The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1907-02-14
LARGE NAVY OPPOSED
TEXAS MEMBER LAUGHS AT
TALK OF JAPANESE CON.
FLicT-AoAinsT WAR
PREPARATIONS.

WASHINGTON. TSb. if.-Ai-
though we are at peace with an The
world and the rest Of mankind, the
air is thick with rumors OF war. de.
clared Representative slayden. of
Texas, during consideration OF the
naval approximation BIN In the House.
He attacked the movement for a iarg.
er navy, declaring that nothing 80
marks the growth Of The imperial idea
in our country as the development
of the navy"
Mr.. Slayden laughed at talk Of war
with Japan. estsnators see storm
clouds In the far East. n preach.
ers of unlimited naval CONSTRUCTION
are declaring that a conflict with Jap.
an is inevitable. Our friends who ren
resent the Pacific Coast on. the floor Of
this House are frightened almost to
disath into a state OF nervous col.
lapse over the vision Of little brown
men under the banner of the Rising
Sun.
hefers Nobel Peace Prize.
The fact that 5000 miles OF salt
water lies between them and the Isl.
lands Of Japan does not D G to Az
lay their fears. iaey are not reas.
sured by the fact that the President
Of the United States has recently
been honored with the Nobel prize as
the worlds chief champion Of peace.
II this official selectIon-and no one
has as yet openly suggested that 1t Is
ia mtsdt-cannot calm their fears: II
Is useless for me TO undertake to say
anything with tile hope that 1t will,
r%eassure them.
Il call upon my nervous fellow.citi.
zens of the Pacific Coast" Mr.. s,ay.
den went on, Sto remember that al.
though the Japanese could march
across Korea and Manchuria, their
legs are entirely too short to wade the
Pacific. On our side of the Pacific
they have no coaling stations, ami
ships OF war crossing the ocean under
their W steam would be Compare.
lively helpless before they coull
reach the coast OF California. Again
and the recollection OF this might
help our California friends TO a
nights rest, 1t should be remembered
that after winning brilliant victories
In the greatest battles of all history.
the japanese made a treaty of peace
which, II not %humlliating, was a cor.
fession of weakness.
Sees Weakness In Treaty.
mo man believes that the Jana.
nese would have yielded as they did
at Portsmouth If they had MOI been
physically and financially exhausted.
They may have recovered from their
physical exhaustion, but 1t is certain
that they have neitaer paid their
debts nor filed their war chests since
the summer Of 1906. The statesmen
OF Japan, VINO seem to measure I'm 1,
capacity to those Of any other coun.
try, know that a bankrupt country
cannot wage war successfully against
a wealthy one, particularly under the
circumstances which surround this
country and theirs. The poverty Of
Japan and the wealth. Of the United
states both speak for peace.
II have never been abel to appre-
eiate the force of the argument that
peace Is best preserved by unusual
preparation for war. Bringing that
argument down to the range of per-
senal observation, l would suggest
that the man who carries arms in the
individual most apt to have personal
difficulties. Nations are but agra.
waited individuals. The greed OF ma.
tons, which is best controlled by trea.
ties of arbitration, is what causes all
the trouble"