The Washington herald., 1913-10-05

Navy" in 17S0, tries to bring home to
American readers the extent Of the great
struggle to which the Declaration Of In
dependence was the prelude; and he
draws therefrom the lesson what to do
II in the future questions the most re-
mote from our shores should involve this
country in unforeseen complications.
When our forefathers, argues the au-
thor, began to agitate against the Stamp
Act and similar oppressive measures
which succeeded II, they foresaw the
spread OF their action to Europe and
the West Indies as little as did the
British Cabinet which, in framing the
Stamp Act, struck the match from
which these consequences followed
When. on Lake Champlain, Benedict Ar
mold, by vigorous use of small means,
obtained a years delay for the colon
lists, he compassed Burgoyne's surrender
QTm. That capitulation determined the
intervention of France Q77S), while the
latter brought about the accession there
to by Spain G779.
The war with these two powers led to
the maritime occurrences: interference
with neutral trade which gave rise to
an armed neutrality, the concurrence in
which by the Netherlands resulted in war
btN"NSAt lht DhANh anu LDilAdlll III Atov
This shows how great a confla grafton
may be kindled by a little fire. Our
Monroe doctrine. says Capt. Mahan, is
merely the formulation of a national pre-
caution that there shall not be any ma
terial scattered about which foreign pos
session and the Americans might supply
for the extension of combustion originat-
ing elsewhere. In other words. European
nations are warned not 10 acquire any
more territory or to establish a protec-
torate in this hemisphere. So is the OBJ
lection to Asiatic immigration simply a
recognition OF the same danger. arising
from the presence Of an inassimilable
mass of population. racially as well as
additionally distinct in characteristics,
behind which would lie the sympathies
and energy of a powerful military and
naval Asiatic Empire. CThis subrosa
reference OF course is to be read as
meaning Japan
Conducive as each Of these policies is
to national safety and peace amid in
ternatiOnal strife elsewhere, neither the
one nor the other can be sustained with
out a prepOnderant navy. During the
period OF the War of Independence it
was Washington who made the remark
that "the navies had the casting vote"
Arnold. on Lake Champlain, De Grasse
at Yorktown had the privilege of eNer-
cising that prerogative at two decisive
moments Of that war.
To the navy also. eighty years later,
was due the successful suppression OF
the secession movement. The effect of
the blockade upon the financial and mil
itary efficiency Of the Confederate gov
eminent never has been calculated close
iy. Perhaps II is incalculable. Stin con-
troll OF the water was the most deter
lninative factor at these two principal
national epochs And so in the future,
in the well-conceived opinion OF the
author, who is an unquestioned author
ity on naval affairs, upon our navy will
depend the successful UNFOLDING OF the
two leading national policies mentioned,
both OF them most essential to the part
the United States is to play in the prog
ress of the world.
While numerically great in population,
our country is not SO in proportion to
territory: nor, though very wealthy, Is
IL SO in proportion to her exposure. 1t
is a portentious fact that, while our
three great Pacific States average less
than twenty inhabitants to the square
mile. Japan has more than three hun
d-ed. The immense aggregate of per-
sons residing elsewhere in this country
cannot be transferred to the Pacific TO
meet an emergency, nor can they con-
tribute effectively to remedy this INSULT
cheney; neither can land force of SOL