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Show The "Heroes" of tbe Fleet. ' The Argonaut of San Francisco tells the people that as a great exploit the coming of the fleet to San Francisco was no great scientific performance, perform-ance, that the "ending of the fleet was entirely political, meant to give the world and Japan and Russia in particular, notice that the United States y was a power, and that it intended to have its full say in the matters pertaining to the Pacific ocean and its trad We suspect that is so, but it ; ' amounts to much more. Brazil does not think of the United tSates at all as it did before that fleet rode on its chains for some days in Rio harbor. Neither does Chili, since that fleet made the circle cir-cle of the harbor of Valparaiso, roared its salutes and passed on to the north. And the same effect has been impressed on the men of our own country on the west coast. We read the dimensions of a battleship, the size of its engines, the calibre of its guns, but after all, have no realization of what a majestic and terrible thing a battleship is, or of the duties of those on board. Of the 300,000 who went to San Francisco to see the fleet, we do not believe that 300 had ever seen a battleship before. To say that they went home deeply impressed and better Americans than when they left home will not be half stating the facts. They saw not only the ships and their equipments, equip-ments, but they obtained a new idea of the dia clpline needed to handle those monster machines and to bring them without an accident from Hampton Roads to San Francisco. It has impressed im-pressed the world. It was referred to in most complimentary terms in the British parliament last week, and the emperor of Germany wants the strong powers of Europe to send detachments of their fleets to escort the American ships through the Mediterranean. And we are glad that in a little way Utah took on a little share In the glory. m The "Native Sons" of California would have had it been possible, shut our Utah boys out as escorts to the admiral. But the old fighter would not permit per-mit that. He not only insisted that the boys should be his escort, but ordered that they be permitted to board his flag ship, the Connecticut, had them shown all over it and permitted an unprecedented honor, to watch as his flag as com inander was run down. If those boys are not the setter for it all .their lives we are mistaken in them. Another thing, they were given a camping camp-ing place on the military reserve U. S. territory, and permitted to perform their evolutions there and to salute and Anally haul down their flag. And the state of Utah gained mightily in pres tige by their going. When it was told people that the men and women of Utah raised $15,000 to send the boys to see the fleet, the expression always al-ways made was "it is the finest thing I ever heard of." And the boys were equal to all the tests made them. Finally we must not forget that no limit must be made in the praise given Dr. Pfoutz, General Wedgewood and Captain Webb for their work. |