New-York tribune., 1905-01-16

every respect 70 the biggest British ones The
cruisers too are far too small The present
war between Russia and Japan has not demon
strated that cruisers, even when large, swift
and powerfully equipped, are Of great use in
modern naval warfare for the one exception
the successful raids made by the Vladivostok
cruiser feet. only due to a chain of special
circumstances that is. the inability Of the jap
anese feet to quit their post before Port Arthur
at the time, and even these raids had no vital
influence on the ultimate outcome and were an
noying rather than serious in their effects on the
enemy. But. at any rate it seems certain that
small cruisers Of between 6,OOO and 5000 tons
in size would be practically unavailable for ag-
gressive purposes and almost for any other
naval purpose IN war time. and Germany will
have to build and acquire much larger and
swifter ones
Now, to carry out these naval designs, as
outlined before the budget committee OF the
Reichstag by Naval Secretary Won Tirpitz,
speaking, of course, in the name of the Kaiser,
a sum Of about S25OOOOO0O TO $500. 900, 900 will
have to be expended on the navy within the
next ten years. And this. with steadily falling
imperial receipts and with a financial depression
still holding the whole country in its grasp,
means more than appears at first sight.
But, despite all these drawbacks the phrase
which the Kaiser launched some six years ago
on the occasion of naming a new battleship in
Stettin, ''Germany's future lies the waterr'
has taken deep hold Of the national mind, and
that powerful navy a complement and pro-
lection OF enormous ocean trade-second in size
in the world. it must be remembered-is needed
has come to be accepted as a self-evident truth
since then. Thus. then It is believed that the
German people, through the national repre-
sentatives. Will eventually make this new and
lof1Ua Foy-4 4Iau
Indeed. outside Germany It is as yet little un-
derstood how much the temper of the nation
has changed in this respect. II was only few
years ago. some six or seven. when the Kaiser
caused the adoption Of Captain Mahan's re-
markable book on the influence of sea power
upon the fate of nations a schoolbook for the
whole country. In an excellent translation It
is to be found to-day in nearly every school
library in Germany, and every year at the
regular school examinations, it is given to sew
eral thousand OF the brightest pupils as a pre-
MUM. The youthful mind of Germany has
been saturated with the idea and the ambition
that Germany must become exceptionally strong
at sea in order to preserve or heighten her po-
Htical prestige and increase her ocean trade
The naval spirit is stronger to-day among the
younger generation here than IL ever was In
France and perhaps as strong as in Eng
land This is a factor in national psychology
"hch VIII tell more and more with every year.
Not many years ago the sons OF well to do or
high born Germans never dreamed Of choosing
the navy for life career; indeed, this was true
as recently as five years ago. To-day. under
the impetus spoken Of above, the pressure to
enter the naval academy in Kiel is very strong
and among the younger German naval officers
ere many belonging TO the nobility. And this
is only one Of several significant indications In
this line that could be mentioned.
Perhaps the most startling single item this
present Reichstag has TO deal with is the great
increase in the appropriations for colonies
The largest of these is for German Southwest
Africa, amounting to matter of over $4,000
600. and this for colony the total import and
export trade OF which figures up only a few
million dollars. OF course. it is the rising OF
the warlike natives that is responsible for this
The rebellion of the Hereros has been prac-
ucally suppressed. it is true but only after
some 5000 home troops had been dispatched
from here iand a matter OF $4,000 900 had been
expended. Since then. however the Namaauas
the Damaras and the Hottentot tribes IN both
the northern and southern zones OF the colony
have also risen. and 1t looks as II the subduing
OF all these natives and the thorough restora-
ton Of order would require another year or two
and the further expenditure OF large sums