OUR AMERICAN LETTER.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 176, 20 April 1908, Page 8

OUR AMERICAN LETTER.

' ; "♦ ' • THE PACIFIC COAST. [FROM OUF. SPECIAJ/ CCP.ItESPO.N'DENT.] After skirting the coast of the Sont Amorican countries, at whose ports tb sailors - have been lavishly .entertained, th fleet of Amorican' warships is scheduled t put in at Magdalena Bay on March 14 fo a month's target, practice. Magdalena Ba is at ones tho least-known and the mos superb of. tho great harbours of the worlt On tho coast of Lower California, that'pen insula, jutting southward from California and separated from tho mainland, by tb Gulf/ of California, is still largely an unci plorcd country. It belongs to Mexico, bu the harbour has b6on, tho resort of whaler; buccaneers, and smugglers of all nations.noi for. many ' years, and . .just recently ,th United . States]has secured certain rights, a a coaling station and harbour for its ship: This harbour, in tho past a. grim place c tragedy and romance, is .destined .to play larjjo.part in tho history of tho new Pacific It is a .thousand miles from San Francisc on the north; and twice that, distance, fror Panama on tho south, and is the • only grea anchorage between tho Golden-Gate .and. th Isthmus of Panama, and ono of the four.o fivo great-harbours-along-tho.-whole Pacifi Coast. There are but three protected deef sea harbours on the west coast of,the Unite States—Pugot Sound, Coos Bay, and Golde: Gate—riijd Magdalena is then tho first la.rg anchorage southward on the way to Panam and the canal.- Its strategic valuo will b seen at,-a glance. The region about it i arid and desolate in the extreme, witl ■nothing but the cacti to relieve .its drear; waste. The harbour itself is protected b; narrow islands from the sea, and. with .it southern aim. called Almejas Bay, forms ,i roadstead twelve miles broad and forty, mile .quite sufficient harbour for a-, dosci navies. . "What to, do with tho fleet when it at rives in American waters is a problem'giv ing 'anxious concern to many minds.. Oi the Pacific Coa3t there are 110 navy/yards, o dry docks, of importance, and after so loni a voyage ■ the shins will need considerabli overhauling. Probably one reason for t-hi sailing of the fleet, to Pacific, waters was ti show tho people their state of. unprepared ness. in the event of war. . Representativi .Humphrey, of 'Washington; Stkte; said ;'th< other day;—"A second-class cruiser; 1 of ,ai onqmy could enter Puget, Sound ..on. I an) foggy day, and blow Seattle and Tacom.f /into smithereens." ■ As a' matter of fact there are no coast'defences of, any import ance from the Canadian line to Lover Call fornia. The Pacific has been our back door so to speak, and we have not been looking foi attack from that direction. It will not be long' befnro America turns face and fronts the Pacific. \ Tlio War .Talk. • Tho war talk with Japan has; about, disappeared, from 'the current Press.' 'Tlio immigration question has been settled by concessions from Japan, looking', toward ; restriction and-- regulation.' Baron Kogoi'b Takahira; the new. Japanese Ambassador to Washington, ridicules the war talk. - ' He said recently, on'arrival in this country;— "It is 'isipossible, in my opinion,' for any man of ordinary sanity to think.-of a'war betwoon . tho.. two Powers,'in. view of tho long'and sincere friendship'.that has existed between tlioni. To .think of it is. a crime against humanity, .civilisation,; against the well-boiug of tho whole-of mankind. Such a war, if ever fought, .would bo the most inhuman , event in the world's history. Our people, at least, do think v of tho possibility of such'an unfortunate .event.", As to the cruise of the American fleet, he, regarded that merely as a naval manoeuvre on a large scale, and not in the least intended" as a threat to Japan. Should- the fleet visit it would rcceive as cordial a welcomo as-was given it in South American wators. He feared,, however, the coming of tho fleet to San Francisco niight encourage the Snti-Japaneso /feeling 011 ■ 'the Pacific Cijast, and bring about a repetition of the re'grottablo incidents of the last year.' _ Japan, of course, is not at the present timo ■ prepared for war with anyboily. The Elder Statesmen have reduced tho naval and military expenditure for the next six years by -200.000,000 dollars. By this action, Japan has proclaimed that tho visit of. the American fleet to Pacific waters is not seen from the Tokio angle as a hostile demonstration. With Russia eliminated as a potential oneiuy, and with Great Britain guaranteeing tho safety of her .-Oriental ally from, Germany or any other aggressor, tho programme of Japan may well" be : one of peace. The strugglo in the Mikado's Empire is to pay tho cost of 'the Russian war, and to gather strength to meet the . commercial -war among tho great Powers, into which this brave little jountry has been thrust; by fate. The-Elder Statesmen, in cutting dowii -the military burden that unnecessarily handicaps Japan in the contest for trade, have wisely recognised that this is . so. i However, it is -in this very rivalry for trade .that- the theoretical cau'so. for war sxists, aiid the whole world must provide for iho coining economic competition between Asia ,and America. And beyond Japan is fndia, and-by their, side is China.. Tho editor of "The Chinese World," published in ibis country, recently said that China was -aising an arriiy of one million men to send European nations home - to their own biisiless. "China," lie said, , "is just awaking 'rom her slumber, and' she.'is getting-.ready :o'' go to arms. When she :does, she wiil ;end Germany,' France, England, Russia/and ither robbing and thieving nations home ill i'hurry. • If 'Russia ever-tries again to grab my Chinese territory, we will fill-her full >f gory holes-fjust as "Japan did. - China is lestined to' bo the,greatest nation on earth." is he was talking to an American audience, le made an exception of the thieving Ameri-sans,-and assured us that China bad for us inly the, warmest friendship. But here is the' difficulty: there, can be inly one greatest nation 011 earth, and when 1 people sets out deliberately to be that one ihey meet-with several competitors. . Meanvliile,- there can be no denying that Asiatics ire not wanted in this, part of the world. Jp in British- Columbia tne provincial legisature passed a practical exclusion law,, by :etting 'up an educational test for'entrance. 3ut this Act was disallowed by, the Central government as being contrary to existing freaties. ■ ' "ho Panama Canal. ' ' ' There has been more or loss legislation proipsed with reference to the canal t problem it Panama... One Bill provides for' the dislol'ution of the Isthmian Cahal Commission ind the placing;of. all power in the hands if the President of 'the United States', ".It irovides that the zone shall be governed by uch persons as the President shall select, hat the, President-shall cause the. canal to re constructed as a lock canal,' sufficient-for he passage of the largest, vessels now in iso,'. and shall: cause, the construction of safe .nd commodious harbours at the : canal terninals; and make such provision for defence is may bo necessary for the protection of the anal and harbours.. Ono clause of tho Bill eads: " Authority is hereby given for the irocurement. use, and maintenance of each ,nd every thing necessary for the complete onsfcruction, maintenance, and operation of lib canal." Such a clause well expresses the letermination of the American, people to iuild the canal at' any cost. '1 Just what, the ost will be, nobody knows. . There has been revision of the estimates, arid it is likely hat we must face a'deficit of one hundred 0 two hundred million dollars more than the stimated cost of. 140,000,000 dollars. Ninety lillion dollars have been 6nent-'already, anil ,V the close of the canal fiscal year tho mount put forth will be something like 20,000.000 dollars—and yet by that time hero .will be' little to show with referenco 3 any actual canal. The amount originally ppropriated for the canal will have boon pent before tho actual construction of. the •atcnvays.is begun. , In any case, we are retrieving our mistakes 1 time. The canal, locks, originally proosed to'be 90ft. in width, will bo widened a 110ft-., 1 and their length will bo, increased rom S'2oft. to 1000 ft. And if. there were rrors in the original estimates, of cost. it oes not much matter, - Rincc we shall build lie canal whatever it may cost. "Retrieval at Panama" is the title of a 00k issued by Liudon W. Bates, an engineer f international reputation. In it Mr. Bates riticises the canal plan in a thoroughgoing ia:iner, and a number of his" suggestions ave been adopted by the Cnnal Commission -among thein the increase in the size of tho

