The Prescott daily news., 1916-08-30
PACIFIC COAST WOULD
 BE HELPLESS IN WAR
(From the Spokesman-Review.)

beyond the power even of the nation.
 Suppose that peace were broken next week, or next month. Then what? We should have to grapple with warlike nation, for Japan is already prepared. Within the lifetime of young men who will cast their first vote next November Japan has fought two great and victorious wars, and Is at war today with Germany. She defeated China utterly and holds that vast empire in political subjection. She destroyed the fleets and defeated the armies of the mighty Russian em- pire. She holds Corea in bondage.
 Japan begins the military training of her young in the public schools. She has compulsory military service. Every able-bodied Japanese is a train ed soldier, and the training is thorough two years with the colors for infan- try, three years for all other arms of the service, and then to the re- serves, with 60 days of field training lat fixed intervals until at 40 the cit izen passes into the home guard.
 If Japan should declare war on the United States the whole Pacific coast, from Alaska to Mexico, would be in danger of invasion and conquest. She has the men, she has the ships. Our own general staff has told congress and the country that in p days Jap an could load and cross the Pacific with a first expedition of 96,000 men and 24,000 animals; and in Al days more could return, reload and recross with second expedition of 142, 1000 men and 36,000 animals-a total in- vading force in two months of 23S,- 900 highly trained soldiers, many of them veterans of other wars.
 But our navy" some will say, tour navy could drive them off" Let us inquire into what Rear Admiral Winslow, commander-in -in-chief of the Pacific fleet, told congress about that 
 naval affairs two months ago.
 Mir Stephens-Admiral, with the fleet that you have named to this com mittee do you think that the Pacific coast is adequately prepared for de fense?
 Admiral Winslow-No, certainly not I do not think that there is any pre- tense that it is with that fleet. If you want me to say whether we have a sufficient fleet on the Pacific we have not any fleet on the Pacific; we do not pretend to have; nothing but that one armored cruiser Gas a but if we had more men l suppose we would commission the other armored cruiseres, but so far as we have our force is all in the Atlantic.
 The startling facts were brought out by further questioning that most of the warships now on the coasts are laid up in harbor, out of commission for want of men, Five thousand more men would be needed the admiral said, to put them in commission.
 Mir. Stephens-Admiral, you have no vessels that are new, have you?
 Admiral Winslow - No, we have nothing new.
 Mir. Stephens What are the larg- est guns you have aboard?
 Admiral Winslow-Eight inch guns.
 Mir. Stephens-If you were to ap- proach an enemy with the fleet that you have how many enemy battle ships do you think it would take to conquer the fleet, supposing the per sonnel of both fleets fight as best they knew how?
 Admiral Winslow- Bar luck, one good battleship ought to be stronger than all we have got.
 Mr. Stephens-One good battleship is more than a match for the fleet that i. now on the Pacific coast?
 Admiral Winslow-Yes, if she had certain conditions. If she had speed, so she could choose her own distance, she could get out of range of our guns and then we could not hurt her at all. But if we had thick weather or reas- enable misty weather, so we could close in on her, we could do consider able damage with our guns.
 That is not sensational fiction; 1t is the cold, hard fact, stated with care full delberation by the high officer commanding the fleet now in the Pa