| Show SEA ROADS TO ISTHMUS All from the Atlantic Run Through Caribbean Sea i MANY STRONG POSITIONS Acquisition of Them by a Formidable European State Would Endanger Our Shipping Mercantile and Naval Na-val AllkcPas3lng Between Atlantic I Ports and tho Pacific by the Canal Cnpt Mohan Writes an Interesting Interest-ing Article on Subject Paper on the Monroe Doctrine and Our Wavy New York March 111n a paper on The Monroe Doctrine and Our Navy which he has written for the forthcoming forth-coming issue of Leslies Weekly Capt A T Mahan says The settlement and growth of our Pacific coast the Increasing commercial commer-cial consequence of the Pacific coast and the questions arising about China Its future government and Its trade makes U necessary lo connect our Atlantic At-lantic anti Gulf seaboard with the Pa clllc by a canal across the IfoIl limos pstabllRhlng thereby consecutive water wa-ter communication between the two as well as shortening the access Cram our eastern Chores to Asia The Inlhmu9 and Its immediate surroundings hun becomes the greatest l of our Internal Interests Scarcely secondary lo them hI Iho Caribbean sea bocnunp all Pt toads lo the isthmus run through It nnd It contains many strong posltlona the acquisitIon of which by a formidable formid-able European state would endanger our shipping mercantile and naval alike passing between our Atlantic ports and 1 the Paclilo by tIme canal Ve muBl remember that other nn lions I and especially I I European m i because be-cause the most aclhe are interested likewise is i using that canal and for the rupport of their interests In gaining gain-ing positions To their doing so wo oppose the Monroe doctrine Tliere I fire If we intend to make good the afllrmailonH of the latter we must be prepared to resist forcibly If need be any attempt to obtain adjacent territory terri-tory or ports which may serve as sla lions for a nay hostile to ourselves It I IH natural that I European nations should wish urh possessions that Germany Ger-many for Instance as has boon latelY rumored should wish the Danish Islands Isl-ands St Thomaw etc Hor right to buy them la as good In Intoi national l I Inw as ours the Monroe doctrln de ponds not upon legal rights but upon time moral right or our JndNpcnsnMo intereslc nnd derives Its support from the fnt lint H Is not worth while to t Incur our enmity pushed perhaps to 1 the extent of war Now the one provocation for war in a maritime region like the Carlb bean Is a navy large enough lo bo et fectlvc Ports are quite secondary They are necessary to a navy which needs a local base of operations but they are useless without It especially I In the Caribbean because conditions there are so backwaul 113 to give nor local no-r OUI9 Positions hold there I not only must bo fortified but everything every-thing to support shipping must he Imported Im-ported and a Mcady stream of supply ply maintained This can only I be don I by the navy keeping the spa open which at tile same lime secures our otlur merchant shipping To do thos things which is called I controlling tIme sea the navy should strictly bo superior to any which can be brought against It but this o x iromo conclusion Is qualified by other circumstances such as our nearness lo the Caribbean ea our national pow er through our great resources the dangers dan-gers through which our possible opponents flr ponents may bo exposed In other quar trs and from other enemies We cannot can-not In the t near future expect to lmv a navy nearly as large as that which Great Britain must keep but it Is easily within our means to rival that of France or Germany the only European Euro-pean states other than Great Britain that might be led to dispute the Mon 100 doctrine Reflection upon this condition will reflect the size of our own war floot and as to the wisdom of cultivating those cordial relations to which Great Britain has invited UP when our interests I in-terests and Institutions advise and the existence of which mil It out of lh I > powi of uny other state to quarrel with us about the Monroe doctrine It la I to the Interest of Great Britain that we should take naval charge of the American Isthmus provided she can feel surf that we will do It effectively or that preparations nnd our deeds will answer to the words of Washing ton and Monroe |
