Bluefield evening leader. [volume] (Bluefield, W. Va.) 1906-1911, 1907-09-03
PROTESTS MORE
rigorous i'm Transfer
FLEET 7OPACTFTC

Washington. Sept 2.-Protests
more vigorous than any yet present
ed against sending the battleship
feet to tie Pacific are likely to come
from many quarters when the peo-
pie realize the unguarded conditions
in which 1t viii leave the Atlantic
Coast.
Naval strategists are beginning to
take notice OF Japan's movements. It
did not take long for Japan naval Of
hcials 20 discover that they could
have no possible objection to- the
transfer OF the American battleships
to the Pacific and It has probably re-
Quire an effort for them to hide
their secret satisfaction. Informa-
tion That JIpane"e fleet is TO have
itS practice cruise" i'm and about
the CHINA Sea with Hongkong as the
home po~i ''scloses an alertnass
and skill in strategy on the part Of
the Japanese which may make our
navy department revise it's op'nion
OF t.1 Co." 'om of the long battleship
criuse
"erhaps If Janan contemplated an
immediate war with the American
government there would be nothing
more gratifying to her than having
the battleships OF the Atlantic .rans-
ferred 10 San Francisco. A study of
positions and distances on the novi-
CATION charts discloses that. with our
war vessels at their proposed Pa
ciiic estimation. a Japanese feet NJ
even moderate strength cruising
about The China Sea commqnding
the Straits Of Malacca or Sunda ana
approaches TO the entrance OF the
Snez canal. would be within strikinq
distpnce OF our Atlantic Coast
The Japanese feet will have ,ts
practice crui~e about 3.OOO n,i,es
nearer New York than the American
battleship feet will be when Il
reaches San Francisco. If our foot
should have 10 retrace its co,,rso D.,
way OF the Straits of Magellan. Our
meet would have 1000 milo,
stream chase if it tried TO follow IN
race for New York a Japanass
heet which had come through the
Suez canal.
The strength of the japanese feet
that will cruise in the China Goo
while our feet Is in the Pacific has
not been announced. Japan is ahIa
10 maintain profound secrecy n7 to
the strength and movement of her
Meets when secrecy is deemcd de-
slrable. The fleet Is. however ex-
pected to be powerful enough TO be
effective, without depicting her Il .me
defenses.
After their long cruise the Ameri-
can battleships cannot be in hrst-
class fghting shape, and in the game
or naval diplomacy Japan will have
decided advantage. our Atlantic
Coast will be left unguarded excent
by land defenses. and many obser9-
ers believe the japanese could rlav
havoc along the coast before Al
miral Evans and his fleet OF WARY
battleships could get back from th.
Pacific Some go so far as % cav
that 1t is within the range Of nos
sibility that the returning American
heet might find itself barred from
the port Of New York by a japanese
fleet. with the shore batteries man
ned by the Japanese: but naval of
fcers laugh at such wild coniectures
The situation has become snfa-
Gently evident. through the inForn1a-
ton as to what disposal Japqn Is ~
make Of her naval force pending
Admiral Evans Pacific cruise TO
guarantee Japan against any hostile
intent on the part OF the United
states. The game is so sir,pIc for
japan that 10 hardly reaches The
dignity Of chess but is about In the
checkers class BY merely sfationing
her fleet farther south than hereto
fore for practice cruising she blocks
the game and commands the entire
situation
As far as the Atlantic Coast is
concerned, the transfer of the bat,le-
ships to the Pacific renders our ports
as defenseless as n the entire feet
had been sunk If Japan were in
state Of mind for war and so situ-