The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1900-06-09
EUROPE'S GREAT NAviES.

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EuRoPE's GREAT NAviEs.
England's Superior to Any Two Others
in the World.
Not only is the British navy the most
powerful in the world, but 1t is more
powerful, by fair margin, than any
two others put together. That repre-
SCENTS the minimum of safety. The Sc
curlty Of the Empire and Of the Unite1
Kingdom itself depends upon the fleet
and the feet must be strong enough to
vanquish any opponent that can b
brought against 1t. Now the second
and third nawies In the world are those
Of France and Russia The combana.
ton Of those nations, therefore, repre-
sents the most formidable foe Great
Britain Is likely to encounter. That a
third or fourth power could be added
to the alliance Is not deemed possible.
Italy has the next navy In order OF
strength, but she Is England's friend.
Germany comes hxt, but that she and
France will john In war against Great
Britain Is not within the limits Of rea-
sonable expectation. The powerful
ravies Of Japan and the United States
are, Tor obvious reasons, to be left out
Of the calculation, and there Is no other
In the world that need be regarded Sc
rtously. 1t Is toward the dockyards Of
France and Russia, therefore, that
British eyes are turned. Superiority to
the combined navies of those two pow
ers Is the standard the British admiral
ty is bound to maintain.
Thus far it has maintained 1t, and
promises to do 80 hereafter. But the
task will be an increasingly difficult
one. Russia's doings are carefully con-
cealed from the world, but it Is known
that sMpbuAding operations ON an
enormous scale are being pressed for
ward ON both the Baltic and the Black
sea- France Is more open in her meth
DDS. She Is increasing her fleet at a
rapid rate, and proposes to do 60 even
more extensively. A bill Is Fastening
toward enactment providing am extra
ordinary naval appropriation Of $52,-
000, 00o, Of which $40, 000, 900 is to go for
new ships. These latter, moreover, are
to be not heavy battleships, but swift
armed cruisers, the very ships that
could do Great Britain the most harm.
OF course, relations between Great
Britain and France are just now more
than ordinarily friendly, and there is no
suppositton that such naval expansion
in France Is i'm any immediate sense q
menace to Great Britain. Nevertheless
the British rule must be maintained,
especially since France Is said to be
about to conclude a hardand-fast alM-
ance with Russia, and 50 British naval
construction will probably be pushed
even more vigorously than at present.
Although a union Of Germany with
France and Russia against Great Brit
ain Is scarcely possible. much interest
must be attached to the increase Of the
feet upon which the German Emperor
has decided. The Reichstag refused to
vote the appropriation he wanted.
Nevertheless, he has gone cioht on 10
order new ships and guns at Il grs,t
rate, and they are being built a. fast as
workmen can turn them out. Ten big
battleships and sixteen cruisers are to
be finished In the next three years.
That Is an imposing program, and It's
completion will add much to Germany's
naval strength. To make his navy as
powerful as that of France or Russie
Is said to be the Emperor's ambition.
That is natural. The possibility OF q
war between Germany and one Of those
powers Is not to be overlooked, and q
repetition Of the German losses at sea
In 1870 and 1871 La to be guarded
against. Besides, Germany has now q
vast foreign commerce and a consider
able colonial empire to defend. Her
naval expansion Il NOD, therefore, to be
regarded as direct menace to Great
Britain. But 1t win not be without its
effect. Indeed, etery increase Of hght-
ing strength attained by any Of the
great powers Inevitably urges all the
rest to compete with 1t; and the end Of
such competition no man can foresee.
Death Rate in Model DweIlinsp.