The Kemper herald. (Scooba, Miss.) 1875-1908, 1907-06-20
STRONGER WAR
FLEET NEEDED
GOVERNMENT rs ANXIOUS
OVER THE SITUATION.
BELGIANS ARE SATISFIED
Well Pleased With Wages, Surround.
ings and Conditions In South Cac-
olina. Secretary Cortelyou Issues
Gall on Banks.

Washington.-The administration IS
in a sad state of perplexity regard
ing the naval situation on the Pacific
coast and in the far East. The stratc
gists of the Navy Department are di-
vided ON the important question OF
whether or not additional warships
shall be ordered to Pacific waters.
1t is conceded that some battleships
are badly needed in that quarter, and
the only reason they are not dispatch
ed at once is the fear that such ac-
ton will have a disastrous influence
on the japanese question.
While the Washington officials are
doing everything in their power 10
discourage the idea that there is like
lihooI of serious difficulty with ia
pan, they are not blind to the fact
that the situation is fraught with
danger. This is frankly admitted !.
private conversation. The Progress,
sives in Toxic are making all kinds
of trouble for the party in power and
are losing no opportunity to manu-
facture war sentiment. While there
is nothing in the present relation be-
tween the two nations That threatens
to become casus bell there is al
ways the possibility of crisis being
precipitated by hasty or important
act infaming the people of one coun-
try or the other.
Army and navy officers have iig-
ured on this possibility and have
thought of what would happen in the
event of war; Pract1calLy all OF them
concede that at. the first blow the
Philippines would fall into the hsadS
of the japanese, whicn would be fol-
lowed by the losing Of Guam, Ha-
waii and Alaska. AT the same time
the Pacific coast Of this country
would be at the mercy of the Japan
ese fleet, provided the -ifkado decided
to risk sending it across the seas to
lombard and lay siege to the coast
towns of the slope. All the Washing
ton strategists have resigned them
selves to these losses within a brief
period after the commencement oil
hostilities.
Belgian Colony.
The Belgian Minister, Baron Bon
cheur, has returned from South Car
olina, where he went to investigate
the condition of the Belgian immi-
grants who have been brought over
by the South Carolina Commissioner.
These immigrants have been the OBJ
iect of no little attention because they
are the first to have been imported
by the state agencies from among the
well-to-do classes of laborers and mer-
chants.
Baron Monchuer, acting under IN
structions from his Government, Wis
tied South Carolina for the purpose
of investigating the conditions un,
der which this D9tcn OF immigrants
was received, and to make report,
The Minister, who, perhaps, is the
best equipped Of any Of. the foreign
ministers here to discuss immigra-
tion questions, and who is thorough
ly conversant with conditions among
the laboring classes or Belgium, says
that he found his countrymen in
South Carolina well provided for,
actively employed at good wages and
we'll contented with their treatment,
experience nd surroundings. Baron
Moncheur noted a few exceptions,
however, in the case of certain
skilled mechanics, an electrician, a
plumber and one or two others OF
similar trades, who have not been able
to make as much wages as they were
receiving in Belgium. For that rea-
son they are dissatisfied and the Min
ister will discourage the emigration
from his country for any more men Of
that class.