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Show WARNING JAPAN. Secretary Daniels has announced what appears to be a psychological demonstration dem-onstration against Japan. On the day following the publication of the diplomatic diplo-matic correspondence between the United States and Japan he stated that the North Atlantic fleet of twenty battleships bat-tleships and many smaller craft, after passing through the Panama canal next March on its way to the Panama exposition, expo-sition, would remain in Pacific waters for a long time. Thus practically the entire naval power of the United States will be transferred to Pacific waters. At the very beginning the effect of the Panama canal on our naval power will be exemplified in the most decisive manner. The efficiency of the navy will be almost doubled by the facility with which the battleships can be assembled as-sembled as a unit wherever their services serv-ices are needed. Had the Panama canal been delayed eight or ten years the United States would have found it necessary to build a navy for the Pa cific as well as for the Atlantic; consequently conse-quently hundreds of millions of dollars have been 6aved in this way alone by the finishing of the canal. It is now possible to shift the battleship fleet from the Atlantic to the Pacific or from the Pacific to the Atlantic quickly enough to meet any emergency. When Roosevelt sent the battleship squadron around the world he left our Atlantic coast undefended. The transfer of the fleet by way of the Panama canal cannot can-not be said to have this result. Even while in the Pacific the navy is a do-fense do-fense to the Atlantic coast because it can be concentrated there as soon as any navy sent from F.urope. According to tenlative plans tbe fleet will maneuver in Puget sound and cruise up and down the coasts of California, Cali-fornia, Washington and Oregon. There is some talk of sending it as far as the Hawaiian islands. Meantimo the fleet will be kept in Mexican waters and can be hurried to the canal in case of need. Although the Pacific fleet is much stronger than ever before, it is to be reinforced by the .North Atlantic fleet. The news of this naval move on our part rnnnnt fail to impress tint JapanesT us iu the nature t a warning, howevur nkillnillv the ailminisiraliou may veil its purpose by explanations with regard to the opening of the canal. In tbe Pacific ocean at thin time the United States has the Pacific fleet, the Pacific reserve fleet and the Asiatic fleet. The Pacific fleet comprises three armored cruisers, a torpedo flotilla, a submarine division and auxiliaries. The Pacifio reserve floet is made up of the battleship Oregon, the armored cruisers West Virginia, Colorado and South Dakota Da-kota and the cruiBers Albany, Chattanooga, Chatta-nooga, Milwaukee and St. Louis, and submarines and auxiliaries. The Asiatio fleet consists of the cruisers Saratoga, Cincinnati and Galveston, with several gunboats, a torpedo flotilla and auxiliaries. |