The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1907-07-09
THE MOVEMENT OF THE FLEET

The attempt TO make war scare
out Of the movements of The American
fleet, no matter into what seas il may
be sent is ridiculous. Profound peace
prevails throughout the world. There
is no reason why the battleships Of any
Nation should not he sent into any nav
igahe waters, without any word, com
ment or uneaslness on the part Of any
body or any people.
But because of the report that the
President of the United States has or
dered the Atlantic feet TO mako its
passage around the Horn and 60
TO our Pacific shore, there ia an i'm
mensity of talk, as though something
alarming was about to be done. II is,
of course, q tremendous undertaking
to sail the whole feet around Capo
Horn. If that is really the order there
is liable TO be considerable difficulty
and some loss Of ships, but there is
no denying that it will be a very
strong test Of the efficiency and the
sea-going qualities of our warships. If
they can stand that test they are un-
doubtedly staunch, scaworthy, and ft
for battle.
The particular reason why the world
looks on agog at this maneuver is be-
cause Of the assumed strained relations
between this country and Japan. AS
matter of course. this takes no ac-
count of the repeated assurances both
frnr, L and from onr Nation.
al capital, which are very clear and
definite, that there is no point of fric-
tion whatever between the two coun
tries; nor of the fact that neither
country is prepared TO 90 to war. The
United States has no reason for going
10 war, and Japan could not expect
TO gain anything whatever by a war
with the United States. There is no
point of friction, even stated in the
most provoking way, that would JUS
tify war between these two nations.
The little troubles in San Francisco
were nothing internationally; they have
no standing, and as provocative of
war they are ridiculous.
All this, of course, is on the assump-
tiop that nothing more has actually
occurred than the public knows. There
is a possibility, which must be recog-
nized, that there may have been some
clashlng in the secret diplomacies be
tween the two countries that would
Justify feeling of uneasiness. 1t is
Just possible that President Roosevelt S
generosity IN so promptly and gratu-
itously acceding to Japan's claims on
the school question in San Francisco,
which were, in fact, no claims at all,
have induced Japan to insist upon fur
ther concessions, explanations, promises,
and constructions of our laws and usages
which are lnadmissible, and which the
President found it impossible TO con
cede If there is anything of this kind,
the public does not know it; but if any
thing of the kind has attained the pro-
portions that would justify any war
feeling, the public is certainly entitled
to know it. We believe, further, that
If anything Of the kind existed, it could
not be concealed in this country. In
Japan, of course, anything can be CON
ceale0, DuJ Win us noluluS is Hiu-
den.
We do NOT believe, therefore. that
there is anything in the secret dlplo
macy or intercourse between the two
countries that justifes any war feel
ing any more than appears in mat
ters that are generally known. This
being the case, there is no reason why
Japan should take any offense, why
Russia should eXult, why Germany
should undertake to egg on this dem
onstration; there is no reason why
Great Britain should be uneasy, or
Franco concerned in this movement of
our fleet The United States feet could
be sent to English waters, to French
waters, to Russian waters, to Spanish
waters, to Italian waters, TO South
American, or even to Japanese waters,
without there being any justification
for the idea that war was imminent.
Much less is there any justification for
any uneasiness with respect to war in
the mere ordering of more or less of
our fleet into the Pacific. 1t is a
"scare' that will die down with the
waning of the freshness of the
fnews. -