The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1907-09-23
Build Ships and Eat Dirt. .


NEW YORK, September 5.-The
Times this morning publishes the fol-
lowing as Washington dispatch:
" Build ships and eat Dirt Cap
tam Richmond Pearson Hobson. the
eountry's most strenuous advocate of
a greater navy and the new member
OF the House of Representatives from
the Sixth Alabama District, coins this
phrase as descriptive of the condition
IN which he believes the people Of the
United States find themselves by rea-
son of their failure to appropriate
more literally in the past for the navy.
Captain Hobson, who has arrived in
Washington for the coming session of
Congress, does not minee words in dis
eussing the possibilities of war with
japan and the sending of Uncle Sam s
big fleet to the Pacific. He goes fur
Their than the Department in its an
nouncements, plans, etc, and says the
fleet should go to the Far East and be
kept there.
1.-THE only possible hope of peace is
to get our entire feet out to the Far
East" said Captain Hobson tonight.
If Japan can not find some further
pretext between now and the sailing
of the fleet it is not unlikely that she
VIII cause the so-called Yellow Press
of Japan to initiate the people of japan,
and use this as a basis to make rep
reservations to America to withhold
the further progress of the fleet, and
if necessary pretend with regret that
she has to urge and insist that we do
not send the feet further.
A CRITICAL JUNCTURE.
All in all, we are at a very critical
juneture in our country's foreign re-
lations, and at period when the Pa
mama Canal is not complete, which win
be our dangerous period, the period
that viii be sought by Japan backed
by the Powers to bring on war.
"During this period, because of our
utterly inadequate navy, our people
must be prepared to not only be ex-
ceedingly calm and conservative, but
to accept any form of humiliation that
may come We have neglected the
question of defense so long that we
must now eat dirt. Our policy must
be to build ships and eat dirt, and
we can not stop eating dirt until after
the ships are built. -
Captain Hobson believes the clash
with Japan may come in February, if
postponed that long by reason of af-
fairs in China.
''The official announcement that the
Dowager Empress of China viii alb
dictate next February on the Chinese
New Year, brings to the front the
whole question of the fate of that
great empire,' said he.
American diplomacy inaugurated
under Secretary Hay and continued
under Secretary Root secured the adop-
ton willingly or unwillingly by the
Powers of the open-door policy for
China. Since japanese aseendency In
the Far East, a plan has been on foot
to overturn this just policy, and to
substitute for it the dangerous sphere
Nof influence policy"
ANOTHER ATLANTIC FLEET.
NEW YORK, September 4.-From
good Authority is it learned that at the
instance of President Roosevelt the
Navy Department has already begun
to formulate plans for the establish
ment of another Atlantic fleet, one
that will replace the armada which
Admiral Evans is soon to take TO Pa
eifie waters.
Although the dispatch of these 10
battleships removes from Atlantic
waters the chief naval reliance of this
country, it is now known that the Gov
eminent has no intention of keeping
the Atlantic seaboard denuded of naval
defense. Its plans, which are now be-
ing hurried to completion, contemplate
the establishment of another powerful
feet of armorclads, whose base viii be
in Atlantic waters. This disposes of
all the talk that President Roosevelt
had entered into an understanding with
the German Emperor by which German
fleets were to guard these shores after
the departure of Admiral Evans and
his 10 battleships.
POWERFUL NEW BATTLESHIPS.
The flagship of the new feet IS to
be the New Hampshire, 16,o00-ton
battleship, which is to be ready for
commission early in January. Soon
after her pennant is broken out she
will be joined by the Mississippi and
Edaho. two frst-class battleships which
the Cramps are building and which
are now more than 90 per cent com.
pleted.
The New Hampshire is similar tt
the Connecticut, the present tagshlI
of Rear Admiral Evans. The main bat
| s 4 +xraIxa inch rifles