Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1908-03-17
ENTHUSIASM IS
BEHIND PEARL HARBOR
Naval Committee Report
Arouses People To
Importance

The Washington Post of March 3
says;
"In the judgment Of the committee,
the new developments on the Pacific
and among the nations that border its
shores make II imperative that a
strong operating base be established
for our navy at Pearl Harbor without
further delay.
An enemy In possession of Hawaii
could harass and threaten our entire
Western coast On the other hand,
with our own fleet operating from
well.equipped base at Pearl Harbor.
no fleet from tho Orient would find 1t
practicable to threaten our coast be.
cause of the stronghold left In the rear
and the prohlbitive distance from
their coaling base.
"A naval base at Pearl Harbor Is
not designed primarily for the protec.
ton Of Hawaii: It's main purpose is to
form buffer of defense for our en-
tire Pacific coast, and to make pos.
sible our supremacy upon the Pacific"
Report Of Naval Committee.
The foregoing constitute vital state.
ments in as sensational report as
ever made by the House Committee
on Naval Affairs. The report contain.
ing them was submitted yesterday In
support of the bill introduced few
days by Representative Bates, of Erie,
Pa, appropriating 100000 to estab.
fish naval base at Pearl Harbor
near Honolulu: 100000 of which is TO
be Immediately available. The com.
mittee ordered the bill to be favorably
reported. Such precipitateness Of ac.
ton by so great a committee on a
subject calling for such a large ex.
penditure has not been known among
House members since the beginning
of the Spanish war.
That the Bates bill is an admins.
tration measure and that the talk OF
war between America and Japan in,
spired It may easily be Inferred from
the fact that President Roosevelt
asked the Pennsylvania to come to
the White House and talk about the
bill. The President approved it, SO
the Pennsylvania member said
The report ends with the following
Istatement: Every consideration of
national honor or policy demands that
Pearl Harbor be made impregnablC
and equipped as a naval base immed
lately" In another part Of the report
the assertion Is made that II Is tht
only practicable site for naval bas,
In the Pacific Ocean, and Is the ,recog
nized key to the naval supremacy o
these waters. Its equipment as an op
Grating base is prerequisite to tn,
successful operation of our fleet
whether offensive or defensive. s.,
Best Harbor In the World.
The harbor which II Is proposed Il
fortify is said to be the best natura
harbor in the world. With depth o.
sixty feet and an area OF ten square
miles, II Is capable of harboring al
the nayies Of the world combined. Tn,
harbor is landlocked, and the noun
tains surrounding 1t shut of all view
of ships lying within from the oper
sea. The mountains are so high tha
mortar fire would be Intellectual. ant
the dragging OF guns to the heights o
land around would be impossible.
For more than sixty.five years th'
United States Government has official
ly recognized the Hawaiian Islands al
the natural outpost OF its defenses
and In 1S4l President Tyler put out {
Monroe doctrine Of the Pacific, say
ing that the United States would new
err consent to have the moccupled b!
a foreign DOwer