The National tribune., 1909-11-11
lRELATIONS BETWEEN ENGLAND
AND GERMANY.

1t seems incredible in this Goth Gen.
tury civilization when everybody every
where is preaching peace, and when
commercial relations are so colossal,
that there should be q thought of a
belligerent collision between two of the
greatest. most civilized and the most
Christian Nations Of the world. Yet in
| England and Germany the situation has
passed the alarnist stage when the
front was held by loose, flamboyant
takers and has entered serious phase
of actual determination of both sides
to engage in Il trial of strength. The
advocates Of peace in both Nations are
IheEiHning to lose hope. This Is indi'
Gated by most remarkable article by
the PrO-Rectur of the great University
OF Freiburg. Or. Won SchulZe- -Gaever-
nitz has been Il powerful advocate of
peace and he stands at the very head
of the German economists and is more
4 man of facts and practice than of
theory. He is an aggressive Liberalist
in spirit and is thoroIy in touch with
the best public opinion of his country,
mingling intimately with all classes,
workingmen, merchants, agriculturists
and leaders of thought. He has given
out to the press this communication in
which the best hope that he can give
is in these words:
Peace is indeed endangered, but war
"a war that would let loose the worst
al nj fur nl Egt nf "a
back social reform and all progress for
q full generation is not absolutely un-
avoidable'
He says that the idea that the Brit
ish Isles are threatened by German in
yasion either by sea or air is a sheer
impossibiiity over which experts on
both sides of the channel jest" The
trouble arises from the fact that Ger
man industrial progress is overtaking
that of England by gigantic strides.
Germany is increasing In wealth so that
she will soon be the peer of England
as a banker and creditor of the rest Of
the world. This expansion at home
calls for immense expansion abroad,
and there she comes into conflict with
England.
The change in Germany's condition
is contrasted with that of the 18th Gen.
fury, where all that the German States
had to send abroad were few bales
of linen and the ships which left her
ports were ballasted with sand which
the French called jeeringiy ''the prod
ucts of Germany" Today German ex-
ports of iron and its manufactures ap-
proximate those of England, and ii is
the same in many other branches Of in
dustrv. At one time Hindustan pro-
duced substantially all the indigo
of the world, but the German chemists
have produced an artificial indigo
which has reduced the consumption of
that from Hindustan to one quarter,
and Germany sells much more indigo
than all Of India q few years ago. Con-
|seauently everywhere German interests
are coming into collision with those of
England, and there is irritation and
growing bitterness which is rapidly
reaching the war stage. where the ques-
ton of the relative strength of the two
countries will have to be fought out
What shape will this war take if it
should come, which the author earnest
ly hopes may not? He says:
about one-third of all German sea-
going commerce passes out thru the
ports OF the Rhine. To snbdue Ger
many England would have to blockade
the mouths of the Rhine and violate the
neutrality of the Netherlands, her own
creation. Then, in case of war, 1t is
possible that England's victories at sea
might well be offset by French defeats
upon land. Neither Nation can destroy
the other utterly, and certainly by no
league of Nations can 60.000.000 of
Germans be swept from the worlds
stage in a day. At the worst, even with
the arteries OF commerce closed. Ger
many might still be able to finance Rus
sia's Asiatic politics or organize a fed
GRAFTON of the Mohammetan world.
And Germany? The thought OF at
lacking England is far from us. Those
who doubt 1t deem us not only scroun-
drets but fools. For what could Ger