The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1908-03-17
PEARL HARROR



world 10 Is not only landlocked but.
by reason of the topography Of the
surrounding ground ships lying IN
this harbor are out Of view from the
open sea. Il Is the only practicable
site for a naval base I'm the Pacific
Ocean and Is the recognized key to
naval supremacy I'm those waters. ItsI
equipment as an operating base is a
prerequisite to the most successful
operation Of our fleets whether often
sive or defensive
For over sixty-Hve years the United
States Government has officially rec
ognized the strategic Importance of the
Hawaiian Islands and the necessity OF
preventing their occupation by any
other nation.
Beginning i'm 1912 President Tyler
gave notice to all European nations
that the United States would never
| consent to their occupying Hawaii or
establishing any naval base there
This Monroe Doctrine of the Paci-
fic' was reiterated by Daniel Webster,
as Secretary of State in 1851, and by
William L. Marcy, the great Demo.
cratic Secretary of State, by James II.
Blaine, and by William Mckinley.
Capt. (now AdmiraD A. T. Mahan.
writing in 1893 came to the conclu-
sions
To any one viewing a map that
shows the full extent of the Pacific,
two circumstances will be strik-
ingly and Immediately apparent. He
will see at a glance that the Sandwich
Islands stand by themselves in state
of comparative isolation, amid a vast
eXpanse of sea; and, again, that they
form the center of a large circle whose
radius is approximately the distance
from Honolulu to San Francisco. =
This is substantially the same distance
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, and to be alone, having no rival
and admitting no rival, are con-
ditions that at once fix the attention
of the strategist. But to this
striking combination is to be added the
remarkable relations bourne to
the great commercial routes traversing
this vast eXpanse.
Too much stress can not be laid up
on the immense disadvantage to us OF
any maritime enemy having a coaling
station well within $500 miles, as this
is, of every point of our coast line from
Puget Sound to Mexico. Were there
many others available we might find il
difficult to exclude from ALL There is
however, but the one. Shut out from
the Sandwich Islands as a coal base
an enemy is thrown back for supplies
of fuel to distances of $500 or 1000
miles-or between 1000 and 5000 going
and coming-an impeachment to sus'
tanned maritime operations we'll Nigh
prohibitive. at is rarely that sc
important factor in the attack or de.
Tense of a coast line-of a sea frontier
is concentrated in a single position
and the circumstance renders doubly
imperative upon us to secure it if VIZ
righteously can.
Twenty-Five years ago. by the recip
rocity treaty with King Kalakaua, thu
United States acquired the right to es
tablish naval base on Pearl HarboT
Ten years ago this nation, foresee
ing the likelihood that they might fal
into the hands of an Oriental nation
annexed the Hawaiian Islands. Thi
momentous action was taken primari
! ly because Of the strategic value of tn
= Hawaiian Islands and for the purpos
of establishing strong naval base o.
Pearl HarbOr
Since that time magnificent site TO
a naval station, consisting of over 60
10 acres of land, has been purchased b
10 the Federal Government, and 30-foc
10 channel has been dredged through tn
channel bar.
The War Department has also az
quired ample sites for Notifications 8
the CHANEL entrance, and the first bal
4 terry is now under construction.
o, Up to the present time no beginnin
a. has been made toward the actual cor
v struction of a naval base on Pearl Hal
3 Dor. Year after year the needs of tn
8, Naval Establishment in other dire
tions have been permitted to crowd
IL out of the naval bills
is In the Judgment of your committe
a the new developments on the .Pacif
and among the nations that border II