The Dominion. MONDAY, JANUARY 20, 1908. MISCHIEF-MAKERS

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 99, 20 January 1908, Page 6

The Dominion. MONDAY, JANUARY 20, 1908. MISCHIEF-MAKERS

Although Admiral "Evans 1 has refrained' from firing at imaginary. enemies during fogs, his progress-to the •Pacific witE the American'fleet is attracting almost, as much exflited attention as the famous voyage of Admiral llozlijestvensky. No ' point of resemblance between the. cruise of the Baltic fleet and the. voyage of the American battleships to Pacific ; waters, has been. dreamed of up to the present, but a cable message from New York which we print to-day suggeets a rather disturbing parallelism between the two events. "Washington dispatches," so the message runs, " report that there is uneasiness owing to sensational reports regarding the distribution ofthe Japanese fleet. Admiral Saito, Minister of the Navy, states that he is willing to make an announcement as to the disposition of the fleet if it is needed to allay the excitement, but he adds that the rumour is hardly worth attention," Meanwhile, as we reported on Saturday, President Roosevelt, in thanking the Brazilian authorities for the hospitality accorded to the fleet at Rio, has been declaring—obviously for the benefit of the sober folk in Japan and uYmerica, who have beep disturbed by the yellow Press of the two countries and the indiscretions of Admiral Evans and Commander Hobson—that "the American fleet exists only to protect peace,against possible aggressions, and justice against possible oppressions." The dispatch of the fleet to the Pacific—to the Japanese frontier, that is to say—just 1 at the time when the relations between America and Japan are not so cordial as they might Tbe, has been interpreted by the yellow press n,nd a great; maaiy nervous people as plain proof of the President's desire, either to fight Japan, or to make a "demonstration," (hat carry conviction that America is not to be trifled with. Mr. Roosevelt, however, states that he thought of the cruise long be-; fore _ the San Francisco disturbances, and it is reasonable to accept his assurances, Although the New York ''Post" and some other of the better class antiRoosevelt journals are complaining that the cruise is a waste of time, and a navally-uaelesg parade, involving the expenditure of a very large sum of money, and the suspension of fleet drill ,and gunnery practice, the pruise will be useful in teaching what Captain Mahan calls " the huge administrative difficulties connected with so diiitant all expedition, by a large body of vessels dependent upon their own resources." There is, from the naval point of view, much to be said against the cruise, but there is as much to be said for it. At any rate there is ample warrant for it as a naval experiment. It is beyond dispute, we think, that the President has been sincere in his many references to the relation's between Japan aud xlmeriea. In his address to Congress on Decemhor 3 Inst, he referred to the question with a calmness and an absence of anything like over-emphasis or "empressement." The invitation to the Tokio Exposition in 1912 would be accepted, because of " the geographical relations of Japan and the United States, as the possessors of such large portions of the liflagts- tfis- pAeinCi. the intimate.

trade' relations already ..-.existing between the two countries, the warm friendship which has been maintained between them without break since the. opening of Japan to intercourse with the western nations, and her increasing wealth and production, which we regardy ■with hearty goodwill, and wish to make the occasion of mutually 'beneficial commerce." It is Incredible that the President is ■" playing a. double It is even possible that before it returns to Pacific waters the American fleet may make a peaceful voyage to the Sea of Japan, just as the British Channel fleet _ visited the Baltic and manoeuvred with the German warships in 1905, when the relations between Great Britain and Germany were sucli 1 as to give rise to all liiuds of alarmist prophecies about the visit,. .At tjme of writing it has not , been suggested in our cable news that the Japanese Navy may be merely contemplating a coun-ter-demonstration to that of President lioosevelt, but this is not at all an/unlikely contingency. In the existing state of public feeling th,e ofier of ViceAdmiral Baron Saito, to disclose the disposition of the Japanese fleet was the wisest course to pursue, and, if tjxis information js forthcoming, it should have a salutary effect iu discrediting the mischief-makers. . . ;