New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1900-06-17
GERMANY ON TIE SEA.

The German Emperor has won his point He
some time ago announced his intention or max
ing his navy comparable in strength with MS
army and of putting his empire into the fore
most rank of sea Powers instead of in the
seventh place, as at present. With that end IN
view he directed his Minister of Marine, Admi-
raj Won Tirpitz to introduce into Parliament a
bill for the immediate doubling in size of the
Imperial navy That measure was bitterly and
stubbornly opposed. but at last was substan-
TALLY carried Last week it became law, and
forthwith the work of increasing the German
navy to double its present size and more than
double its present strength will begin in
group of shipyards second in efficiency to none
in the world
This proceeding is, of course generally re-
garded as extension to the sea Of that sys-
TEN Of militarism which Germany has so long
maintained on land, and which indeed she orig
inaIly founded. No doubt the Emperor has an
eye to those international conflicts which have
so long been prOpheSied, and which. with all
our hopes for peace, must always be regarded
as possible. He would be recreant to his duty
as head of the German State if he did not. In
her last great Germany was splenddly
victorious on land. but met with disaster at sea.
William II intends that if she shall ever again
engage in such a war her sailors shall give as
and in that he is quite right. But that view Of
the case. though important, is only partial
nation is, apart from all menaCes of war, natu-
rally entitled to have a military marine proper
Tomato in size to its mercantile marine. Even
the peace loving founder of the Manchester
School conceded that; and on that principle the
present movement for the increase of the Ger
man navy is amply justified.
The greatest mercantile Power in the world
to-day is Great Britain, and she is also the
greatest naval Power; which is fitting. The
second mercantile Power is Germany. and she
may WELL therefore, demand to be >the second
naval Power instead of the seventh. We say
she is the second mercantile Power because the
superiority which the United States enjoys
the face of the returns is due to our enormous
lake traffic on waters specifically excluded and
exempted from naval occupation. On the oceans
of the world Germany decidedly leads us. and
holds place second only to Great Britain. In
twenty-six years the number of Germany's
merchant steamships has increased nearly 600
per cent. When her empire was founded Ham
burg was a minor port, with less than half the
commerce of Liverpool To-day it Outranks
Liverpool. In almost every part of the world
German ships gaining increasing share
of the carrying trade and making nroads
upon British commerce. In some regions, where
the English ships have been purchased by Ger
man companies. and vessels under the German
flag now have practical monopoly of the trade
And to-day in thirty-nine large first class ship
yards more than fifty thousand skilled German
artisans are building new ships of the largest
size and most efficient type to add to the already
enormous German feet.
With these conditions and movements the
United States is inevitably concerned. Sup
posing that dismiss all thought of warlike
rivalry between this country and Germany
Certainly there never should be war, or danger
of war between the two. Yet there remains
the rivalry of commerce. 1t is with Germany
that we are to contend for the second place
among mercantile Powers. 1t is the rapid
growth Of Germ8ny's ocean commerce that
should stimulate our own efforts and that
should perhaps, give us instruction in our ways
The salient points of the German commercial
system are worthy of most careful study-the
elaborate system of commercial and Industrial
Schools the trained and expert consular ser
vice. the inheXible laws of protection to domes-
tic enterprise and industry, the generous en-
enlargement granted to the mercantile marine
by the Government. BY these and like means
Germany has made this marvellous progress on
the sea. 1t would be unworthy of us not to
keep pace with her, in both the commercial and
the military marine