Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1914-11-05
France and Russia Do Not
Want Russia to Get Pos
session Alone 4
WOULD MAKE TROUBLE
In LAST SETTLEMENT
II Gar Gets Possession Fear
He Would Hold Ii In Case
Germany Is Beaten
BY j. w. T. Mason
(Former London correspondent for the
United Press.)

AIUIintl lOHuhl tOlANdDOnhNhI lOA NAQ
United Press.)
New York. Nov 5.-The British adj
mirality's reluctance to admit the re-
ported recent victory of Admiral Won
Specs German cruiser squadron over a
quartet Of British fighting ships under
Admiral Craddock off the Chilean
coast, seemed today to be due to the
failure Of any of the accounts to mem
tion the British battleship Canopus in
connection with the engagement.
The Cgnopus had been sent to rein
force Admiral Craddock's squadron
but apparently had not joined it. II is
armed with four 12.inch guns and had
it been n participant in the battle,
these weapons would have given the
British an artillery preponderanco
which appears actually to have been
possessed by the Germans.
| Won Spec and Craddock evidently
had been maneuvering to catch one an
other in inferior strength, and the~Ger-
man commander won the strategic
game,
The Canopus is i6.year.old bottle-
ship with u speed Of 1875 knots. The
cruisers Monmouth and Good Hope,
both Of which are reported lost with
all hands, were equal to 23 knots, and
the Glasgow the cruiser said TO be
interned, badly damaged, in Chilean
waters, could make 25,
Made Mistake
This being the case and in view Of
the fact that the weather was bad,
with gale blowing and heavy sea,
at the time the battle was fought, il
is possible that the fleeter cruisers had
become separated from the more pom
dcrous battleship, enabling the Ger
mans to seize them at a disadvantage.
Croddock, too, may not have thought
it necessary TO wait for the Canopus
when he sighted the German squadron.
The British cruisers are built with q
, view to manageability in heavy wea-
ther and the British sailors are special
lists in rough sen fighting, so perhaps
their admiral underostimated the Ger.
man advantage over him in weight Of
metal
( Great Britoiu's declaration of war
against Turkey is evidence Of the Lon
don governments Is belief that the peUco
treoty In Constantinople cannot be re-
lied on to hold the pro.German young
Turks in check, Assuming the accu-
rucy Of this judgment and with RUS
sio forcing the fighting along tho
Turkish frontier, the quick assumption
Of the offensive by the British has ad-
y yuntagcous possibilities TO them.
without In any way suggesting to
Russiu that It is entering into rivalry
with the latter Great Britain prob
, ably will in reality engage in a race
i with the Russians on luhd TO get first
+ to Constantinople by sea.
Want Past Dardanelles.
{ The Dardanelles have been 80 thor.
I oughly mined that II had been thought
4 II would be impossible for warships to
o pass them on the way 10 tho Turkish
9 cnpitol but the fact that the Anglo
8 French fleet Is shclling them makes II
n apparent that these two allies intend
a TO make every effort to get through
and attempt TO compel COnstantino-
s plo's surrender to their squadron.
q In this wny alone can the British
d and French frustrato Ruesia's desire
d to subdue Turkey single handed. Nei'
D ther Of them can spare troops from tho
d western field Of war for service In tho
10 near east and nothing remains but
their Joint Mediterranean fleet to rep
% resent them in the campaign against
' the sultan,
II this fleet takes Constontnoplc
the city's disposition after the war viii
not be o matter concerning which Tho
ear will have the paramount voice
Il ff, on the other hand, Il Is taken by
u Russian troops alone, Slav demands e
remain In possession cannot very well
., be resisted at the pence conference