The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1896-01-23
A PERILOUS POSITION
ENGLAND Cannot afford TO Go 10 War
Says a Prominent Britain.
1T MEANS COMMERCIAL RUlNATIOE
Pecuiiarities of the Brain shown in
an Account OF the strange Loss
of Memory-A Fortune Dependent
Upon "a Words Meaning.

Inc emlnence oil Great Britain as
commercial nation, says the Louisville
Courier Journal, puts her under heavy
bonds to keep the peace with ever coun-
try which might attack her commerce.
Lieutenant William Gains Crutchley,
secretary of the British Navy League,
contributed an article to the London
Morning Post, of December Z, which be-
comes OF interest in connection with the
present war talk. The subject is The
Needs of the Navy" and he takes the
ground that the British navy is made
quate. By way of preface he says;
That the command of the sea is the es-
sence OF our existence as a nation that
if we lost it in the time of war half our
population would be flung starving on
the street through the cessation of the
inflow OF raw material necessary to their
continued labor; that the cost OF all food
would leap to famine prices; that all
trade and business throughout the coun
try would be paralyzed; that financial
collapse and ruin would be general; that
bankruptcy would be the common lot of
our merchants-these points are among
the admitted, undisputed facts of the stu
alton. Again, that if We could not win
back this lost ocean dominion we must
make any terms our victors choose to i'm
pose; that, though not single foreign
soldier landed On these shores, we should
still have, if they wanted it to pay an
indemnity as big as the national debt +;
that we should issue from that most ter
rible defeat ruined and degraded Eng
land, with what once seemed our des-
TIMES thwarted and manned, with our
mission of civilization to subject races
unfulfilled, and with the prospect OF our
working classes irrevocably destroyed
these once more are certainties which
sane men will not dare to doubt.
Lieutenant Crutchly was not writing of
a probable war with the United States,
but il such war should occur there is
no f)retelling what other powers might
decide to do. Russia would very likely
seize the opportunity to go to CONSTANT
nople, to seize Corea, or to get a slice of
China. France might find the occasion
opportune to make further aggressions in
Asia, or to chase the British out of Egypt.
Meantime, the Armenian question awaits
settlement. There is no end to the com.
plications that may trouble Great Britain
should she engage in war with first
class power.
With these facts in view, it is interest
ing to note that Lieut.. Crutchley asserts
that the British navy has not sufficient
fighting superiority over the probable
foes Of the country in case of war. The
old ironclads are mostly armed with old
fashioned muzzle-loading ordnance.
There is also a great deficiency in the
personnel OF the navy, especially as re-
CARDS reserve OF officers and seamen.
The lieutenant also calls attention to the
need OF vessels in home and foreign wa.
tiers, and asks that every chamber of
commerce and other public body in the
the country to join in an appeal for the
improvement of the navy.
The extent of British commerce would
render England peculiarly subjected to
damage in case of war. Numerous priv
steers and cruisers would chase her mer-
chant vessels in every sea around the
globe, unless under convoy, and her naval
resources would be insufficient to protect
them all, and at the same time blockade
an enemy's ports.