Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1922-03-10

saving of money generally, almost
certainly will result in the scrap
ping of some Of the island defenses
of the United States in the Far East.
So it would seem that so far us the
great defense works are concerned
they are to go the way of things war
like, but War-like only in so much as
| they represent defense preparations
of the United States.
Corregidor island on which the
United States has constructed for
| tifications at the gateway of Manila
is said to be second only to Gibraltar
IN It's defensive possibilities. 1t is one
of the places which has been called
lmpregnable. The United States, after
the work of years concerning which
little news had been given to the
world, placed Corregidor in con-
dition to defend the City of Manila
against the feet of any one enemy
and perhaps against the fleets of the
world
The intention of the War depart
ment goes to show that the adj
ministration has faith in the strength
OF the four-power treaty to maintain
peace in the Orient without regard to
armies and navieS OF course if war
shall come Unexpectedly, the United
States will be in a bad way so far
as it's eastern possessions are con-
20 hI1fY ic n icS
closed when it is said that the belief
always has been that if war with
certain country should come it would
be impossible for the American gov
eminent to hold the Philippines
against an attack which should come
from coast points removed from
Manila bay.
The United States could hold the
Philippines against and attack if it
had sufficiently strong fleet in the
Orient to overcome an enemy'S fleet,
but under ordinary circumstances
with the ships scattered as they have
been, the fleet of one possible enemy
could cover the landing of enough
troops to overrun the islands. This has
been recognized by the military
authorities for some years.
Subig Bay Plan Discarded.
There was much of a controversy
twelve or fourteen years ago in Amer
lean military and naval circles over
the matter of strengthening the de-
lenses of the Philippine islands. Subig
bay, which is seventy miles from
Manila, has many natural features
which would make it an ideal naval
base. The proposition was to make
it such and to command the entrance
by great batteries emplaced upon the
surrounding hills. 1t was held, how
ever, by some of the experts that the
bay could not be fortified properly
without the expenditure of millions
upon millions of dollars, and that
even then the Notifications would be
defenseless from the land side.
The result of the controversy was
that Subig bay was not made a great
naval base and Corregidor island took
first place in the affections Of the
majority authorities. Army officers,
and navy officers too, said that Cor
regidor, which is a huge rock with
precipitous sides rising to a great
height from the water, could be made
a second Gibraltar, and so in a way
it has been made.
1t was many years ago that the
work began to prepare Corredigor for
the emplacements of the great guns.
The plans called for strong garrison
with sufficient supplies to stand a
siege of years. The original plan
for Corregidor in the main was car
ried out. One of the fruits of the
recent conference will be a virtual
abandonment of the great fortifca-
ton.
Few Troops to Be Left There.
It is expected that the American
troops in the Philippines largely will
be decreased in numbers in a short
time. One student of present con-
ditions has said that "the possibility
of aggression against the islands by
any nonsignatory power is regarded
as so remote as not to deserve con-
sideration." This means also that the
faith in the powers which did sign
the treaties is so great that the main
tenance of defense against any pos
sible breach of faith no longer is
considered necessary.
There will be some troops left in
the Philippines, just enough, however,
to aid the local forces in preserving
order and to form small expeditionary
forces in case trouble should break
out anywhere in the islands.
The United States, Great Britain,
Japan and France, as parties to the
four-power Pacific treaty, have agreed
in a general way to respect the rights
of the different nationals in the Orient
and to engage in no acts of agrees
sion. If these promises are kept Cor
regidor island might just as well be
mined and it's rocks shattered and
tumbled in fragments into the sea but
If these promises are not kept it is
probable the United States will be
sorry that faith in pledges spiked the
guns which once commanded the ap-
proaches to the Bay of Manila.