The Mankato free press., 1905-03-03
The United States Should Have
Weight in World Affairs.
Should Preserve the Open Door
For China's Commerce.
Big Navy Will Make a Large
Army Unnecessary.

The lecture last evening by Captain
Richmond Pearson Hobson on "The
American Navy, It's Glorious Past, It's
Brilliant Future" drew an audience
that completely filled the theatre. The
speaker was introduced by Secretary
Gran. who took occasion to announce
that the next entertainment on the
course would occur March 2lst, and
would be the lecture on Russia and
Japan" by Frank R. Robertson. This
was the first on the course, but had to
be postponed.
pearing young man, about thirty years
of age, and is an excellent speaker He
is very forceful, and emphasizes his
remarks with strong gestures. He did
not, as many supposed he would, give
description of the navy, neither did
he refer to its past record except in "a
very general way. His speech was al
most entirely along the line of a JUS
tification for an increase of the navy,
made necessary by the world policy
that has been imposed upon the United
States, in which its voice should stand
for peace. Unless it is backed by
naval supremacy, the warlike countries
of the world will not listen to it.
Captain Hobson was frequently ap-
plauded, and seemed to carry convic-
ton with his remarks. The only crit
icism that could be passed upon the ad-
dress is that it was about thirty min
utes too long, causing the audience to
get restless.
Captain Hobson said that the navy's
past reads like a romance, and great
efficiency has characterized it. We
can say of it that we can say of no
other navy in the world, that it has
never known defeat
As for the future, America is to play
an important part in world economy,
and bring peace to the world. Let the
past take care of the past, and let
us now consider the present and fu-
ture. This country has now passed
its boyhood days, and must take up a
mans work and touch the lives of other
nations.
History shows that other nations have
risen to power and been destroyed, and
that republics have been especially
short lived. Other powers of the pres
ent day have great navies and do not
hesitate to use them. This country
must either have strong army or a
strong navy or both. A large army would
take many from the productive indus
tries and thus weaken the country,
while leading to militarism that might
sometime overthrow the government A
large navy has no tendency to militar-
ism and never yet overthrew gov
ernment. With an adequate navy, no
enemy could reach our shores, because
of the remarkable geographical position
of the country. We ought to have naval
supremacy, for we have 1900 miles of
coast line, and numerous great harbors
and rivers. Of our population, 20,O00,-
900 live in cities on the water, and
more than half of the property of the
country is exposed to sea attack. We
have more property and commerce than
any other nation Mines and torpedoes
do not stop ships from entering har-
bors and do not control the sea, as his
tory has shown.
Japan's success in the present war
has been due to her control of the sea.
because in the beginning she had two
more battleships than Russia had in
eastern waters. Now she is in fear and
trembling with the Baltic feet APP
preaching. She would not sell one of
her precious battleships for $lO0,O00,-
600, but would pay that much for one
Russia would mortgage her future for
generation for ten battleships. But it
is now too late, for 1T takes four or
five years to build battleships, and when
war breaks out no other nation is per-
mitted to sell war ships to the bel
ligerents. The United States should be-
gin to build up its naval supremacy in
time of peace.
The United States is rapidly becoming
the great productive nation of the
earth. 1t is rapidly approaching the
time when the home market will not be
enough. Two thirds of the people of
the world are naked, and if we can open
up this market it will take all that
we can possibly produce and keep the