Show OFFICIAL FOOLISHNESS Neither the eastern people nor the Washington authorities seem to be able to outgrow the idea that the whole country is in the east that all the means of defense should be concentrated there The lUIe fact that the back door might be broken bi open never once crosses their minds They want the front door double locked and bolted and strap hinges and padlocks put on the front gate but nothing for the back door It seems the navy department department de de- has decided to substitute for the Pacific an armored cruiser fleet for the battleship squadron squad squad- ron so much needed Now the only power on onearth onearth onearth earth that the United States has lIas any possible prospect prospect prospect pros pros- of ever having haying war with is Japan Europe cannot m make ke war upon the United States because that would shut off ff her supply of food and her cotton cotton cotton cot cot- ton from this country and a long war with the United States wot would d produce civil wars in all of the states of the old world But Japan is a fighting nation and a treacherous nation Now suppose the worst should come and we should have a war var w with th Japan What use would our cruisers be 1 Japan has lIas some of the most terrific battleships in inthe inthe inthe the world and is building more and any anyone one of them could sail through a squadron of cruisers and sink them one after the other It looks to us as though the order was an imbecile one it looks to tous tous tous us as though the true wisdom would be to send the battleships tho the submarines and the torpedo boat destroyers d to the Pacific because it W is on the Pacific Pacific Pa Pa- cHic side that the damage would come come in a great war |