The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1907-07-06
JAPAN'S BLUFF
IS CALLED By !.
THE PRESIDENT
Big Fleet In
Pacific Waters

WASHINGTON. July 6.-The Jap
aness question has been solved. Pres
ident Roosevelt has called the Jap
anese bluif and IT has proved to be a
blum. The Official admissions Of Sec.
retary Metcalf and Secretary Loep
that the bulk of American naval
strength is to be promptly transferred
to the Pacific are accepted as sum-
cient evidence that It will stay there,
and their diplomatic effort to inter
pref this movement merely as prae
tice cruise is received with deserved
smiles. That sort of talk Is designed
to let Japan save her face.
The fact is that from the moment
the ieet Of Admiral Robley D. Evans
reaches Pacific waters the Japanese
feet will rank second in Asia. Nc
one expects for a moment, after the
nervous experience Of this country
during the last few months, that the
Japanese feet will ever again be per
mitted to be the first naval power in
the Pacific. Japan might reasonably
regard this action as preparation fol-
war or even as an actually hostile step,
The Japanese, themselves, cleyerly al
lowed Just this impression to go
abroad. But the President adopted
the simple experiment of ordering the
fleet to go, daring the japanese GOV
eminent to protest or resist
Tokyo Quit Yelling for Gore.
Ambassador Aold hastens to say that
Japan will by no means consider the
sending Of the feet a hostile move.
Tokyo is silent, almost painfully so,
after weeks of shrill yelling for Amer
icaa gore. While. Japan Is financially
d1dFeady for another war, she IS even
less ready for a fight with this par
ticular feet The navy yards on the
coast have been put in their best
shape. While the navy department
insisted that a recent purchase Of coal
for the Pacific was only 10000 tons
1t now appears that everything in the
way of tramp that came fOotloose
to the port of Baltimore for weeks has
been snapped up by the navy depart
ment and these ships with $4,000 tons
of coal on board ar now half way to
the Pacific coast. Another $4,000 tons
will probably follow and this IS aside
from open preparations that are be-
ing frankly made to supply the feet
with the 1900 tons that will be re-
uuired for the $4,000 mile voyage.
When the big white ships slip eau
tiously through the straits Of Magel-
Ian. they will have bunkers Just re-
filled at Sandy Point, every ammuni'
tiou magazine crammed, guns swing.
ing free. and warheads screwed to
their torpedoes.
II Japan wishes trouble on the Pa
clfc her feet can fight right there and
then, in the narrow, stOrm-swept
straits. The 16 battleships that go
will find the new Nebraska, fast com
missioned, waiting to receive them.
The Oregon and Wisconsin are being
repaired in Pacific coast yards and
can be hustled out on reasonably short
notice. Two armored cruisers are
now being completed on the coast, the
two now on the French coast are com
ing home to SAN with Evans and this
American armada Of 10 battIeships
and eight armored cruisers, all Of late
types, is far superior to the whole
Japanese navy at present.
Means Big Navy Hereafter.
The coming session of Congress will
see the beginning Of what will from
this time on be an annual demand to
maintain this paramount strength.
Congress win also be asked to begin
replacing the Atlantic feet thus ship
ped away. Because the crisis now
happens to be in Pacific waters, 1t
does not follow that this country win
not again feel called upon to make a
Monroe doctrine demonstration in the
Atlantic. It has only been since the
great strengthening OF the Atlantic
fleet since the Spanish war that Ger
many, France and Italy have SO meek
ly acquiesced in the Monroe doctrine
Just now Germany has diplomatic rea'
sons for being very friendly to the