The sun., 1908-08-16

occupies the one mIdocean position on the
American coast from which our Western
ports IAN possibly be attacked by q foreign
enemy For the necessities Of calling and
supply such position must be within o rev
days steaming Of the point Of attack. IL is
obvious that San Francisco could not be
attacked directly from the remote Aeiatic
ports, because the warships would exhaust
their coal before reaching our coasts. But
Hawaii. If held by the enemy. would be con-
venient point from which to- attack. being
within six days easy steamins.
There Is no other immediate supply port
on either side. The nearest Asatic port 10
distant fifteen days steaming from our
Pacific Coast. Hawaii absolutely controls the
situation on the West. Held by an enemy, II
fatally imperils America. Held by the United
States. II Is OF more value than whole navy
of battleships and cruisers. Pearl Harbor.
once wellfurnished with naval facilities and
made impregnable. renders Its owner
complete mistress of the North Pacific against
enemies.
Read also what Lieutenant Commander
Edward l.. Beach Of the navy has just
published on this subject in paper printed
in the United Stutes Nordl institute:
In the possession Of Hawaii our naval
strength In the Pacific is immeasurably In
creased II Hawaii be secure from the enemy.
strength Ia weakened In the same ratio. Hold
ing Hawaii. our Pacific coast Is absolutely
safe from attack. And yet Hawaii remains
inadeauately fortified. Should war be waged
in the Pa cific in the absence Of our feet our
island pos sessions must succumb. and our
fleet must start from ports Of our Pacific home
base laden with stores and coal. The effect OF
this may be to make our batteships armored
cruisers, for It Is we'll known that the tops OF
the armor belts OF our battleships are already
close to the water lines, and " the ships be
overladen they will be beneath IT. And In
each OF the DAYS of the first fortnlght's voy-
age under these damaging conditions al over
load. the feet will be exposed to bnttleship
attack from an enemy which has acquired
by preliminary conquest OF the American ter
ritory OF Hawaii base from which to deliver
blows within FIVE day radius and with its
own choice OF position.
Read finally what the Committee on
Naval Affairs OF the House Of Representa-
tives said In O report to the House In April
last when it favored an appropriation for
starting naval station, q matter to which
Congress acceded:
In the Judgment OF your committee the
new Developments on the Pacific and among
the nations that border on its shores make
II imperative that a strong operating base
be established for our navy at Pearl Harbor
without further delay. naval base at
I Pearl Harbor Ia not designed primarily for
the protection OF Hawaii. It's main purpose
IL to form buffer OF defence for Our entire
Pacific coast and TO make possible our naval
supremacy upon the Pacific, An enemy In
the possession Of Hawaii could harass and
threaten our entire Western coast. On the
other hand, with our own feet operating from
well equipped base at Pearl Harbor no
feet from the Orient would hnd It practicable
to threaten our coast because Of the strong
hold left in their rear and Of the prohibitive
distance from their coaline base. The equip
ment OF Pearl Harbor Ia therefore Q matter
Of prudence and not OF extravaganza. II
will constitute one OF the stronsest factors
In the prevention Of war with any Power
in the Far East.
OUR TREATY RIoHr TO PEARL HARDoR.
It would be superfiuous to add anything
70 emphasize the urgent need Of developing
Pearl Harbor, but It is of interest to note
that the United States has had the right
to improve II for more than twenty-five
years and not until the present year. when
1t became known that the Atlantic feet
would cal at Honolulu. was anything
done to advance the matter. In 1899, in
the first administration Of President Cleve-
land, treaty was ratified between Hawaii
anu tut Oultcu Etatcc puiS'
His Majesty the King OF the Hawaiian
Islands grants to the Government OF the
United States ,he exclusive right to enter
the harbor Of Pearl River. In the Island OF
Oahu, and to establish there a cosling and
repair station for tare use Of vessels OF the
United States. and TO that end the United
States may improve the entrance to said har-
Dor and do all other things needful to the
purpose aforesaid.
Thus was the right given to this country
in the days Of the Hawaiian monarchy to
make Pearl Harbor the outpost Of our
defences. What was done? Congress in
1900. fourteen years later. appropriated
$4,000 to purchase a site on the shores
Of the harbor for a naval station. In
July. 1902, the purchase Of 725 acres OF
land, mainly on the south shore Of East
Loeb Of the harbor. was made at q cost
OF $3.50, 600. An appropriation had also
been made in a river and harbor bill for
excavating the sandbar at, the entrance
to the channel. and at q ocst Of about $780, 900
a channel $50 feet wide, 30 feet deep and
1900 feet long has been dredged. It will
be seen that vessels having q drsnght Of
twenty-five feet or less may now enter
the harbor. although there remains neces-
sary the removal Of several minor OBJ
structions which make such an attempted
entrance inadvisable except under the most
favorable conditions.
APPROPRIATION MADE FOR A START.
That is all that has been done for the
development Of the harbor since the, United
States obtained the exclusive control over
H. Now Congress has actually ordered the
mprovement Of this harbor and has set
aside 81 900 900 to begin it. And what 10
Of even more sign ifcance 10 the fact that
the arrival Of this Atlantic feet marks the
actual beginning Of the work. for on this
feet is board Of officers whose duty IL is
to lay down a general plan Of improve
ment That board ls hea ded by Rear
Admiral Seaton Schroeder commander OF
the second division Of the feet, and ac-
companying the board Is Rear Admiral W.
l.. Capps who came here with the feet as
a passenger.
Hence the arrival OF the feet had not
only peculiar significance in that It called
national attention to the need Of developing
Pearl Harbor but It furnished a cause for
rejoicing because this arrival was instru-
mental In the actual beginning Of the work.
IL IA not Derniasfble to correspondanta With