Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-07-02
New Naval Policy Calls For Con-
centration of Heavy War Yes
sells on Western Coast
TO GUARD AGAINST JAPAN
Mikado's Government May Oppose
Move = Pacific Ocean is Center Of
Concern Government Not Worried
Over German Situation - Washing
ton News Notes.

Pacific is to be the settled policy of the
United States from this time forward
1t will probably from this time forward
1t will probably crystali2e in year
in the transfer of the prepoderance OF
the battleship power to that ocean.
There may never be an announce
ment of the definite adoption Of such q
policy. but unless conditions ma ledly
change it will be put into effec| The
crisis of Americas relations with the
orient will be reached when the time
comes to start the great battleship fleet
for the far east. II when that time
comes Japan proposes to oppose such
movement. the blow may fall sud-
denly and with startling force.
The great naval lesson of the Russo
Jap war was the necessity of keeping
the fleet together. For years the United
States has been devoting energies to
assembling sixteen battleships in the
Atlantic. The Venezuelan troubles of
1902 and the commercial complications
and conditions in Brazil and elsewhere
in the Americas pointed to Germany
as the likely antagonist in a foreign
war, and the naval power in the Al
lantic was the desideratun.
Now all is changed The president
and the kaiser acted together in Lead
ing up to the negotiation for peace be-
tween Russia and japan. The note
to the powers about the preservation
of China's integrity was sent at the
kaisers suggestion. The new tariff
treaty settles the commercial Difficult.
ties with Germany. The war cloud in
that quarter is vanishing, and POSSIBLE
ity of it's reappearance is lessened by
the whole course of Europe, the pow
ers agreeing on a policy of overshad-
owing German and forcing her to keep
peace. Germany has troubles enough
in Europe to keep her from seeking
more here.
But in the Pacific conditions are diff
ferent. China is danger spot When
serving China they are suspected OF
small concern for that policy. The
jingoes in Japan and here alike are
making it difficult for both countries
to maintain an equilibrium and the
Pacific promises to be the center of
information concern for years to
come.
The capital is preparing to welcome
another distinguished Japanese visitor.
1t is Admiral Baron Yanamoto, who
is on his way to this country with
five other distinguished naval officers.
They have been making a tour of the
naval countries of Europe inspecting
arsenals and dock yards and gathering
statistics of naval power and ship
building capacity of the various coun-
tries. OF course, this is not their os-
tensible object. They are merely in
forming themselves on modern prac-
tice in ship construction for the BEN
eft Of their home government. But
it is well understood that it is not
only technical information that the
Japanese government will reap. The
admiral and his party will stay for
some days In Washington and will
include in their visit all the American
navy yards from Brooklyn to Mare
Island. This government is preparing
to make their stay pleasant for them,
and they will be shown all there is to
see, and then they can go home and
report on the ACCESSIBILITY of surpris-
ing the United States with naval
attack without declaration of war,
as they did with Russia.
The department of justice has been
watching with unusual interest the
course of Judge Lands, Of Chicago.
who has a chance to impose on the
Standard Oil Company the biggest
fine in the history of courts and COR
porations. The Standard tried it's MS
ual method of debating to the court
what it should not do. The charge
against the company is combination
in restraint of trade, and there are so
many convictions against it that If the
maximum penalty were imposed in
each case, the aggregate would be the
immense sum of $29,624,000. OF course
it is not likely that any such huge fine
will be imposed The Standard could
pay it, of course, and the chances are
that it would not begin to cover the
amount the company has gathered by
of law in the past ten years.
But that the fine will be stiff one
is indicated by the fact that Judge
is indicated by the fact that Judge
Lands demanded to know the income
and resources of the company before
imposing it. He said in explanation
that he always made a point of doing
this in a case where the amount of the
fine was optional with him. He did it,
he said, as matter of justice both
to the public and the criminal
The appeal that has been made to
the president to take hand in settling
the telegraph strike is likely to bear
fruit. Commissioner of Labor Neil,
who seemed to have the things settled
a week ago, is in communication with
the chief justice of the supreme court
and the other officers of the industrial
arbitration commission that was
by the president with his No
bel peace prize money for just such a
case as this. If it is decided that the
shall take hold of the case
it will be the first time that it has in
.erfered in strike since it was es-
.ablished last October. OF course. it
has no legal right to force arbitration
IN the contestants, but if the commits
sion drops hint that the situation is.
getting out of hand and public policy
demands a settlement, there is little