The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1905-04-12
The NAVAL BASE FOR
THE CARIBBEAN SEA.
Jacksonville Times Union.

sSs q q "a: !: x
For some years Captain Maaan has
been the foremost authority in the
world on all subjects cooeected with
the use of sea forces whether for
attack or defense His authority is
as great in England as In America
1t was in recognition OF his position
that ne was placed on the advisory
board during the Spanish war. His
writings make his conclusion; plain.
and these are carefully STRENGTHENED
By historical instances an0 examples
no critic has successfully attacked
them In his Interest Of America in
Sea Power he deals explicitly with
the problems confronting us to-day,
and especially with those attending
the construction of the Panama canal.
Now Captain Manan predicts that
great battle must be fought in the
Caribbean sea, and then deals with
the situatioR- applying mis- PRINCIPLES.
One dogma is that for sucn war our
naval tase should not be made on any
island of the West Innies, because
there all our supplies would be at tie
Grey of a possible European comb
nation against US; that when the
crisis comes We must fign3 a superior
navy, having for our advantage pro-
plnquity 10 the seat of warfare and
the power to compel the enemy 10
fight at a distance from home. With
an important naval station on an is
land We would present vital point to
the enemy; it could be blockaded ard
so access denied whenever our fleet
found 1t impossible TO keep the sea,
and it might be besiege1-under any
OF these circumstances we would lose
all the objects contemplated in max
ing the rendezvous. Instead We should
make the station on the nearest avail
able point of the mainland, at the ter
minus of trunk line OF railway.
Thus such a station could be reinforc-
ed without limit with both mer. SUD-
plies and machine-y-wlth a popula-
ton like ours it couli net be taken BY
siege; it could not De held or block
AIDED to exclude our own ships though
it should, If possible. have two en-
frances. Therefore, ne decided
against even the Island of Key West:
how much more decided would be his
refusal for Cuba, the Danish Islands
or Porto Rico?
Yet we see Secretary Morton recon-
mending that naval base be prepar-
ed at Guantanamo-a hartor exposed
to hurricanes; a position rhae may be
attacked or bloekaded whenever the
enemy collects fleet superior to ours
from which our weakened or dis
ahled ships may be excluded; where
the supplies could be isolated if not
made useful to the enemy. 1T is not
so with England. which CANNOT con-
template the possibility of losing COM
mand of her home seats;" it being
our greatest strength that we would
lose only commercial profits IL we
abandoned our coast line entirely for
a time.
Why then spend the millions that
viii be required to place naval base
at Guantanamo? Captain Mahan dis
tinctly contemplates the necessity of
making his base for the protection Of
the Caribbean on the mainland of
Florida. though he does not more spe-
cifically locate it We hope congress
will pause to reflect before making
the enormous appropriations that viii
be asked for Guantanamo. And it
should not be forgotten that the OBJ
jections apply in our case TO al island
stations for the defense OF our home
waters, but especially to az island we
could not hold