FROM AMERICA.

Evening Post, Volume LXXVII, Issue 99, 28 April 1909, Page 9

FROM AMERICA.

NEWS ITEMS OF INTEREST. (From Our Correspondent.) SAN FRANCISCO, 26th March. ADMIRAL EVANS SPEAKS. " We need a battleship fleet of twenty vessels on this coast," said Admiral Evans, otherwise " Fighting Bob," in a speech at Tacoma on Wednesday last, " and after we acquire that number there is no fear of attack. . . . The Atlantic coast is amply protected, and the same protection, should be given lo you people on the Pacific slope. ' The possibility of war with Japan was touched on. " Oriental fleets," said the Admiral, " will never wage a war outside the Orient. They could never afford to cross the ocean so far from their base, for their line of communication would soon be cut. I don't think that Japan ever dreamed of fighting the United States. The Anglo-Japanese alliance is a guarantee of peace. England is Japan'h banker, and the United States virtually feeds England. Just fignro that ouc However, it is only a question of time before Japan and Rus&ia fight it out again." That there could be only one outcome of a naval war between Britain and Germany is another of the opinions the Admiral expressed. "To an outsider it looked," he said, "as if Englanu gave Germany a great opportunity when the Lords of the Admiralty abandoned the building of certain types of warships and started the Dreadnought class. It enabled the Germans to stari out on a more even footing in the shipbuilding race. 1 have no fears about Britain maintaining the lead." He said also, "It is certain that Germany is not building her new navy for her health's sake." '^ ROOSEVELT- WORSHIP. Roosevelt-worship is the most popular cult in America to-day. The magazines and weeklies in the past fortnight have probably printed " Roosevelt " a, hundred times for every once they have printed any other name. And they merely reflect the feeling of the people. Courage, vigour, honesty, these three will always appeal to men, and Americans are convinced that Roosevelt is fearless, never spares himself, and is honest. Even his mistakes are honest mistakes, and his hostilities the hostilities of conviction. As to facts : Roosevelt expects to be absent from America, according to latest report, for about fifteen months. After his hunting in Africa, he will spend some time in European countries. Hearst's newspapers make a statement to the effect that Roosevelt, before leaving, said ho would stand against Taffc for the presidency in 1912 if Taft failed to carry out the Roosevelt policies. But there is nothing to indicate that there is any truth in, this statement. MISCELLANEOUS. The steamer Mariposa, which runs from Tahiti to San Francisco, connecting with the New Zealand mail and passenger service, has been fitted with wireless telegraphic apparatus. She can hail this port from 1500 miles at sea. "More defaulters and thieves are made by gambling than any other evil." This is the statement of the .National Surety Company of New York, part of whose Dusiness is to insure firms against dishonesty of employees.. The company has reduced its rates for this class of insurance in California on account of the pass-age ot a law prohibiting i ace-track gambling, The genius of Luther Burbank, ''plant wizard," is not to be sold to a company. Burbank agre&d to the proposal when it was submitted verbally, and the deal was announced as settled ; but h& changed his mind before the formal contract was drawn up. The- feature of the graft trials in San Francisco has been the disclosures madei by Korngold, a detective formerly in the pay of the grafters. Hie statement regarding tho attempted murder of Gallagner, the chief witness for the prosecution, clears Ruef of the suspicion of complicity in the crime. According to Korngold, Pauduveris, th© man who paid the Claudia-nes brothers to dynamite Gallagher's house, was 1 an employee of th& United Railroads, the briber of Schmitz and the city supervisors. Cauhoun, chairman of the United Railroads, is stilJ awaiting trial whii» the empanelment of his -jury proceeds at a snail's pace. A. S. Newburgh, the lawyer who is charged' with attempting to bribe one of the Ruef jurors to give a verdict for defendant, is -now on trial. An attemot has been made to curtail the autocratic powers of the Speaker in the Federal House of Representatives. The Speaker is also the leader of tho party in power. He may absolutely refuse to recognise any member of the' opposition, and even with his own party there is very little check on him. The present Speaker, Joseph Cannon, was alleged to have abused his power, and an attempt was made to defeat him when tho new Congress met ; but ho won the fight. However, some alterations were made to the rules of the House, compelling him J,o lecognise members of the minority on certain o§taMone.