The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1905-10-17
ARMY AND NAvYJOURNAL
ON PACFC OCEAN DEFENSES

The following interest is an editorial from the Army
and Navy Journal:
The renewal broader lines of the Anglo Japanese alliance
prospective establishment great base at Sing
and the evesh commercial enterprise of Japan whose
eowners pushing with increased energy that
ndedhese facts full meaning States
They that if receive due share of the expand
traffic the Pacific if commercial
those be be up doing We
need legislation develop merchant marine worthy
of national wealth and and in addition need
broad consistent policy looking development Of
the national defenses This need particularly urgent with
defenses the Pacific We have held the Philippines
years yet do possess single adequately port
the whole archipelago We maintain large feet the Aac
Station and shall probably rather than reduce
facilities for docking repairing and coang its ships grossly
insufficient We hold Hawaii and have there splendid for
upodate naval base but have done little nothing
improve it. We have promising yard Puget Sound but
has only single dydoc of dimensions and being built
of wood will have be placed of service while recev
ing needu repairs Prudence economy and sound naval policy
all that shall have modern steel drydocks capable
commodang the largest baeshps, convenient points in the
Pacifcone Puget Sound Mare Island with channel
aordng safe and approach and in the Philippines The
principal seaports in the Philippines should fortified
class naval base established within easy reach of Manila Major
General Corbn commanding the Philippines Division firmly be-
eves that with effort Manila be developed into one
of the commercial of the Orient But that will
qu the intelligent pbuidng Of military and naval defenses The
city will have be strongly fortified long recommended
by Lieutenant General Miles and Admiral Dewey and provision
be made for maintaining the Asac Fleet the highest level
OF efficiency Those things be done convince capitalists
that the American occupation of the Philippines penanncy
that business and that money invested there will be fully
protected acquired territory approach
ing the Philippines value and persisteny neglected
vide with needu deenses have neglected those islands
In spite of the nadequacy of defenses the Pacific the
condition of which would be actually perou the Of
and spite of the vigorous enterprise of Japan the rivalry for
commercial supremacy that great there aeady init
nations that Congress will be reluctant make provision
for national defense the forthcoming session If these nma
correctly the feeling and of Senators and
hope they do nothe result be
the adoption of policy by which rivals the
Pacific will be gamers Every other maritime nation appe
cates the opportunities the Pacific keeny than do and
all realize that the commercial mastery of those would be
advantages of position and influence push
ed forward by practical constructive legislation We cherish the
hope that when Secretary Taft and his feowtraveers including
distinguished members of both political parties return to Wash
ngon fresh from their of observation in Pacific posses
sion they may their colleagues keener and
tegent understanding of the American opportunity the West
That such opportunity for the promotion of
commerce and the naval influence which
quehat such opportunity should be forfeited by Congress
siona pamony and nacon would be national humiliation