The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1909-12-14
war INEVITABLE
SAYS HOBSON
Predicts That the United States Would
Be Defeated in Case This
Country Met an Enemy
at Present.
HE URGES MORE SHIPS
BY Building Six New Men Of War
Each Year, We Need Not
be Afraid Of Any Other
Nation.


inevitable, declared Congressman
.l.4chmond Iobson of Alabama, the
hero of Santiago, in speech on the
philosophy of naval possibility of the
United States.
"As things are going now. the
United States will be in for defeat in
the first stage of the fight. Then it
will prolong the war for years at
fearful cost of lives and treasure to
achieve victory" he said.
His plan to avert this, is to build
six battleships year. That Will
make war less likely and if it does
come will insure speedy victory for
Uncle Sam. He said:
Congress should authorize for not
less than four first class battleships.
England, Germany, France and Russia
are all at present building more ton
mage of battleships than the United
States, and Japan is close behind.
When these ships are completed, the
United States will be third in naval
power. Four battleships, this year Is
the minimum that can retain the
United States in second place.
THE standing armies Of the word,
ready for instant war service number
over 32,0O0,000. They are just over
the oceans from American shores and
these oceans are no longer barrier
but a means of transportation. Il
America desires to continue to live
unharmed. she must control the wa
tiers between our shores and those
shores. The possession OF valuable
territory is the first great cause OF
war and the United ties should
prepare to hold the Panama canal
zone and its helpless possessions in
the Pacific
He spoke especially of Pearl Har
Dor near Honolulu, calling it the pivot
of the world, the most vital spot in
the history of the world. Control Of
that harbor, means control of the Fa
cific. The Japanese now control the
water around it and they outnumbel
white people Is to in the Hawaiir
Islands. All the important harbors
on the Pacific, he said, with adequate
fortifications and garrisons are sub
ject to seizure at any time bv any ma
tion which could dispatch an arm,
and land below them and attack at the
rear America has no army to pre-
vent such an attack To remove thi
danger would require permanen
naval strength, at least equal to Jap
n n
another cause of war and said grea
navy was necessary to assure Amel
ican producers fair play in the mai
kets of the world. Race hatred wa
given as another cause of war Fl
spoke of the Japanese question on tn
Pacific coast and said that 'being dt
fenseless in the Pacific ocean we car
not discuss the question with Japar
Japan has practically compelled us t
surrender the right of local self go,
ernment No self respecting natio
could be expected permanently to liv
under such surrender of it's instit,
tions."
The minimum basis of the navs
strength of this country, he sale
must be navy equalled to the con
bined navies of Germany and Japar
The true policy should be the Unite
States 20 per cent above these con
bined navies. The navy should b
strong enough to win, he declared
I All modern wars have been won b
the nations with superior equipment
and we should place ourselves on th
safe side by adding six ne.-, dreat
naughts to its navy each year.