New-York tribune., 1907-12-21
WEAK POINT IN NATIONAL ARM0R.
Disclosed by Pacific Cruise of the Battleship
Fleet.

To the Editor of The Tribune
Sir: Foreign naval authorities, might be an
tcipated. are quick to discover and emphasize
the weak point in national armor. as disclosed
by the Pacific cruise of the battleship fleet.
Count Ernst Reventlow, foremost of Ger
man writers maritime affairs, wings Keen
shaft at when he declares that nine-tenths OF
the coal carrying vessels being British, throws an
unfavorabe light upon the capacity of the Ameri-
can commercial marine" The count might have
added that those coal carrying steamships that are
not British are Norwegian, Dutch Italian, and
only one the Virgnian, is an American steamer
that happens TO be going out TO the Pacific to en-
gage in the HawaiI-n and coasting trade
Great Britain, France and Germany would not
dream Of hiring foreign tramps to perform the
essential national service Of conveying and supply
ing their ships of Their laws. regulations
and practice would forbid such course, and no
such humiliation would be necessary in any event.
for all Of these nations possess ocean freishting
steamers Of their own. But the United States
like Russia China. is helpless. because govern
ment which protects every other industry exposed
TO foreign competition sixty years neglected
the merchant shipping that in time OF need is the
fighting navy's indispensable reserve
Ii this were time OF instead Of peace Ad-
miral Evanss great battleshfp fleet could not be
moved to the Pacific Ocean, though hostile force.
having seized the Philippines were about to de-
scend upon Hawaii and hammer at the gates of
Puget Sound and San Francisco. For foreign
Golfers could not be lawfully chartered pur-
chaS6Q
officers and crews be trusted risk their lives for
a flag they did not love in conflict in which they
had no interest The United States learned this
lesson in the with Spain in 1898, when with
fifty million dollars available for many days before
fighting began we could not buy or beg or borrow
enough Golfers transports and other auxiliaries
for q little army of q, 600 men and navy not one
fourth OF the actual strength of that Of 1907.
What foreign naval experts are saying. and
what all the governments of Europe and Asia
know IS that this great battleship cruise is being
accomplished, so far the vital coal supply is
concerned. under false pretences-that is, lacking
GOLFERS OF our own flag. Differed and manned by
our own people, the cruise could not be achieved
under the stern conditions Of actual Count
Won Reventlow understands this; what he says is
r,ortifyingly true and undeniabe. that 'if tho
United States remains dependent upon England
for coal transportation the latter country can
lse this fact TO advantage in case of future COM
plications between the United States and Japan
for the promotion of her own political ends
Harrison. Mckinley, Roosevelt. three Republican
Presidents one after another, have asked Congress
to give the country a strong navy and a strong
merchant marine. Congress has given them the
one without the other. This spectacle OF our
huge battleshp feet conveyed around South
America by foreign golfers, amid the sneers and
ieers or Europe is the inevitable and Illuminating
consequence "INiHhof -. EaAfSf IN"
F3ostou. Dec. 10. 1867