The sun., 1908-08-16
Lesson Taught by tho Visit
Of Our Sixteen
BattIesh|ps.
HAWAIIAN HARBoR NEEDED
Work at Last Begun and Naval
Experts Are Laying
the Plans.

the Plans.
Soma, OF the Men.o'.war Could Not Even
Coal or Honoluiu-Rear Admiral
Schroeder Head OF the Board Which
WIN Authorize the niprovements-A
Trip BY Launch to the Landlocked
nay which Could shelter. in Safety
Thousands OF Ships-A Suggestion That
HavaIi's own Revenues he spent on It.
ON BOARD U. s. S. LOUISIANA, U. 8.
BATTLE FLEET, Honolulu, H. l., july 22,-
The Atlantic feet, as the world girdling
collection OF sixteen American battleships
Is known officially. although designated as
the battle feet by President Roosevelt in
his annual message TO Congress last De-
cember, came face to face here with one OF
the hard facts Of national urgent need-
that is. the immediate Improvement Of Pearl
Hsrbor.
The feet anchored for the most part in
the open roadstead Off Honolulu harbor.
There was not room for oil the ships inside
Only eight miles away is one Of the finest
natural harbors In the world, place OF
shelter Just now more important to the
United States from a military and COM
mercial standpoint than any lIarbor It pos
eesses. Not one Of these sixteea battle
ships could enter It. They cou!d not even
coal of Honolulu with comfort. Four
ships had to seek the sheltering lee Of the
Island Of Maui. seventy miles away. to take
fuel The others found room one by one In
Hanolulu's small harbor
II there is one fact that has been drilled
into the minds Of the American people in
recent years 1t is that the Pacific Ocean
is the legitimate sphere Of action for the
energy Of the United States from diplo-
matio, military and commercial point OF view.
In loose way Of speaking those expert
enoed in statecraft have spoken Of this
matter of national action as meaning the
control OF the Pacific.
No suoh policy directly or indirectly has
ever been formulated or enunciated by the
American Government. What has been
made plain Is that the American people have
begun to realize that peace upon the sea.
especially the Pacific, with q door open to
all, is an essential factor in our national
development.
No one expects or even desires the United
States to secure absolute control Of the
Pacific. All Americans do wish TO see it
Amcricanized That is. they want this
country to make sure that no other nation
shall control it and that In the friendly rivalry
to be developed on the Pacific every nation
shall have an equal chance. To bring this
about there must be peace; to make sure
Of peace the improvement and Immediate
use Of Pearl Harbor ia as necessary to the
Amerfcanism Of the Pacific as an adequate
supply OF water and food is to an army on
the march.
CRY FOR OPENING THE HABBoR.
In its primary purpose the problem Of
developing Pearl Harbor is essentially mill
tary. The presence of this great feet Of
battleships lying of its deep recesses was
mute testimony to this fact. There was the
great harbor with its entrance only partly
opened, with site already purchased for
q great naval station, and there was the
great feet outside with an immediate need
Of the place for coaling to say nothing Of
ultimate Use. That fleet was literally knock
ing at the door Of the harbor and II the
ships could have given tongue to their
insensate impulses a mighty roar would
have been heard from here clear across
the United States, whiA being interpreted
would have said
"Open Pearl Harbor at once to the navy
Of the United States
That cry would have meant solely that
the navy must have a complete naval station
in Pearl Harbor il the country expects the
navy to defend it adequately from attack
in the Pacific. 1t would have meant that
national protection demands this naval
station. 1t would have meant no more,
for the navy as an entity concerns itself
strictly with it's own affairs, and to a man
those who are on its official register know
that without Pearl Harbor It can not do the
work Of national protection in the Pacific
that the country wants it to do.
CAPT. MAHAN ON HAwAII's POSITION.
Listen to what the foremost recognized
authority on naval strategy and develop
ment as applied to international affairs.
Capt. A. T. Mahan, had to say on this SUBJ
ject in 1893:
To any one viewing a map that shows the
full extent OF the Pacific two circumstan noes
will be strikingly and immediately apparent.
He will see at glance that the Sandwich
Islands stand by themselves In a state OF
comparative isolation. amid a vast expanse
OF sea: and. again. that they form the centre
OF a large circle whose radius is appro ximatey v
the. distance from Honolulu to San Fran
cisco. This Il substa ntially the same dis
tance as from Honolulu to the Gilbert, Mar
->shall. Samoan and Society Islands. all under
European control except Samoa. In which
we have part influence.
To have . central position such as this
ana to be alone. having no rival and admitting
no rival. are conditions that at once hr the
attention Of the strategist. But TO this strik-
ing combination Il TO be added the remArka-
BILE relations borne to tie great commercial
routes traversing this vast expanse.
Too much stress cannot be laid upon the
immense disadvantage to US OF any mari
time enemy having q ooaling station well
within 400 miles. as this In. OF every point
OF our coast line from Puget Sound to Mexico.
Were there many others available we might
find II difioult to exclude from all. There IL.
however. but the one. Shut out from the
Sandwich Islands as Q coal base, an enemy
is thrown back for supplies Of fuel to dis
tanoes OF $500 or 1000 miles, or between
1000 and 5000 going and oomins--an irnpedi-
mont 70 sustained maritime operations we'll
nigh prohibitive. IL Ia rarely that 90 I'm
portant factor In the attack or defence Of a
eoase line--of sea froptier-is concentrated
IN single position.