Show n sg 4 H LOW jmj y r A 4 T j rj li hlll an fn IL Z II 11 JJ aa P ft A 0 U 4 4 41 4 f t t alj I 1 W Z P A I 1 4 1 4 1 4 A 0 4 K 4 04 0 t J 4 ff it w IA te T ar e 5 4 ft vj A h A na 7 N IR 19 r AILS and rumors of var nar die hard even at this late W time in the history when civilization might bo be supposed BUp posed to have repressed the primitive lust for blood and alun der the alarmist has only to lift his voice in congress to baniah tranquility from our bosoms millions are given to promote thai cause of universal petco yet the na lions dons of europe compete with each other for the privilege of bearing the heaviest burden in the way of modern armaments england trembles at the thought of germany germany with tier her rapidly expanding commerce leaps to the dreadnought type of naval construction and increases her expenditures to overcome En glands two power lead austria lays down tour four first class battle ships russia la Is said to be contemplating the expends turo ture of on her navy the united states Is warned that in no long time garmany will oust her from the second place upon the seas not the least important Import aLt business of peace would seem to be the preparation for war one Is reminded of the ancient chi nese sage who was sent to europe by hla his emperor to investigate the merits of tile the christian religion it was a troublous time the great nations were locked in a death struggle battle fields ran with blood violent schisms sprang up and were suppressed with slaughter the continent was no better than a huge shambles after the sage bad looked hla his fill he returned to hla his emperor 4 china Is too peaceful a nation he said to be adapted to the christian faith peace dove la Is elusive it Is possible to believe that this shrewd wd oriental had not made a profound study ol of christian ethics but at least he had seen that during some centuries of acceptance it had not availed to put an end to the horrors of war perhaps the essence of the thing Is better understood today and yet ho he would be an optimistic prophet who should declare that the era of unbroken peace had dawned the country vaa nas recently warned that its standing army Is inadequate to repel foreign invasion this was met by the declaration that the sea Is still the nations impregnable bulwark and that while the navy floats no hos hoe tile nation could land a force what then Is the condition of the amerl can navy and what are its facilities in the way of naval base and coal sup ply in the event of war notwithstanding the greatly increase cd cost of naval con which was as introduced with the dreadnought type tym the government has during some years yeara followed the practice of laying down two battle ships annually the appropriations for the five years end ing june 30 1911 reach as against for the pieced ing five year period this program has placed the american navy in the second place with a total of ships carrying 1336 guns and having a dis placement of tons germany comes next with vessels carrying guns and having a tonnage of many fighting monsters Mon etera at the present time england a and nd america have tour four dreadnoughts each of about equal tonnage germany has three and japan one but germany which formerly built small battle ships has turned to dreadnoughts in an attempt to overcome En england glands s great lead and when the present program of the nations has been carried out she will stand second britain will then have seventeen of these monster engines of destruction germany thir tte united states state to ten 11 k anil and hussla and arid italy ita ly four each i but in th tho meantime the panama canal will have ha been opened ana aal the efficiency of abil american navy nave at al most doubled up to now the larger I 1 portion of the fleet has been kalt kept in atlantic waters aters but with the anal open it would be possible to effect a change of position lil in case of need without V herlous delay A writer signing himself hims if emphasizes in an article on the dis position of our fighting fleet in the columbian magazine the importance of 0 f the now new naval stations in the pa ile he speaks particularly of pearl harbor at hawaii where a naval nava base ase to la now being established and of the dry dock dewey at Olon sixty miles from manila tho the protection of our atlantic coast he be says iles in a fleet based on and the protection 0 of the pacific coast lies in a fleet based on pearl harbor both guantanamo and pearl harbor are ideally situated in their respective spheres the form er la Is centrally located with reference to the panama canal and our atlantic coast and a fleet based there would ciniman command d all the avenues toward the canal canall stands in the pacific as our outpost and no power could successfully approach our pacific coast without vilt hout taking it and meeting victoriously the strong fleet which we would maintain there |