New-York tribune., 1898-11-21
..,,.rt of capital in sea-power which any

-....r,.nt Of capital in sea-power which any
,ry has ever made. For forty years the
,,,oirsltv has been building battle-ships. cruis-
% cunboats and torpedo craft OF every known
oss, and design and It now has afoat the
-, shins and the most efhcentshghting ma
os o ~ evcrv class Only once during that
-,oa has a British fleet been under Are and
- orlv against the ill-manned guns OF Alex
sr,a An enormous mass of English treasure
conc into an essentially experimental navy.
~ recise value OF which has not been deter
,,oa nv experience in naval warfare. These
,,.,,v fleets have been supplemented by a
IL, ~ fortified Coaling stations and naval
" around the world. Forty years have been
o.ed 10 a costly and symmetrical develop
-, ~ all the resources Of sea-power and
~, Enslishman believes that the work has
~. Sone so thoroughly and on such progressive
49, that the nation is impregnable and ire
,s..i,e in naval warfare. Consciousness OF
Ter naturally inspires desire to make use OF
This desire is not confined to naval officers.
..o arc weary ot routine duty and anxious for
.n,or,unites for distinguishing themselves as
.ss,- companions in the army are constantly
s,,ng II is shared by the nation. peace-loving
- conservative as it is. 1t has also been
oa,,v stimulated and strengthened by Ameri
on oxploits in the war with Spain.
FORWARD AND MODERATE VIEWS
!, would he rash TO assume that the English
.o,,e have suddenly been converted masse
- me Forward view. which makes aggressive
,,it,arisrn the supreme end. and wants TO fight
,srelv fo- the sake Of fighting Lord Salisbury
,,ss not hold that view. nor does Lord Rose
barv. and they represent the staid. cautious,
snlightened Judgment OF the nation They be-
rsve that armaments should be mainly de-
.s,sive and that fleets and armies should be
directed hy conciliatory craftsmanship and pa
,ec diplomacy Lord Salisbury has not lost
or,rnana ~ the situation during the recent
ooronijcations and the facility with which he
has allowed the FrenCn Government to keep
,-,dea omen for honorable retreat is one Of the
,r,unophs of his career. An aggressive militar-
,sno which is bent upOr picking quarrels with
,ival nations and eager TO flaunt military and
naval resources In every quarter would be un-
English and immoral. Lord Salisbury has no
sympathy with a diplomacy Of meddlesome ac-
,iyIty. which is never ia any mood Cor compro-
mise or Cancellation. The conscience and en-
yehtened self-interest Of the country are with
hin sober-minded England believes to-day. as
I, has done In the past. thai rational sef-defence
IS the sole justification Of armaments
There is. however a growing feeling in Eng
land that with the expansion and development
of the resources OF the empire displays Of naval
efficiency and readiness for war essential
TO self-defence. Within three years there have
feen challenges to Germany and France from
England. and each has taken the form of
naval demonstration. In neither instance has
there been any disturbance of peace. After the
German Emperor's dispatch TO President Kru-
af discovery
Marchand expedition Fashoda the effect of
q rapid and complete exhibition Of Englands
readiness for naval warfare has been distinctly
Jacifc This tends to confirm Lord Charles
Bercsford's argument that the strength of the
feet does not depend upon diplomacy but
foreign policy depends upon the strength OF the
feet and the positions Of advantage held with
regard to other countries. In this sense the
British navy. costly as it is, may be regarded
as cheap investment Of inestmable value. 1t
helps To keep peace in critical emergencies and
TO safeguard the complex interests Of vast
empire.
The maintenance Of sobricty Of judgment is.
however rendered more difficult after each fresh
Of British naval power and eff
ienCy. England was ready for war with Ger
many after the Transvaal affront, but not
ager for IT, After the Fashoda affair there
great wave OF nlntaIlSm tndt larry
swept across the country England was pre-
pared to fight for the possession Of an equa-
orial pesthoe. and would have welcomed a
declaration Of war. if Marchand had not been
rdered to retreat Now that there is leisure for
sober second thought, Lord Salisbury's sa-
racity and tactful management of delicate
sTair are recognized. and England remains
peace-loving nation. devoted to commerce and
Still. with every conspicuous display
" sea power there is a new sense of national
resources and this enkndles an ardent desire
to make effective use Of them whenever there
may be adequate provocatiOn or urgent neces-
lIly. What spirited accounts Mr. Rudyard Kip
Ing is able to give in The Morning Post" Of
the holiday manTuVres Of a squadron in mimic
warfare and how eagerly the English read
them, How much more dramatic and soul
stirring would be the glorious tidngs of a new
Trafalgar told in one Of Reuters bulletins
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