locks already referred to. (Mr.'(Bates divides his discussion into four heads : technical, sanitary, executive, and .'financial, and brings an indictment against the administration in its failure to make sufficient preparation in-any , one of these departments. B;jt', truth to . tell, the canal is now actually, in process of construction, and. sooner or' later, by hook or bv crook, by fair means, lot us. hope, and not l'onl. the world's -navies will some day tread the narrow band of water that sliajl connect the ,two rarest, seas., Man is but weak at best, and in this case ho has a task ' of, considerable magnitude on his hands: But let no one doubt: the Panama Canal will ■be built, and that right soon. •' In Central America. ,Sinco tho Panama Canal.was begun there has been considerable effort .put forth in the interests of peace-and good government. The •peoples, of Central America have not bdeii noted in the past for their ability to govern themselves -or keep the , peace. (But 'now there is not only the (movement"'-towards federation among the republics of that region, but also a • positive: effort, -to realise 'peaco amobj "themselves and within their own borders. Secretary Root told the .delegates who':mot recently nr.Washinutnn in a "Peace Coneress": .'"Why should you not live in _ peace- and harmony ? You are one peonle in fact; your citizenship is interchangoalile; your race;' your religion, your customs, your laws," your lineage, your consangninity and relations, your .social relations, your sympathies, -your(.aspirations,'.and your-hones for the future are the , same." Central America is a land of beauty and of wealth incalculable; and now that tlie, AngloSaxoii is becoming inured to tropical conditions, he will turn more and more to . the .lands that border the ' Canal. Fraternal .strife morn than anything else-, has kent these .republics in the rear of civilisation. : "A Peace Congress should have :far-fca'cliing results. 'In.the.Philippines.' ' Peace was the subject of one of Secretary Taft's remarks on his return from his' Pacific explorations,. lie was highly pleased with the conditions (hat have develoned under American tutelage. -He put' it thus: " A community consisting of 7,000,000 neople, inhabiting 300 different many of-whom were in open rebellion against the Government of' the "United' States for. four years, ■with all the disturbances following from robber and predatory bands,; has'been brought to a state of.prbfound peace' and ."tranquillity, in which the people as a whole are. loyally supporting the Government in, the support of order." This becomes the first,, and possibly the most- important, accomplishment of the, United States .in tho Philippines. To an .Anglo-Saxon,peace means;an opportunity to engage in trade and, commerce of somo sort. You may .look next for the statistics or trade- as a .measure of American success in.;the-Philippines. ■ However,, war not''(infrecluently furnishes the baekgrquiid and foundation of trade. To serve, her caippaian .;'in' turkej'; (Russia, has juss ordered 80.000 . barrels .of., flour,; from mills on Puget. Sound,-in tho State of Oregon,