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Show H NAVAL BASE ON THE PAOiFIC OCEAN. " H The talk about creating a great naval baspyon the Panama canal M is probably nonsense, says the San Fraiicisjco,.Callf The strategic M base of naval operations covering the waters of the Caribbean and the protection of the canal will necessarily be located' at Guantana-uio Guantana-uio onrthc island of Cuba. The-eanal itself will be protected by adequate ad-equate fortifications and a garrison In! fact; if the navy wore tied down to the function of guarding tlie isthmian waterway, that great enterprise would be a source of military weakness and not strength. It is obvious that the canal must be provided with its own special system of land defenses. t 4- The naval bases on thePacifie will be at Pearl ha'rbqr in Hawaii, at Marc island on San Francisco bay and on Puget sound. Sonic foolish objection is made to Marc, island on the ground that it is not easy of approach for largcjships, but this objection is quite untenable un-tenable for the reason that it is commercially necessary to open these approaches to Marc island by dredging the Pinole shoals. If there never had been a navy yard at Mare island these shoals must be dredged and cleared away in the interests of navigation on the inland waterways of California. Congress has already made appropriations appro-priations for a substantial beginning on this work. It would be a criminal waste of public monejvlD dismantle the great government plant at Mare island, on which anne $17,000,000 of public money has been invested. "wrMW8WM1w ""' '- g"g-' '? V.f iHlllL-l.illlJIJIIIl'L HIIIIMxhw ! II I I II II " |