The San Francisco call., 1908-04-05
BELIEVES IN PEACE
AND MANY Big GUNS
Benjamin Ide Wheeler Talks of
Fleet and Future Policy
in the Pacific
Says BattIeships Form Part OF
Status That Japan Now
Recognizes

BERKELEY, April president Ben
jamin Ide Wheeler of the University
Of California says that he believes in
peace and an abundance of Is inch
guns He said at the young mems
club banquet at the Trinity Methodist
church last night that the battles OF
the future would be settled on the Pa
cifc coast, and gave as his opinion that
part Of the big fleet which will reach
san Francisco May will remain in
Pacific waters. He said:
Down on the coast is speeding alon &
the vast Pacific the great battleship
fleet which has found its own in the
Pacific waters. In New York many of
the papers opposed the coming of the
aeet TO this coast, for many of them
do not believe that the coast has its
rights.
The Pacific ocean is the area in
which the great questions of the fu-
ture are to be decided. The Mediter-
ranean is the mixing bowl of the ma
TONS but intercourse has brought men
into the outer seas. Men now measure
the strength of nations in the term of
nations. Today Europe is seeking the
orient over the American continent,
and the Panama canal viii be the
natural path.
STICK TO. TRADITIONS
The western civilization drew no
material from the other half Of the
world-India. China and Japan. These
nations cast no materials in the mix
ing bowl. The Chinese do everything
opposite to the way we do them, nd
II we think we understand the Chinese
then we are the most miserable of de-
ceived men.
coolies who have lived for years
in California have not forgotten the
customs and observances of their an
cestors and every once in a while they
go back TO their own land to keep in
touch with their traditions 1t would
be the rarest kind of a show to get
into a Chinaman's skull for few min
utes.
The lives Of our defendants are to
determine how the occidental will meet
the oriental This is the great ques
ton of the future to be determined
on the Pacific. It is to be determined
on the ocean. and not on this coast
The picket line OF occidentalism runs
along Alaska, California and South
America. but this strip is not so dense
ly populated because it is hard to get
there. But there are men who are
holding the strip.
STATUS AND BATTLESHIPS
In front Of US is the one half that
has not been in the mixing bowl, the
half that we win eventually have to
meet. We are crude and rough to the
Orientals, and the Hindu believes that
he has a better system Of philosophy
than ours. We here are a different
people in every way and naturally do
not get along easily with them. They
are human beings after all.
The solution OF the oriental prob
lem will not come in the mixing of
the races. We have one race problem
now and we viii want to get through
with that before we want to tackle
another.
I am a fervent believer in peace
and abundance of 13 inch guns. The
outer ocean is being policed now by
peaceful intercourse. Thank God the
great navies of today are in the hands
of powers who understand a square
deal-nations which can play football
and not get mad. They are striving
10 make the Pacific the quiet arena.
I will welcome the 16 great battle
ships when they steam into the Golden
Gate. Some time ago there was mis-
understanding between Japan and
America which came near to rupture.
bat was settled through a peaceful
conference. Japan has come to recog-
nize our status and part of that status
is is battleships 1t is great to live
on the outposts Of occidentalism."