Devils Lake inter-ocean and Devils Lake free press. (Devils Lake, Ramsey County, N.D.) 1905-1909, 1907-07-05
WAR WITH JAPAN
Minneapolis Journal, Sizes up Out
n come of ESuCh HostilitieS


on the United States. No matter
how remote the possibility OF
such action on the part of Japan,
it is mere ordinary prudence for
our military and naval authori-
ties to consider with great care
the problem that would confront
them in such a contingency.
Doubtless, this is exactly what
they have done and are doing.
The principal factors in the
problem are time, which in turn
depends on geography, naval
strength and financial resources.
japan is no match for us in the
last two respects, but derives her
principal advantage from the
geographical position.
It is to be promised that it
would be impossible for Japan to
take us by surprise, as she did
Russia. There would inevitably
elapse a certain period in which
secrecy would be impossible, be-
tween the day when she finally
determined to strike and the day
she delivered the blow. It may
be conceded that we could not ex-
pect to defend the Philippines or
Guam at first. We do not main
tain an adequate naval force in
those waters and would be oblig-
ed to withdraw our armored
cruisers, gunboats and torpedo
boats to Hawaii and ultimately
to our own coast.
The real crux of the war
would be the defense of Hawaii
against the japanese, until our
superior fleet of battleships had
time to make the long voyage
from the Atlantic to the Pacific
around Cape Horn.
So far as Hawaii is concerned,
we have the advantage in time,
for Honolulu is but five days
away from our coast, while it is
nine or ten days from Japan.
The experts figure that we could
land force of $4,000 men with
ample artillery and supplies in
Pearl Harbor in ten days after
the war was found to be newt
able. This force could throw up
the necessary earthWork fortifi-
cations to supplement the forti-
fications already in place. Fully
three weeks would elapse before
Japan could land a man-three
weeks for fortifcation and pre-
paration. The feats of both
things could be done in that time.
There is little doubt that the
defending force could hold all
important Hawaii against the
japanese for three months.
which would give our navy am
pie time to appear on the scene.
The Japanese warships would be
sunk or driven away, and then,
with the islands as base would
begin the long arduous, expen-
sive campaign to reconquer the
Philippines, blockade Japan and
bring the war to a close. There
could be no doubt as to it's final
result, but it would take two or
three years and vast expendi-
lures of men and money. Pro-
baby Japan would be worn out
financially before her defenses
were entirely battered down.
Such in brief is a sketch of the
war as American experts believe
it would be fought. It will be
noted that America from the
outset, and until her navy made
the long trip to the Pacific,
would be on the defensive, and
that Hawaii would be the vital
point. Without it Japan would
be powerless to carry the war to
our coasts; with it she could
threaten all our coastal possess
sions.
In the single item Of small
craft like torpedo boats and des-
troyers is her navy stronger than
ours. We have eighteen battle
ships to her eleven, eight armored
cruisers to her nine, forty-four
cruisers to her twenty-five. In
financial resources, Japan is
greatly weakened by the burdens
of the war with Russia and
would be pitted this time against
the wealthiest nation in the
world. She could not ferry her
troops over in transports to
Hawaii as she did to Korea and
Manchuria, she would have to
take them on a long sea voyage,
taxing the capacity of her mer-
chant marine to the utmost. Her