Show AS TO OUR NAVY It seems now to be understood that thit sixteen Ii United States battleships will start in December for forthe forthe forthe the Pacific coast The eastern press generally is much disturbed over oyer that prospect Still there is no war cloud clond in ight We Pc believe e that there is but one nation at present that would dare darc to go to war with the United Stat States and that i is i Japan And she wants none of it at least not now She intends to occupy Manchuria Man ran churia as she has Korea and when she makes war it will be in the interest of either land or trade She wants more territory for her people but she will tr try first to obtain it in in Asia She means to dominate the ocean trade hade of the Pacific and interference with that purpose will sooner than anything else cause her Iler to resort to war But she is in no condition for that now She wants a few more figh fighting n ships and wants to recoup her treasury When hen we say no other power would dare go to war with the United States we do not question the fighting power of several of or them Great Britain has vastly more ships hips and guns but with a n war with the United States in progress how would she feed her own people and I how ke keep p her factories running Franco has plenty of the fighting spirit She has hasa a good navy y and a magnificent arm army but if involved in involved in- in in war with the United States what would Germany be doing Again Germany German has the most perfect arm army on ou the Ie continent but in a 11 war with the United States Stales she he could not make that arm army available and at sea in the present condition of her nn navy she would be worsted Her emperor means to overcome this in inthe inthe inthe the next nett five or six years but at present ship for ship and gun for gun he knows that on the thc sea a war with the United States would be risking the de destruction destruction de I of his navy na I Then our relations with all the powers are most more friendly more friendly than when our war with Spain came on and we had but five fhe battleships and andone andone andone one of these was decidedly second In this connection it is well to know how the time naval strength of the country is estimated abroad P. P T. T Jane i is a u yel very rely high authority in England In the tenth annual issue of his Fighting Ships of 1907 just 1907 just issued he says Both in ships with power high guns gims or impervious to vital ital injury at long Jong range the United States navy T is superior to any I other nav navy in the world Even E as regards caliber 40 inch 12 types no longer employed in new ships the same writer says sars the United States navy naY is an extremely extremely ex ex- extremely good second The rage of late has been for big ships but the Jane report shows sho that all except the United States ha have e looked more to bigness than to effectiveness Another writer recalls tb the fact that perhaps the I deciding clement in n Japans Japan's victories over oyer Russia by sea and land was the explosive invented in by a Japanese Japan Japan- ese officer and called It was th this F that changed the whole face of or nature at Port Arthur it was this that enabled the Japanese fleet at Ion long I range to beat to destruction the Russian ships Well some time since word came from Sandy Hook or Indian Head Head we we do not remember which which- that the American explosive invented in invented by Major Dunn of the ordnance corps United States arm has bas has proved vastly superior to for on trial al he heavy J armor plate was as not only broken but was literally shivered to fragments This explosive c is the exclusive property of the United States When General Bell was here some weeks since he lie was asked about it and with a smile he replied We Ye think it is all right and added Japan wants it very cry much FinalI Finally the men behind the guns are to be con con- At target practice no gunners of any other nation unless it be the Japs compare with th our sailI sail sail- ors I The rhe rule for a hundred years ears after our republic was launched was that on land and sea alike it required required required re re- twice as man many missiles from foreign gunners to kill a man as from American gunners The rule held good in the Spanish war on land while land while at sea in both the fights at Manila and off Santiago but one I American was killed b by the enem enemy We shall manage manage man man- age to get along |