The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1913-11-05
WHAT CANAL WILL DO FOR THE
NAVY.
Secretary Daniels Discusses Prospects
OF the Waterway.

Conceding the vast benefits that
Will accrue to commerce through the
opening Of the Panama canal, Sec
retary Daniels told delegates to the
southern Commercial congress that
the opening would not double the
efficiency Of the navy. He denied
claims that the furthered mobility of
the fleets would add so much to the
sea power of the United States. He
acknowledged, however, that such
mobility would render the navy much
more efficient.
During the long campaign to in
duce the American people to pay the
millions necessary to construct an
islhmian canal" said the secretary,
"one of the strongest arguments for
the large expenditure was that such
a canal would double the efficiency
OF the navy. We were told also that
1t would make for efficiency in the
army and make the United States the
dictator Of the western hemisphere
and the mistress Of the seas.
Now that the canal is nearing com.
pietion and the day is near at hand
when ships will sail from San Fran
cisco to the Caribbean in about 240
hours. as against 1924 hours it took
the Oregon to sail around Cape Horn,
we are told that the building Of the
canal demands twice as large a navy
as formerly, and that control Of tho
| canal demands a large standing army
on the isthmus."
Secretary Daniels referred to the
declaration of Count Maurice de Pc
| rigny, a celebrated French explorer,
that this gigantic and remarkable
! work Of the United States is INSULT,
ciently protected in a military sense"
The Frenchman calculated that 25, 900
men would be barely sufficient to
guard the waterway.
But in these statements" Secretary
Daniels continued. "as in almost all
other things, the truth lies betwean
two extravagant assertions The canal
will not double the effectiveness Of our
navy, but it will greatly increase it,l
ability to defend every part Of the
coast on the Pacific as well as on the
Atlantic. 1t will not virtually multi
ply the numbers OF the army. 1t will
make necessary Notifications and
| troops. but 1t need not be nearly so
expansive or require one-half so many
troops as our distinguished French.
man predicts.
No great achievement comes with
out sacrifice and cost, but the benefits
to be derived will be worth the mod
crate cost it's protection and operation
will require in all the years to come,
and with the expansion OF trade, the
benefits will increase hundred fold,
whereas the expense will remain prac-
tically stationary.
"The Panama canal is O mammoth
| carving knife that cuts and slashes
dista aces in record breaking way.
And cutting and slashing the distances
between New York and San Francisco
means to revolutionize naval, as well
as commercial, conditions. The mill
tary significance Of the canal, OF
| course, Is that it enables the quick
movement Of the fleet in either ocea,.
to the other in time of war.
1T will be the most vital chord in
that system Of transference by which
the navy Of the United States can
come promptly to the support on ieth-
er coast Of the local defenses. With
q competent navy, and with the canal
secured, not merely as to tenure, but
with guns Of such range as to insure
oeployment in the open sea at either
end-a necessary condition of all sea-
coast ti.,catiOns-invasion will not
be attempted, for it can lead to no
adequate results. Without the canal
1t would require four months for an
Atlantic fleet to round Cape Horn into
the upper Pacific; with the canal it
will require less than four weeks"
Secretary Daniels, referring to
Spanish-American war days, lauded
the battleship Orgeons hazardous trip
Of 13,400 miles in record breaking
time, declaring the cruise helped pow
erfully to buid the canal.
"a few months hence" he added,
the navy--the chief cause which led
to the construction Of the canal--will
proudly sail through the majestic wa
terway from the Atlantic to the Pa
cific. Headed by the Oregon, the i'm
posing fleet will teach to all the world
hn fn ~ hot . no .l~l:<