Daily Arizona silver belt., 1907-06-18
s7sss@ s75s=s FIRST NATIONAL BANK OF GLOBE ::::-.
A CONTRAST OF STRENGTH
The Navy of the United States Com
 pared with Japan's Sea Fighters

Putting wholly aside that relation which proverbially exists between smoke and fire, this article assumes that there is no friction between the United States and Japan. But since there are many to assert that conflict lies with in the easy range of possibility, and as the navies of the two powers would in all certainty bear the initial brunt of such encounter, it may be interesting to cast mp the relative strength of the two powers, and to see wherein the ad- vantage might rest.
 Just now this country has a prepon- deranee of naval strength. But that strength is mostly assembled on this side of the world, and with most of the seven seas washing between it and the mikado s far-away fleet. And contigu- ous to the mailed squadrons of the Ris- ing Sun are those remote possessions of ours, the Philippines and the Hawaiian Islands.
 "I had rather" said Napoleon, see the English on the heights of Mont martre than occupying Malta" The English occupied Malta, and he died a British captive at St. Helena.
 In one respect the Philippines and the Hawaiian Islands are to this coun- try today what Malta was then to France And there is no well-informed naval or military officer who doubts tkat Ianan oou1d not Saiza both and possession of them would give an i'm measurable advantage, as their loss would deprive this country of bases of supplies, coaling stations, and that big dry dock that was recently lowed to Manila, itself great asset in war.
 One thing is certain. If Japan means to force a war on this country, she must do it before the completion of the Panama canal, for after that waterway is cut she must needs be infinitely more powerful than she is at present to wage successful conflict with America.
 But the completion of the canal is some years distant. To get back to the present. Owing to the fact that Japan made such short work of the czar s war ships, it is popularly sup posed that Japan has a very superior navy. The mikado $ navy is doubtless all right But competent ovservers who followed the Russo-Japanese war testify that it was not so much the excellence of Japanese preparedness, tactics and gunnery that won as it was the absence of these qualities on the Russian side.
 of Japan, said one of these to the writer, "ever goes against a first-rate naval power she will find the differ enee. It was not SO much what the Japs did as what the Russians didn t do. :"
 Matched, ship for ship, America could look with utmost complacency upon the outcome. But there is a time worn adage about being first on the spot with superior force. In our Atlantic fleet we have now battleship armada that could undoubtedly destroy all of Jau- an s navy, were the war declared tomor- row, and this fleet in striking distance, with its bases of supplies and its coal ing stations handy. But does anyone doubt that Japan would instantly seize these stations were this fleet to be or dered to the eastl Then the advantage would rest with her, and in a ratio that cannot be approximated. Once more Napoleon and Malta. What American president but who would rather see a Jap army eneamped on the Potomac than to see the mikado's flag waving over our Maltas of the east9 There could be no doubt of the fate of the one, but there would be serious doubts about the other.-Harper Weekly.