Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1907-07-12
WASHINGTON LETTER.
trrom our Regular correspondent,

tETOIU Nbe ulHE correspondence
Washington, ID G.. July AT last
it has been settled that the battleship
squadron is to be sent to the Pacific
Coast. The decision has been an
| nounced officially by the NAVY Depai t.
ment, and it is little curious To See
that on the very day of this auuouuGe
ment in Washington, Secretary Loci
at Oyster Bay was giving out an ''au-
thoritative statement" that no such
| movement was contemplated. Now OF
course the government would not keep
so important a person as Secretary
Loeb in ignorance of its intentions, and
there is out one inference to be drawn
from the incident, namely that it was
a misstatement that might have been
characterized by ''shorter and ugIier
word"
Ii Secretary Loeb does not look out
he will get himself into the same class
with Assistant Secretary of State Rob.
ert Bacon, one time partner in the
firm OF ]. P. Morgan Il Go. Of New
York. Assistant Secretary of State
Bacon Is very wealthy and fashion
able young man and is just the sort Of
an understudy that Secretary Root
wants to take visiting prince and Otn-
or nOtables off bis hands. But as q
source of misinformation as to the
things that are going on in the State
Department, he has not heretofore
been equalled. He it was who gave
out the famous statement just after
the Jamaica EARTHQUAKE that there was
no friction between Admiral Davis
and Gov. Sweetenham. Tue same is.
sue of the papers that printed his state.
ment had all the correspondence of
Admiral Davis and Gov. Sweetenham
in an adjoining column. Also the day
news was received of the killing of the
Japanese seal pOachers on the Island
of ST. Paul. MIR. Bacon announced to
all callers that the report was entirely
unfounded although the telegram con-
veying the information had just been
sent to him by the Department of Com.
merce and Labor where the news was
first received. Mr.. Bacon also an
nounced three days ago that the story
of sending the battleship squadron to
the Pacific was complete fabrication.
If Secretary Loeb is starting in to
emulate this record, he is electing to
travel In swift company.
The journey of the battleships from
tho Atlantic to the Pacific will be the
greatest naval movement ever attempt
ed by this government aud only equal
ed by the i'll fated feet that Russia
sent to Japanese waters two years ago
The English squadron IN their war
games around the British Isles, some
times brings into play more ships, but
for the size of the ships and the length
of the voyage, the movement has new
or been surpassed. There were actual
ly more ships in Rogesvenky's squad
ron when he went from the Baltic to
the Sea of Japan, but the squadron
went in two sections, took an inordi- |
nately long time making the voyage,
and was not the 60 ual of the American |
beet IN hghtlng power at any time.
The question of a route for the /
squadron bias been discussed by the
Naval Board at some length and de-
cls1On has been made in favor of Cape |
Horn. The route through the Suez
Canal is about 1000 miles longer than
The trip around the Horn, and beside
this it would bring the squadron al
most into Japanese waters and would
|ook little too much like a studied
defiance of the japanese public. In.
deed, speaking guardedly, that Is what
It is and the Japanese government so
understands and acquiesces in the
wisdom of the move. 1t Ia an indica-
lion to the people of the Pacific coast
what this government can and will do
u the way Of protecting its interests
'hOuld 1t become necessary, and it Is
IN oil jet lesson that the Japanese jingo
)af tY Can watch from a distance and