Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1907-09-23
FLEET GOING TO FAR EAST
Navy Department to Send il Out in
the Best of Condition.
VALUABLE LESSON TO BE LEARNED
Naval Men Have No Fears But Great
Fleet WIN Make Good showing
and Not suner by COM
parison.
n-rom a star Correspondent

WASHINGTON. Sept. z.-tSpecial)--
Orders were issued this week by the navy
department to commandants of govern
ment shipyards and naval training sta
tions to prepare all available sailormen
to join the Atlantic fleet. which sails in
December for the Pacihc 1t is the in
tention OF the naval board, as we'll as
Secretary Metcalf, to send our fighting
monsters on their mission OF peace into
foreign waters with full compliments and
all men who have seen one year of service
and less than twenty years with Uncle
Sans navy will be expected to Join the
fleet that has already commenced mob
ilization to sail away into the far east
The squadron which is to give the people
Of China, Japan and Australasia an OPP,
portunity to look upon the most formid-
able feet of battle-ships ever assembled
In that section Of the world goes osten-
sibly for practice and to test their ef-
fciency. But behind the determination 70
send such a tremendous force into for
eisn waters is understood to be a deep
laid plan of the higher up naval oficials
to incite renewed ship building on the
Atlantic coast, the states bordering on
those waters and adjacent thereto already
showing the livelest possible interest in
the unprotected situation in which It will
leave them after the Pacific squadron
sails.
Let the Pacific squadron sail by all
means" said a chief of one of the naval
bureaus yesterday, in discussing the move
ment that was on foot some time ago to
have the president recall his order mob.
iizing the fleet in the Pacific There
is not a man connected with the navy who
mas any doubt as to the good report which
the fleet will make" he continued. 1T
Will not only be a splendid school for the
younger officers. but II will brush up the
older officers and IL we are to have any
trouble in the immediate future the trip
across the Pacific and into eastern waters
will bring out defects and permit of their
being remedied. 1t will have the further
advantage OF demonstrating to the country
tnat we need more fighting machines and
that there should be two great sauadrons-
one on the Pacific and one on the Atlantic
The United States will only be secure when
1t has the most formidable navy in the
world. Security rests in tons OF metal and
tons of guns with men sufficient to officer
and man thom.
Nc Politics I'm Move.
There is no politics in the mobilization
OF great fleet in the Pacific as has been
intimated in some circles antagonistic to
the president. How could 1t be? II there
is. any politics. IN tha assembling of oar
great sea fighters on the Pacific. II fs'sthe
politics of preparedness and practical
demonstration that we are willing to take
advantage of conditions and get the best
results from them possible. Now, I'm not
a politician, nothing more than sailor
man, but even a sailorman can see that IL
politics was to be played so far as securing
delegates to a national convention is con-
cerned It would pit the west against the
east and that to my mind would be ex-
tremely bad politics. The transfer of the
Atlantic feet to the Pacific takes away
from our Atlantic coast cities not only tho
ships. but the men who man them. At
lantic coast towns are benefited by the
visits of the Atlantic fleet to these places.
having safe harbors. and the butcher the
baker and the candestickmaker, to say
nothing of the places OF entertainment,
benefit from the visit of the fleet To make
1t political question, therefore, would be
the height of folly and President Roosevelt
has never been accused OF being a bad
politician. My judgment is that the feet
which is ordered to assemble on the Pacific
ostenslbly on a visit to California and
Washington, will be ordered to the far east
for we all recognize that the volcano is
there and there the eruption will take place
and not on the Atlantic While am not
In the confidence Of those who are directing
the movements OF the Pacific fleet, know
enough of conditions throughout the world.
by reason of having been with the navy
for nearly forty years to know that there
are exceedingly delicate matters to be ad-
justed in the far east. and IL Japan should
insist upon the annexation of Corea, It
would be wise to have a friendly squadron
nearby to protect the persons and property
of American citizens in the orient. 1 say,
therefore, let the fleet sail and God speed II
on its mission OF peace"