Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1907-07-11
WASHINGTON LETTER.
Rron Gu. Regular Correspondent.


At last IL has been settled that the
battle ship squadron Is 70 be sent TO
the Pacific Coast. This decision
has been announced officially by
Navy Department, and il Is little
curious TO see that on the very day
Of this announcement in Washington,
Secretary Loeb at Oyster Bay was
giving out an authoritative state
mept" that no such movement was
contemplated. Now of course the
government would not keep import
ant person as Secretary Loeb in
ignorance Ofits intentions, and there
is but one inference 10 be drawn
from the incident, namely that it
was misstatement that might have
been characterized by shorter
and uglier word.
II Secretary Loeb does not look
out he will get himsalf into the same
class with Assistant Secretary OF
State Robert Bacon. onetime partner
in the firm OF J. p. Morgan & Co.
Of New York. Assistant Secretary
oil State Bacon is very wealthy and
fashionable young man and is just
the sort OF an understudy that Sec
rotary Root wants TO take visiting
princes and other notables of his
hands. But as q source OF misin-
formation as to the things that are
going on In the State Department,
be has not heretofore been egualled.
He it was who gave out the famous
statementjust after the Jamaic earth
quake that there was no friction be-
tween Admiral Davis and Gov.
Sweetenham. The same issue OF the
papers that printed mis- statement
bad all the correspondence OF Ad-
miral Davis and Gov. Sweetenham
In an adjoining column. Also the
day news was received OF the killing
OF the Japanese seal poachers on the
Island OF st. Paul. Mr.. Bacon an
nOunced TO all callers that the re-
port was entirely unfounded al
though the telegram conveying the
Information had just been sent to
him by the Department OF Commerce
and Labor where the news was first
received. Mr. Bacon also announced
three days ago that the story of send
ing the battle ship squadron to the
Pacific was q complete fabrication.
If Secretary Loeb is starting In TO
emulate Shts record, Orectlng
10 travel in swift CONF
The journey OF the V5kttleships
from the Atlantic up TO the Pacific
will be the greatest naval movement
ever attempted by this government
aud only equally by the i'll fated feet
that Russia sent TO Japanese waters
two years ago. The English squad
rons in their war games around the
the British Isles, sometimes brings
into play more ships. but for the
size of the ships and the length OF
the voyage. the movement has never
surpassed. There were actually more
ships in Rogesvensky's squadron
when he went from the Baltic 10
the sea OF Japan, but the squadron
went In two sections; took an In.
ordinately long time making the
voyage, and was not the equal OF
the American feet in fighting power
at any time.
The question OF a route for the
squadron has been discussed by the
Naval Board at some length and
decision has been made In favor Of
Cape Horn. The route through the
Suez Canal is about 1000 miles
longer than the trip arou nd the Horn.
and beside this it would bring the
squadron almost into Japanese wa
ters and would look q little too much
like q studied defiance of the Japan.
ese public. Indeed. speaking guard.
eddy, that is What it is and the Jan
anesO government so understands
and acQuiesces in the wisdom of the
move. 1t is an indication to the
people OF the Pacific coast what this
governments can and will do in the
way of protecting its interests
should IL become necessary, and il
IS an object lesson that the JAPANESE
lingo party can watch from distance
and ponder on.
-
For the first time in the history
OF the Navy, there has been q hun
ger strike. This sounds almost
like Russia where the Jail prisoners
sometimes indulge in this sort of a
demonstration. But in the present
instance, it is among the cadets of
the trsining ship Enterprise at New
London. A lot of the cadets went
ashore on liberty and while there
they drew up q round robin and
sent it TO the commander on hoard
complaining Of the fare that was
served them and of some other min.
or matters OF discipline. There was
no notice taken of their protest
and they sent two of their numher
out TO the ship in a small boat TO see
what was being done. The com
mander curtly sent them word that
they could stay on shore or come