The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1898-07-07
FOREWARNEDiSF OREARMED
preparation For the Protection Of British
Commerce In Time of War.

Commerce In Time of War.
IL Is well TO remember that while the
chief aim of our military shipping will be
either to blockade the enemy In his own
port or to induce him to come out and
then to capture or destroy him at sea
whenever or wherever found there Is TO be
considered the larger duty of protecting
commerce by direct means 1t will not be
sufficient for the navy to blockade and
light the enemy, because If this alone were
done the damage which might be inflicted
on our commerce by one or two cruisers
which got out on TO the trade routes would
be simply incalculable. The danger from
cruiser attack In the blue water and of
torpedo attack In the narrow seas are the
two great elements of danger which we
have to face in defending commerce.
l am aware that the objection has been
raised that international rules would
scarcely allow of torpedo boat attack up
on the mercantile marine during war.
International rules, which may be OBJ
served when Insignificant powers quarrel
and there are all the great powers to look
on, and perhaps to interfere, are likely to
be much more elastic when the greatest
naval power-ourselves-is opposed to q
coalition of two or more of the next great
est powers. In other words, there is no
possible chance of securing the recogni-
ton of so called international rules and
usages in warfare unless the parties to tho
quarrel are overawed by a possible COM
bination stronger than themselves or the
fear of reprisals acts as a deterrent. Apart
from this, the torpedo boat argument Is
very weak, in my opinion, because If it is
permissible for cruiser TO destroy COM
merce by means of torpedoes-a right
which no one seeks to deny-it is on the
face of it hardly likely that the right could
be denied to the torpedo boat pure and
simple.
With regard to cruiser attack in blue
waters, foreign programme of strategy
which lies before me as write points out
that "to have Great Britain at our mercy,
1t suflices to starve her by intercepting
and hitting her enormous mercantile fleet,
which carries the treasures of the world
1t suffices to starve her by stopping the
packet boats that supply corn from foreign
lands. These long files of cargo boats gen.
orally take the same course, routes that
are known to all navigators, each of these
ships recognizes in its turn certain capes
that serve as landmarks on their way. 1t
Is therefore easy to overtake them on their
usual route or at their landing place"
This plan of attack will undoubtedly be
adopted by any power opposed to us, and
1t will be the damage done before we are
ready that will be the worst. Shippers
are very nervous people, and the frightful
losses which our mercantile marine is at
present likely to suffer upon the outbreak
of war would send up insurance rates to a
prohibtive figure, deter shippers from
sending cargoes afloat until our navy had
achieved some striking success, and these
two items would so operate as to cause an
immediate and alarming rise of prices in
this country directly war was declared
1t will be seen therefore that the solu-
ton of the problem how to meet these
dangers lies entirely in the question of
adequate organization before there is any
probability of war. A definite system of
keeping open the line of communication
must be laid down. The admiralty part
of the plans for the mercantile marine in
time of war ought to be cut, dried and
pigeonholed ready for use. To the best of
my knowledge and belief there are no such
plans, except of the most elementary char
acter. There were none in 1888, and 1t is
unlikely they have been made since. The
dangers are undoubted. Admiral
Lord Charles Beresford in Casters Maya
zine For July