the necessity for strong naval
as the canal and its Immediately ada
cent territory is, from the territory of the
United States by Mexico, the approaches
order TO give us the status here that
Great Britain enjoys at Suez. Nothing
would conduce more to the safety and
protection of these canals and the benefi-
control of the Suez canal by Great Brit
ain and the control of the American canal
by the United States.
''It has been said that the changes
forced upon us by the canal will be so
great that 1t would be better for us Il no
it to be so. but it does not matter; the
canal is inevitable and its eventual open
ing is but a question Of time"
the canal, Capt. Stockton reviews the
naval situation in the Pacific.
"A predominance, both maritime and
declares. lis an essential matter for the
United States in regard to the inter-
oceanic canal. AS the want of such naval
deny us access to the canal on that side
in war time, so similar want Of pre-
dominance in the Pacific will prevent our
ships gaining access to the canal from
these waters. The maritime predomi-
nance In the North Pacific. though con-
tested, is still ours and to this should be
added the naval predominance which, II
1t does not precede the maritime pre-
dominance, should at least accompany It,"