Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1908-09-30
WORLD CRUISE OF
OUR BATTLE-SH|PS
A Significant History-Making Move
ment by the United States.
Pacific Ocean Saved to America by
Robust Policy of Republican
Party.

Eau NdTShlpS is one OF The most inter-
esting, important aud far reaching per.
formances of any administration 81. .ce
the Civil War. History rides upon the
prov of the fagships of this feet.
Eighty-tive millions oil people have for
months been attempting TO interpret
the movement and solve the problem
our government is attempting to prom
erly adjust by this decentralization of
the globe. When President Roosevelt
first announced that the fleet of battle
ships was to make The long journey
from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean.
the Democrats turned prophets of evil
and predicted many disastrous things
would follow as a consequence OF this
unprecedented move.
Armada and World Cruise.
The armada took its departure from
Hampton Roads, Dec Is, 1907. and
after a wholly successfulvoyage around
the Horn. of about twelve thousand
miles. il dropped anchor in san Fran
cisco Harbor May 6. 1908 The ships
that form The four div isions of the fleet
in this record-maSine cruise are: The
Connecticut, Louisiana, Maine, Mis-
souri,, Georgia, New Jersey, Rhode ISL
and. Virginia Alabama, Illinois, Kear-
sarge. Kentucky. Ohio, Minnesota, Kan
saS and Vermont. To which were add
ed the Nebraska and the Wisconsin, al
ready in Puget Sound, thus making
fleet of eighteen first-class modern
battleships in perfect condition.
There were already in the Pacific
and Oriental waters the fine armored
cruisers West Virginia, Colorado, Ma
ryland and Pennsylvania. Their two
sister ships. the California and South
Dakota, were also on the Pacific, and
the powerful Washington and Tennes-
see went from the Atlantic to join the
armada, thus making eight armored
cruisers to be added to the eighteen
battleshIps. In addition there were in
the Pacific several protected cruisers,
gunboats and other lesser craft. All
told there were ten hundred and fifty
officers and nineteen thousand five hun
bred men.
In due time the main fleet of war
ships resumed its western course and
will touch at the leading ports of China
and Australia, passing on east by way
of the west, and coming finally to NAL
ia and Gibraltar, where it will coal
and ultimately return to its starting
point at Hampton Roads, some time
early next February.
In this expedition the Republican
party has a policy which projects Itself
far into the future, but 1t is an entire
misunderstanding of the whole scheme
to suppose that II is aimed narrowly
or definitely at az = single power. IL Is
one OF those robust constructive poll
cies Of the party gagged on world lines
1t is more of notification than a
threat, to all existing governments.
welding North and south America.
The eyes of the world have followed
our feet with absorbing interest. One
OF the great advantages gained by this
cruise is the cordial welcome and close
acquaintance which 1t has evoked from
the governments and peoples Of the
chief republics OF Latin America. To
the Brazilians, the Argentines, the Chi
lians and the Peruvians, the mighty re-
public OF the north had been merely a
name or dim figure, powerful and
honored perhaps, but not actually
known. For years there had been lit
tie or no visible evidence OF the wealth,
or authority OF the United States, In
the chief South American ports. But
they were all visited by swift and
stately liners, flying the flags OF the
maritime powers Of Europe.
At every South American port. the
feet, our navy, our government, our In
stitutions, our people, our aims, our
Industries, our trade-every conceivable
thing that is ours, have been discussed
as they never were before, and that
without suspicion of our political and
diplomatic Intentions. One business
house in New York states that its
South American correspondence has In
creased fourfols since the feet visited
Rio Janeiro. In this case It seems that
trade may follow the battleships.
President Roosevelt Explains Move
ment.
In q statement in a speech he made
in st. Louis, President Roosevelt took
the public into his confidence 10 a de-
gree when he said: california, Ore
gon and Washington have coast line
which is our coast line just as emphat-
ically as the coast line Of New York and
Maine, Of Louisiana and Texas. Our
feet f. going to It's own home waters
in the Pacific aId after a stay there Il
win return to its own home waters
IN the Atlantic. The best place for the.
naval officer to learn his duties rs ct
sea, by performing them. and only by
actually putting through a voyage Of
tsis nature, voyage longer than any
one before undertaken by as large a
fleet OF any nation, can we find out
Just exactly what Is necessary for us TO
know as to our naval needs and prac-
tice our officers and enlisted men in
.