The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1905-09-05

sible, as the world has learned from
Russia's failure to make the least I'm
preston upon Japan.
Such a lesson and the further
knowledge that war does nothing for
nations nowadays but enslave them to
the money power, make for peace The
mountainous debts of France and Rus
STA bear pathetic testimony to the alb
solute folly of war as method of set
thing international difficulties. The
debt of France today is nearly $4,000
100000. That Of Russia is even larger.
The interest bill of these countries
is a continuing drain upon their re-
sources. Another great war would
spell for either Russia or France
nothing but ruin and reputation.
The prevention of war thus becomes
since their finances are so interviewer
that the downfall of one through war
embarrasses all.
Two methods are open to the world
to prevent war. The one is an alli-
ance of the great powers pledging
themselves to peaceful settlements;
the other, an agreement upon inter-
national arbitration open to all ma
tions. A start has been made in the
latter direction by the establishment
of The Hague court. Nations are
still slow to submit their grievances
to it, but the tenacity with which it
holds on to life is an evidence that the
nations feel that they may want to
use it and are, therefore 10th to see it
go out Of existence.
The other plan is an alliance of the
strongest nations for mutual defense.
The difficulty with this is that the
strongest nations today may not be the
strongest tomorrow. France was an
immensely strong nation apparently
until the Franco Prussian war exposed
the hollowness of her pretentions tC
supremacy in European politics. The
mere shadow of Russia falling across
the path of European diplomacy two
years ago was sufficient to cause Il
tremor of apprehension to travel
through the chancelleries. Both
France and Russia, by war, have been
set down to secondary places in the
worlds panorama of politics. 1t may
be so with Germany or Great Britain
tomorrow if they snail be tempted into
battle with some other power.
There is but one element OF real
stability in the scheme of an alliance,
and that is the gathering into one COM
pact the principal sea-going nations.
Sea power has been demonstrated in
the present war to be the key to sue
cess, and sea power is gradual crea-
ton. 1t is expensive. None but the
richest nations can afford great ma
vies, since the building of ships is
merely the initial expense. The equip
ment, the coa1ing and the manning of
tremendous battleships is a perpetual
problem of finance. This element
makes it rather certain that the ma
tions which have the supremacy upon
the sea today can hold it for some time
to come. At the present time three of
these nations-Great Britain, the
United States and Japan-are in ac-
cord on the main question which now
disturbs the dreams of prime minis-
tiers. They are in favor of the open
door in the Orient. There is no COM
bination of nations which would haz-
ard an attack upon this principle SO
long as these nations were in accord
upon it. 1t would be wiped off the
sea and left helpless, no matter what
its combined strength on land, because
without navies it could not bring
armies into action. The policing of
the sea by the industrial nations is
a guarantee of the peace of the world.
So far as the United States Is con-
cerned, it would perhaps never enter
into a formal alliance with a Euro
pean power, but our influence for peace
is greater without an alliance, as has
been demonstrated at Portsmouth and
at Peking