The Washington times., 1902-08-04
Army and Navy Interested
in Mimic War flans.
A PLAY FOR APPROPRIATIONS
Object Lessons Proposed to impress
Country of Greatness Of Naval Forcs
and Necessity for Making 1t Greater
Admiral Taylor Dominant Spirit.

The Forthcoming joint maneuvers Of
the army and navy is absorbing unusual
attention among army and navy off,
cials. In fact the mimic war is excit-
ing more attention than the half dozen
revolutions" of actual warfare N
South and Central America. or real
carnage in the Philippines. But there IL
purpose in all the plans that are being
made upon an elaborate scale and with
great secrecy on the part of both
branches of the service. One object, and
perhaps the foremost, OF the war games
is 20 convince Congress Of the necessity
of liberal appropriations for the national
defense, particularly in view of the en-
larged responsibilities brought by the
possession of distant islands. and the
building Of the isthmian canal.
The greaI object lessons 1t is proposed
to impress On the country have been de-
vised by the general board. which has
quickly attained preponderant influence
since Secretary Moody entered the Cabi-
net. and promises TO develop into a full
iedged general staff before the end of
the year. With Admiral Dewey at its
head, and most of the fighting officers
of the service. including the personnel
of the War College, supporting it. this
organization is dominated by Rear Ad-
miTal Taylor, chief of the Bureau of
Navigation. whose control OF the navy
is comparable only with that exerted
by General Corbin over the army. Ad-
miral Taylor is recognized as easily
the leading theorist of the service, the
officer who built up the War College to
be a model for all nations, the highest
type of the scholar in stratcgics, and
more respected by progressive Ameri-
can officers than even Mahan is abroad.
His studies of today's international
problems and his deductions as to the
lines along =--h.ieii the United States
must be ready to act in the near future
have had extraordinary weight with
both arms of the United States service,
and he has come to have the distinction
of being honored as a prophet on in
possibilities.
Germany VS.. United States.
According to the officers WIN are clos
est to him. he is thoroughly alive to the
steady set of a current which is carrying
the United States and Germany along
lines in many parts OF the
globe. and bringing these two nations
into closer rtval-y everywhere. So far
as that goes commercially, it Is not a
1rand-new discovery, but to Admiral Tay-
or belongs the exclusive credit OF warn
ng the leaders of the army and navy
hat preparations must begin at once
md be vigorously prosecuted from this
line forth for a grave crisis in German
American relations in the spring OF 1901.
I is interesting to note that the admir-
us predictions of a conflict are so ad-
usted as to ~ermit his taking part In
is settlement. He is due to retire at
bout the same time that the threatened
var with Germany. according to his no.
ions. is to break out.
Admiral Taylor as Prophet.
The frequent suggestions of trouble
With Germany have not attracted much
ttention, coming from youthful and en-
husiastic officers. with their careers be-
ore them. who have talked about the
likelihood of trouble for several years
ast, but the conclusions of a mature
cholar." who will reach the retiring age
N March 4, 1907, and who fixes the time
ave naturally produced some effect, es-
ecially when he Is satisfied that the
locality of the storm center
7ill be in the Caribbean Sea. The pro-
ess by which this prediction has been
eveloped by a thoughtful scholar is
ot wholly disclosed, but 1t undoubtedly
INVOLVES the completion OF the current
obstruction program of Germany late in
500. which will make that country's
avy much stronger then than ours at
he rate we are now building
In fact. the time will be coincident
nth the most efficient sea power Ger
lany now contemplates-the time when
he Panama canal will be occupying
luch attention in this country, when
he Cuban republic may have about
cached the end OF its tether. when ia
iaica and other West Indian islands
ill be PROSTATE in bankruptcy. when
he Netheriands-and this is one of the
dmiral's pet predictions, it is said-will
ave been absorbed by Germany, leaving
uracao and the other Dutch islands of
ne Caribbean Sea as bones OF contention
} force q supreme test of the Monroe
octrine. not to speak OF the ripeness Of
he season for plucking a few South
merican republics for repudiated debts
nd damage claims.
Neither Admiral Taylor nor Admiral
ewey and the other members of the
eneral board really expect war with
ermany, but they foresee that all the
onditions which lead to wars are likely
J he brought about ar some time OF
ther, and they are strong in their be-
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