The sun., 1909-11-07
GERMANY AS A WORLD POWER
AMBASSADOR Won BERNSTORFF
TELLS OF ITS POLICY.


PHILADELPHIA, Nov. o.-The German
Ambassador. Count Johann Heinrich Won
Bernstorff, delivered an address here to-
night on Germany as a World Power"
before the American Academy of Political
and Social Science. There was a large
attendance. Charlemagne Tower. ex-
Ambassador to Germany. presided.
Ambassador Won Bernstortf referred
TO a book by A. C. Coolidge Of Harvard on
THE United States as a World Power"
and said that erroneous ideas about Ger.
manys foreign policy were current gem
erally and that even his friend Mr.. Cool
idge was not free from them. He said:
Even Mr.. Coolidge. whose book ia written
IN a very impartial and friendly spirit for
Germany, believes that the Pangermanists
express freely the extreme OF ambitions
which many quieter patriots cherish in
some degree This erroneous assumption
leads him further to believe that the i'm
terests Of Germany and the United States
might some day clash. and this without the
fault Of any one.
Here I must again differ with Mr.. Cool
idse. In the quite improbable case that q
clash should ever occur between Germany
and the United States this would In my
opinion be the result either Of a foolish
policy or OF an outburst OF unbridled popu-
lar jimgoism.
Mr.. Coolidge thinks the chief source
Of diffculty between Germany and the
United States may be found In the Monroe
Doctrine. In regard to which the Ameri-
cans will hear OF no argument Or COM
promise and are prepared to maintain their
position at any cost. We In Germany
ape we'll aware Of these facts, but there Is
not the slightest intention on our part to
get a territorial foothold in the Western
Hemisphere.
The other reason which makes Mr.. Cool
idge believe that the interests of Germany
and the United States might some day clash
Is In his opinion to be found In the fact
thae the two nations are trade rivals whose
competition is keen.
Trade rivalry should. however. never be
a suf1icient reason for political anita gonism
or animosity between nations, which would
only be justified IL the commerce Of the
world had now reached its utmost limits
aud II the great manufacturing countries
were engaged in q life and death struggle
for commercial supremacy. No such con-
ditions exist.
The trade OF the world Is now only q
fraction of what It will be in years to come.
Az the years 60 on Germany and the United
States will increase indefinitely their pro-
duction and their consumption. their for
eiqn purchases and their foreign sales.
Some nation may lead In foreign business,
but the one thing certain 10 that there will
be business for all and that a fair share
will fall to those who strive for IL fairly
and actively.
There is no need among nations and
individuals of regarding trade rivals as
enemies. The only rivalry Ia In brain.
energy and resource. In China, South
America, Africa and other parts OF the
world there are still such vast possibilities
for trade expansion that there Is room
L.. h. for all n,tfa aft.
nations. who ought never to forget that
in our days the wealth and prosperity of a
nation depend not on the poverty but on
the wealth and prosperity OF other nations.
The Ambassador said England and
Germany are great rivals in trade. but
both benefit by it. we have become
Great Britain's best customers.' he said.
The Ambassador reiterated that the
world policy Of Germany was purely
commercial and without any territorial
ambitions OF deep seated designs gainst
other States and the existing bs i'm ce I
u acquire further colonies by n redis-
tribution Of the empire and are quite
s,ntent to develop the resources OF those
colonies we have.
try to support the open door policy of
the United States was Germany and that
the open door lis the guiding principle OF
the German foreign policy. Trade ex-
pansion, he said. was Gerrnany's greatest
design. GermAny's navy has grown for
midable. he said, solely to protect its trade
on the high seas.
The Ambassador said that Oermany's
population OF 67.0O0.00o is increasing at
the rate OF I, 600 600 year and that soon
other foodstufs from abroad. In return
Germany must send manufactured arti-
oles He added:
whoever buys from abroad must give
back In return either money or goods.
But we do not possess q single commodity
which We can produce In such quantity
that it can be an equivalent for the foreign
bread. We have neither precious metals
In any great abundance nor valuable plants.
nor coal, iron or ores In supernuity. Not
only So but we manufacture hardly any OF
she raw materials necessary for our industry
In adequate quantities at home. We i'm
port iron, copper wool and fax; we do not
possess a single nbre Of cotton or silk, not to
speak OF less needful stuffs.
For US all questions of foreign politics
must be viewed from the standpoint of
the creation and maintenance OF markets
sbroad. and especially In transoceanic
countries. l cannot but think that II this
fundamental fact of Germany's enormous
annual increase Of population were intelli-
gently grasped much OF the unfortunate
polemio to which my country's industrial
expan sion still gives rise In certain quarters
would be moderated.
The Ambassador said that tho German
Colonies were not suited to the settlement
OF Europeans and he asserted that soolon-
les do not strengthen the power Of the
mother country He said that mischief
makers were trying to give wrong
construction 10 the German emigration
70 Brazil. He said that the number OF
Germans in Brazu 10 only soo, 900 and that
they are simply helping TO build up ma.
tional character there, as II 10 admitted
they have done in the United States.
The total emigration fom Germany In the
last six years. he said. was only $4,000
year.
The speaker in talking Of the open
door policy OF Germany asserted:
This idea prompted our action in Tur-
Key, China. Morocco, and also In South
America whenever we had any dealings
with South American republics. Terri
torlal expansion was never the motive:
The development OF our navy Ia carried
on with the same idea and on the same
principle
Nv E.aT m a nj A