The daily morning journal and courier., 1903-03-13

He is too well bred. too much of a piece
 lover, to send his ships abroad 10 enact i the role of a bad man from Bitter | Creek" But he does intend. if certain i reports from Washington are unfound . ed, to give our friends across the At { lantic an opportunity to see what dangerous fighting machines he
 possesses, and how they would be hand
 led in the event that any European nations presumes too far upon his good nature
 Behind the shield of a practice cruise % states our esteemed contem-
 porary. the Philadelphia Record. Tt is i proposed to demonstrate forcibIy the ability of this Government to carry a
 war to the doors of any country in Europe. To prove this in emphatic style the port of Lisbon, Portugal. is to
 be blOckaded at the end of tine long trip across the ocean. Portugal was select ed for the unique test because the i'm possibility of the United States ever be- coming involved in war with that coun- try is well recognized. Representata- tions will be made that will prevent any Portuguese suspicious of an ulterior AAAOA4hC- 4ACu4 -[AulIIIEdl odl hGlB hlO will command the fleet, will entertain
 the nobility and naval officers of Por-
 tugal in lavish style on his flagship. and
 visitors will be welcomed on all the
 ships. The fleet will be grouped off
 Lisbon long enough to prove that United Stated warships can cross and
 take sufficient coal along to assume of- I fensive operation on an extensive scale, Europe has considered this impossible" It is hoped this announcement will not cause resentment in Europe, but l thatth crowned heads of the old World will flock to Lisbon to see Uncle Sam playing war and doing suggestive
 things for their edification. Uncle Sam
 does not send his warships abroad to
 menace" even in a friendly way, the ports of friendly powers. Our navy has
 always been noted for it's refined sea
 manners" and it's good sense. The North Atlantic Squardon, duruing it's cruise in May, will do nothing to offend the sepsibilities of our Europen friends
 It may blockade Lisbon, but not in the way our Philadelphia contempor- ary suggests. The gunners of this squardon have been busily engaged in
 the last few weeks in target practice. They will be kept at work improving their markmanship until they sail for Europe. Perhaps they will be pro- ffcient when they reach the other side of the Atlantic that they will kindly
 consent to give an exhibition of their skill. They will shoot few swallows
 on the wing with their 12-inch guns or t1o1 rfa
 at the rate of 15 knots an hour. just
 to show their mastery of the fine points
 of the game. When the battleships
 blockade" Libson there will be great doings. Champagne will flow as free ly as the waters of the Tagus, and the | din of the corks as they pop from the glass artillery will reverbera te through
 out Europe. The beauty and cilivalry of Portugal will trip the light fantastic toe on the decks of our men-of-war. This is a fetching program. worthy the ingenuity of nimble-witted Uncle Sam. After Europe once gets accumstomed 1 to it, there will be w4i"np
 ing of teeth in the Old World unless the
 blockade" of some foreign porr is a l regular feature of our annual war fro- lie.
 There are interesting possibilities in the strenuous tactics suggested by our Philadelphia contemporary. Europe might think that one good turn de-
 serves another, and crave the privilege of sending to his side of the Atlantic some of her most formidable squad
 rons to demonstrate her ability to carry war to the doors'' of Uncle Sam,
 The Kaiser might dispatch fleet to establish pacific blockade of Boston.
 The French Government might send an | armada to hover about the harbor of | New. York. Our Russian friends, who
 now maintain strong fleet in the 1 Orient night amuse themselves by
 blocking" Manila. The Japs might station a squardon off Honolulu, while the British could tie up the harbor of
 San Juan for the delight of our Porto
 Rican fellow citizens. Nobody will
 deny that the game is chock full of the
 merriest kind of possibilities.-Balti- more Sun.