The Washington herald., 1907-07-06

There evidently was a slip-up in the
apparent arrangement made between
President Roosevelt and Secretary Of the
Navy Metcalf for the synchronous an
nouncement of the intention of the gov
eminent 10 send the entire Atlantic bat
tie ship fleet to the Pacific coast Of the
United States
William Loeb, jr.. Secretary to the
President, after his first specific de-
nial, was a little less definite than
Mr. Metcalf, for he said. speaking for
Mr.. Roosevelt, that the fleet was merely
going on cruise, and might go else
where than TO the Pacific coast
1t is impossible, however. to ignore the
definite character Of Mr.. Metcalfs state
ment that the fleet is going to san Fran
cisco. Mr. Metcalf is a cautious man and
nobody who knows him believes that he
would declare that San Francisco was the
fleets destination unless an absolute de-
termination to that effect had been reach
ed and he was authorized to make it
known.
Some way, somehow. Mr.. Metcalf must
have thought that he had the Presidents
authority TO make a positive. definite
statement The announcement Of Secre-
tary Loeb indicates that the President
was not willing to tell the whole story at
this time. and Mr.. Metcalf must have had
an unpleasant moment when he read
what Mr.. Loeb had said and compared it
with his own remarks
Given Undue Significance.
There is a feeling in Washington that
a bad tactical error was made by the ad-
mi1istrati0n in denying the story that the
fleet would 60 TO the Pacific and then by
a quick change about acknowledging that
it was true. Through this course. it is |
said, the project has been given signif-
canoe that would not otherwise have ap-
peared
It is contended by those disposed 70 crit
iciss this inexplicable policy, if announce
ment had baea made when the rumors
about the fleet first appeared. that the
rumCrs were true. and that the movement
was i'm accordance with a policy adopted /
by the administration a long time ago |
and had no relation co the japanese ques-
tion this country and Japan would have
accepted the explanation.
The theory advanced here Of the admin
istrauon's strange behavior is that the
delay I'm making the announcement was
due TO desire ON the part Of Secretary
Mctcalf 10 have the pleasure of giving out
the news NJ his own home Oakland, Cal |
said Mr.. Metcalf at Oakland:
Wanted Coast to- Hear II First.
Il might have stated before leaving
Washington exactly what I am saying
now. but ! thought as the news con-
cerned the people Of the Pacific Coast.
to-day Uhe Fourth of JULY would be
an appropriate time to announce the
plans"
Before leaving Washington he denied all
knowledge Of the report which he con-
firmed Thursday night He started across /
the continent apparently with his big
news carefully canned and marked Not
to be opened until independence Day" It
was old news, if true. of course. when the
opening day came. but il had an addi-
tional interest. in view Of the previous
efforts made by those high in official life
TO show that the idea of sending sixteen
or more battle ships from the Atlantic to
the Pacific was ridiculous.
II is quite true that the proposal TO send
a battle-ship fleet on a long cruise had
been under consideration long before the
japanese shadow appeared on the horizon |
1t is true also that the government had /
reached the conclusion seven or eight |
years ago that the interests of the United
States I'm the Pacific demanding protec-
tion 10y war ships were equal To- those in
the Atlantic, and I'm the last few years 1t |
was agreed that our interests Of that
character in The Pacific were superior 20 /
those in the Atlantic Naval strategists /
have urged that there should be two fleets
Of sixteen battle ships each one i'm the |
Atlantic and the other in the Pacific.
Due 90 Agitation I'm japan.
Such a distribution, they contended. |
would do more than anything else to |
preserve peace with some Of Americas !
sisters i'm the family Of nations The |
idea of sending the Atlantic battle ship /
squadron TO the Pacific has been a per- |
fectly natural development, but If the 4
stories told here are to be believed, the /
acute cause of the decision to make the /
long-distaHce transfer was the agita- |
ton in japan over the discrimination |
against japanese in San Francisco.
one Of these stories, which was told In /
naval circles yesterday as a piece Of /
gossip, is TO the effect that President 4
Roosevelt suggested the transfer of the |
battle ship fleet from the Atlantic to the /
Pacific az a Cabinet meeting held just /
before he left Washington for oyster /
Bay. The suggestion. according TO thel
story, did not meet with favor, and
9ome members OF the Cabinet expressed |
themselves as opposed to it on the /
ground that Japan would get ready for |
war the minute the plan became known.
To this objection the President so the |
gossip ran. responded that Japan would |
not oppose any such course, and even if
she were 10 view the transfer Of the bat
tie ships 10 the Pacific as a hostile act.
the United States would then be pre-
pared 90 meet her This story is given
merely for what it I worth TlA view
attributed to the President that Japan
would have no objection to an American
battle ship fleet going to the Pacific. has
since been indorsed by Visc0unt Aoki. the
Continued on Page ., Column 4.