New-York tribune., 1907-12-08
NAHAN on THE PACIFIC CRUISE.

With our navy assembling Mt the mouth of the
Chesapeake for the cruise to the Pacific and the
date set for starting on that unprecedented en-
terprise only few days distant. Captain Ma
hans article on The True Significance of the
Pacific Cruise" in the current Scientific Amer
ican' is invested with timeness equal TO It's
authority. There are by this time trust few
persons in this country or elsewhere who re-
gard at all seriously the alarmist figments
which, whether malciousy, lgnorantly or
merely idly, were some time ago put forth CON
corning the cruise, or who even imagine that
there is for il some secret and mysterious rea-
son which only the initiates permitted 10
know. II there be any such we commend to
them a careful reading of Captain Mahan's
convincing essay; and indeed the same recon-
mendation is TO be made TO all who desire to
gain or 10 be confirmed in an intelligent under
standing OF the needs and the significance OF
the second navy of the world
Practice-practica practice, If the pleonastlc
phrase be permissible for the sake of emphasis
is the ample explanation of the cruise. The
principle, than which there c0uld be none more
sound is that n navy should in time OF peace
he famaTized so far as possible with every
duty which II may have To perform in time of
war. That is why there are eyOlutonS of all
kinds. That is why there is 50 much target
practice. Obviously the best ships in the world
manage them; and the best guns which a foun-
dry ever turned out would be only so much
metal unless the gunners knew how to shoot
with accuracy. But the potential object of the
navy'S existence is not merely to perform evo-
lutions and TO hit targets. but to protect the
coasts Of this country. Now, the United States
has Pacific as well Atlantic coast and
has not n navy large enough to be divided
safely between them" The problem IS there
fore, for the navy tc make itself able and to
demonstrate satisfactorily that il is able, to
transfer itself expeditiously from one coast TO
the other. 1t is, in fact says Captain AIahan
the problem of Rojcstvensky; only It Is being
solved in peace matter of practice instead
of in war as matter of desperate necessity
The question of coaling where and how: of
anchorages; Of neutral limits in coast waters
and score of others, each one of which might
be of supreme Importance in time of war, are
to be answered, and can he answered only by
such a cruise as this. The knowledge Of The
mobility of our fleet "is experimental, gained
only by practice" and therefore Captain Mahan
concludes that the proposed voyage is "in the
highest degree practical; not only advisable,
"but imperative" The word Imperative seems.
indeed, no whit too strong \ great navy which
we did not knocy how to use would be Il source
of weakness rather than strength. The very
fact that we have a navy makes it imperative
that we should familiariZe ourselves with the
use of it; and If in this cruise or my other
practice work which may be required there are
difficulties to be met and overcome why the
greater they are the more need there is of
meeting them and overcoming them There
could be nothing more practical: there could be
nothing more imperative; for the purpose is ito
fulfil the object which alone justities the ex-
"iStence of n navy