The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1913-03-04
PEARL HAR5oR's SPONSOR
OUT OF CONGRESS

ing the reduction OF the water Level
in crib section two, is closely associated
with the retirement from congress Of
the man who was largely responsible
for tho commencement Of work on the
great naval station. The Pittsburg Ca
zotte. Times Of February s, publishes
the following from it's Washington cor
respondent, relative to tho services OF
the father of 1.-THE Gibraltar of the
Pacihc:"
Arthur l.. Bates of Meadville who,
with tho adjournment of this session
Of congress will have represented the
| twenty fifth district of PennsylvaniA
in the house of representatives for
! twelve years, retires from public life
with the honor of having brought about
the fertilization of Pearl Harbor, tbs
| Gibraltar of the Pacific. To Mr.. Bates
more than TO any other member of the
house is due tho great Notifications
rndertaken by the United States in the
| Hawaiian Islands, upon which the gov
ernment has already expended $lO,OO0,-
! 600 and viii so TO even greater lengths
to make them impregnable to hostile
fleets.
Mr.. Bates introduced the bill as a
member of the house committee on
naval affairs establishing the naval
| base. 1t became law in 1908 and car
ricd direct appropriation of $1,000
| 600. A like amount was appropriated
the following year and during the
! years 19l0-11-l2 over $7,000,000 addi-
tional has been appropriated for fur
thcrine the work.
When the Pearl Harbor bill was be
| fore the house in 1907 President Roos-
cvolt wrote him as follows:
''My Dear Mr.. Bates: Good for you
! When you engage in n service like this
you rise above the ordinary work of
a member of congress in obtaining
something for his district. You are
doing something for the whole country
which win be appreciated in the com
ing years"
Mr.. Bates, who visited the Hawai-
ian Islands prior TO 1905 as member
of the military committo and as chair
man of the subcommittee on naval
! yards, in discussing our base in the
Pacific Ocean, said:
"The water in Pearl Harbor is over
sixty feet in depth and has an area of
ten square miles and capable of float
ing the combined uavies of the world
1t is not only land licked, but by
reason of topography of surrounding
ground, ships lying in this harbor are
out of view from n ship in the open
sea would have to be dropped by guess
work. The streams of fresh water run
ming into this harbor are sufficient to
clean all barnacles from the bottom of
tho ships.
Key to Naval Supremacy.
"Its location is such as to render it
the only practical site for n naval base
in the Pacific Ocean. 1t is the recog
nized key to naval supremacy in those
waters. Whether our feet is to oper-
ate ON the offensive or defensive, tho
equipment of this harbor as an oper-
ating base is prerequisite to success
full operation in those waters.
"Back in lS42 President Tyler gave
notice to all European nations that the
United States would never consent to
their occupying Hawaii or establishing
any naval base there. This "Monroc
Doctrine of the Pacific" was reiterated
by Daniel Webster when secretary of
state in 1851, and by William l.. Marcy,
the great Democratic secretary of state,
by James G. Blaine and by William
Mckinley.
"ln 1893 that naval expert, Captain
Mahan, stated as follows:
THE Sandwich Island form tho
center of large circle whose radius
is approximately the distance from Ho-
nolulu to San Francisco. To have
central position such as this, and to
be alone, having no rival, and admit
ting no rival, are conditions that at
once fix the attention of the strategist.
But to this striking combination is
to be added the remarkable relations
'.orne to the great CONNER
cial routes traversing this vast ex-
panse.
Twenty-Five years ago, by the reel.
procity treaty with King Kalakaua, the
United States acquired the right to es-
tablish naval base on Pearl Harbor,
The only objection to the bill which /
introduced was the usual one, to-wit: a
matter of expense. The more, however,
that the naval committee investigated
the matter the more it became appa.
rent that the development of Pearl
lIarbor is a matter of national prudeRoG
and not of extravaganza. White rpri-
marily designed for the protection of
Hawaii, its hiain purpose is to form n
buffer of defense for our entire Pacific
Coast and to make possible our naval
/
Protection from Orient.
An enemy in possession of Hawaii
could harass and threaten our ettire
Western coast. On the other hand, with
our own fleet operating from a well.
equipped base at Pearl Harbor no feet
from the Orient would find it praetic.
able to threaten our coast, because Of
the prohibitive distance from their
coaling base.
Hawaii is 200 miles southwest of
San Francisco, 1900 miles from AGA
pulcoj 1900 miles from Panama. 5000
from Callao, 1900 miles north of Syd.
neyi 400 miles east of Manila, 3iOO
miles southeast of Yokohama and about
slOO miles southwest OF Victoria, Seat
tic and Portland.
"Tho dredging Of the channel has
been completed and the drydoek nearly
half built. Tho machine shops. build.
ings sea wall, whnryes, ehanges OF
grade, etc, arc oil well under way.
win a portion Of our navy lying al
! l'eaH liarbor Hs Il 10 now intended