The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1908-10-25
ENGLISH D|PL OMACY
NO LONGER A FORCE
@
John Bull AWakens to the Fact
That He Is Rapidly Los
ing Power.
WANTS A COLONIAL NAVY.
AUSTRALIA WILL BE GIVEN POW
Err TO BUILD A MONSTER
FIGHTING CRAFT AND MEET
HER OWN QUESTIONS.
BY William True Hawthorne.


world for some years-that British
diplomacy is no longer the force it
was, say, decade ago. In other
words, that in the game of world pol
itics, Great Britain has been losing
ground
You may well imagine that was a
pretty bitter pill for Englishmen to
swallow. For If there is one illusion
your Englishman dearly loves to cher
ish it is that Great Britain, by reason
of her overshadowing naval strength,
is the mightiest single influence in
the worlds affairs. But England, to
borrow lately popular American
word, has been playing the mollycod
die. With her people fretting under
the burden of taxation, of late years
she has been turning her thoughts to-
ward peace instead of war. She has
been proceeding on the theory that
other powers would consent to such
reduction of armament as would ma
terially lessen the military burden and
still leave England supreme in naval
strength. This much-to- be-desired
state of affairs was to be brought
about through treaties and under
standings with other powers. But the
Balkan affair has shown how worth
less treaties may become when they
happen to conflict with the interests
of first-class power. and England is
forced back to the conviction that de-
pendence is to be placed in armed
strength and not in the sacredly pledg-
ed word of her neighbors. To arms!
to arms! then, is the cry that re-
sounds through all the British Isles.
The government has allowed it to
become known that it has about faced
and now favors a policy of naval and
military ACKNOWLEDGMENT. The country
responds in a spirit of patriotic fer
vor. But what about the cost? The
chancellor of the excheouer has ad-
mitted he doesn't know where the
money is to come from to meet the
constantly growing budgets, inaugu-
rate the system of old age pensions
and keep the present comparatively
modest naval program. Some time
ago the proposition was advanced that
the government borrow five hundred
million dollars to build up the navy,
leaving the bill to be footed by flu
ture generation. Undoubtedly Great
Britain could get the money, on some
-
about the severest strain ever
put upon national credit in time of
peace.
The average Englishman gets a
somewhat relancholi satisfaction from
the fact that If Great Britain launches
on campaign of great naval expan-
sion other European powers will have
to follow suit, and other powers are
less able to bear the burden than is
Britain. 1t would seem to be a case
of well all go broke together" in
the race for military supre macy and
diplomatic advantage.
Australia Gets Navy.
A very small silvery lining to the
cloud, perhaps, is to be found in the
Deakin scheme for an Australian
navy. The Lords of the Admiralty
have at last given consent that Aus
tralia shall have a navy of her own.
and while the Admiralty appeared re-
luctant in the matter the rest of
government is devoutly thankful and
fervently hopes that Canada, at least.
may be inspired to follow Australians
providing for their own defense. quite
load will be taken off the minds of
those responsible for the naval policy
of the empire.
The idea of colonial navy is alb
solutely unique, and the terms upon
which Australia is to have one are
of world wide interest. Control of the
Australian flotilla is to rest with the
Australian commonwealth while it re-
mains in Australian waters, and
whether it shall leave those waters
the commonwealth will always decide.
But officers and men will be subject to
the kings naval regulations and
should the Australian fleet leave Aus
tralian waters it will at once become
subject to the command of the senior
imperial officer.
The naval world will now be inter-
ested in the class of vessels which
Australia will build. The natural as
sumption might be that it would con-
tent itself with purely coast defense
vessels, but down in Australia they are
talking of fast cruisers and battle
ships of the Dreadnought type.
This ambition of Australians for
modern fighting craft is one upon
which Great Britain might we'll look
askance. 1t might turn out to be an
important step in the direction of
complete Australian independence,
Aside from sentimental bond. the only
thing today binding Australia to the
empire is that the empire relieves Aus
tralians of the need of providing for
their own defense. If the means of
this defense are to be provided as part
of the imperial policy. what is to pre-
vent Australia. when she gets strong
enough to stand alone. from taking her
place inthe family of nations.
It is safe to say that England would