Evening star., 1909-04-18
A Pacific Fleet.

II the speech delivered by Secretary
Meyer In Boston last night IS TO De re-
sarded as significant Of the policy OF the
new administration In the matter OF naval
construction, an effort will be made to In
duce Congress to appropriate literally for
the creation of as large fleet in Pacific
waters as in the Atlantic. Secretary Mey-
er used these suggestive words IN the
course Of his address, which is reproduced
in part elsewhere in The Star today:
The really effective and honorable
method of avoiding war Is to be pre-
pared for war by the possession OF an
efficient. up-to-date and thoroughly equip
ped fleet of battleships. both on the
Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
The cruise around the world of tine
sixteen battleships demonstrated the abil-
ity of the American naval commanders
and crews to handle a large force of
ponderous units efficiently and safely.
But this demonstration should not con-
tent the government, or stand as a proof
that a single large fleet can be relied
upon safely to protect the American in
terests In both seas. However flexible
our navy may be. however adapted to
meet emergencies in point Of cruising
speed, as long as We maintain two great
coast lines, separated. even when the
canal is completed. by several thousand
miles of steaming distance. We must have
two separate equipments, each of which.
however interchangeable they may be in
parts. is nevertheless SUFFICIENT for the
responsibilities assigned to it. AS Sec
retary Meyer says. our navy. which has
worked in this recent demonstration so
we'll as unit, should not be divided be-
tween the Atlantic and Pacific.
Secretary Meyer makes an interesting
suggestion to the effect that IL in 1898
the United States had possessed eight
additional battleships of the Oregon or
Iowa class, at a cost then Of less than
$5V.OOO.OOO, the cause Of peace would have
been greatly advanced. His intimation is
that such a naval equipment would have
prevented the war with Spain. which he
now figures cost ten times the amount
he estimates as the price Of the deet he
mentions. 1t is perhaps going too far to
say that with such stronger navy the
United States would have overawed Spain
into submission to it's demands, or that
il the war had started these additional
ships would actually have prevented its
prolongation even over the brief period
to which 1t extended. But the case OF
Spain in 1895 was exceptional. We were
fortunate in confronting q power 50 def
cient on the sea, so ineffective In the
means OF wagtng warfare. The case
would have been vastly different had we
faced hrst-class power. such as Eng
land. Germany or France. and in that
event eight battleships would not have
brought US UP to the mark OF necessity
or matched us. considering all our points
of exposure. with our antagonist.
However this may be. Secretary Meyer 8
declaration In behalf Of q larger navy, a
navy commensurate in size to our stretch
Of seacoast and extent Of possessions. 10
a gratifying token that the work OF In
suring peace by rendering war less prob
able Is not to falter AS an intelligent
people we can do no less than to take
those precautions against possible disas-
ter which are taken in propOrtionate
measure by all business groups in corpo-
rations-the precaution of preparedness
against eventualities.