The Hawaiian gazette., 1913-05-16
POLITICAL PULL OF ATLANTIC
COAST HARMING OUR PRESTIGE
Writer in New York Herald Points Out the Folly
Of Keeping Only Effective Ships Where
They Are of No Use.

powerful battleships are In the Allan
tie. All of our modern destroyers are
in the Atlantic. All but three Of our
modern submarines are in the Atlantic.
From past, present and probable fu-
turc conditions our only possible enemy
of any consequence on the Atlantic side
is Germany. With the present rivalry
between Germany and Great Britain it
would seem sound that we have no i'm
mediate danger to fear from that
source. WHY then should not our fleet
be based IN the Pacific, where its only
possible present enemy is, in order that
the personnel may get the benefit of
training in the possible theater of war
and where the moral influence OF its
presence will not be wasted, as it is
being now in the Atlantic We can all
remember that President Roosevelt, not
withstanding his influence on the Cali
iornia legislature over the school ques-
ton, could not silence the warlike talk
in Japan until the Atlantic fleet
emerged through the Straits of Magel-
Ian into the Pacific, and that as soon as
our fleet was in the Pacific all such
war talk ceased Why then should we
not have the moral influence now of our
fleet in the Paciiicf
No More Political Pull.
''lieretofore question of expediency
such as bases proper docking and re-
pairing facilities for the fleet, fuel and
God supply etc, not to mention the
enormous political influence of the va.
rious navy Yards along the Atlantic
coast, have kept the fleet on this side,
but now should we send the fleet to
the Pacific we will soon have the ser
vice Of learl Harbpr, the natural out
post in the Pacific, the new docks Mt
Brcmerton and the canal itself. will be
al service tos the fleet by the time IL
is in need of any extended repairs.
Also, while coal win still have to be
transported for the older vessels, the
oil iuel on the Pacific Coast is avail
able for all the newer destroyers and
hattlcships. 1t is not the navy's place
to decide the merit of points at issue
in international disputes, but it is the
navy's business to be always prepared
and at the spot where trouble is most
likely to occur.
Let MS then send our fleet and its
dcstroyers TO the, Pacific and we shall
find that the present warlike talk of
the Japanese win cease, only, however,
ds long as dir fleet Is stronger than
theirs, but viii cease at least until
theirs Is the stronger.
"PeopIc In the eastern part of the
United States have no adequate conccp-
ton of the lrealismipf the race ques.
lton op q the Pacific Coast. It is true
il il fbstered to a lqrgy extent by labor
dni9Hg,gbdt BY to means only BY them,
Ind that u is permanent one is owl
'denced by the. outcroppings of different
phases every few years. On the other
hand people, in ,genAral in the East like
wise have no proper conception OF this
I QUESTION to the aUapaneselo All their
struggles have been toward placing
THAR nation on "a par with the Chris.
ton white nations. The Japanese want
TO be considered as good as any white
people, and combined with this is their
sensitive Oriental spirit, perhaps in it.
self an admission of infcriority, but n
sensitycness that causes imaginary
Sights or wrongs to rankle deeply"
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