The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-09-06
NATION MAY BE CAUGHT
 TOTALLY UNPREPAREO
Hobson Is Pessmstic as to Japan's Attitude Toward the United States and Gives Out Warning of
 What May Happen.
BY PATTERSON sTEALEY.

bI WA GhOON BAILEY.
 Washington September 6.-(Specfal) ! Build ships and eat dirt" Capt Rich mond Pearson Hobson of the Sixth Alabama district, who has arrived in Washington to remain for the session of Congress, coins this expressive phrase descriptive of the attitude in which he believes the United States finds itself in it's relations with Japan by reason of the navy.
 The only possible hope of peace" says Captain Hobson, lis to get our entire fleet out to the Pacific. Natur- ally the European powers playing the game with Japan. and particularly the British, will become active in the At 1antic to make our Atlantic states timid to hold our fleet or part of it In the Atlantic; but we should unhes- itatlngly send that fleet straight to the far east and keep 1t there while we build two other fleets as large for the Atlantic and South American seas to protect the Monroe doctrine.
 Seeking a Pretext.
 "If Japan cannot find some further pretext, between now and the sailing of the fleet, it is not unlikely that she will cause the so-called yellow press of Japan to infiame the people of Japan and use this as basis to make rep resentations to America to withhold the luther progress of the fleet and If nec- essary. pretend with regret that she has to urge and insist that we do not send the fleet further. All in all, we are at very critical juncture in our coun- try's foreign relations, and at q period when t9e Panama canal is not com plete. Wh5Hn will he our dangerous period--the period that will be sough t by Japan. backed by the powers. to bring on war. During this period becauseio iof our utterly inadequate navy our people must be prepared 10 not 1 only be exceedingly calm and conser- Vatiye, but to accept any form of hu- initiation 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 cannot stop eating dirt until after the ships are built"
 Captain Hobson believes Japan and the other nations will seek. upon the abdieation of the Empress DowaKer of China next February to substitute the sphere of influence" policy for that i of the "open door, policy inaugurated then by the United States tn l Captain says Japan has negotiated l special new treaties With the EurOp ca n S powers by which the limitations of the various spheres of influence have been defined.
 Captain Hobson adds
 These new Japanese treaties with the European nations. and especially the treaty of alliance. offensive and defensive. with the British. are parts of the diplomatic preparations that Japan has made for an attack upon | America. Her naval and military prep arations are practically complete and all that now remains is for her to secure a pretext for such an attack this fact explains the apparently un- l accountable attitude of Japan upon every little ridiculous. trifing incident that occurs anywhere in this country.
 The English are hundred times more stringent upon the Japanese en- | terng Australia, South Africa, or New | Zealand. but no matter what incident occurs in those countries, there is no comment. The slightest little thing in l America ia. however, seized upon to create strife and friction between the l peoples and to humilitate our govern ment, with a view to creating crisis l from which they could find a plausi- ble excuse in the eyes of the world for breaking the worlds peace.'