El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-08-06
By
Frederic
]. Haskn


, the possibility of war, TO give protec-
ton to it's great merchant marine and
its rapidly growing world wide COM
merce; and to protect German home
ports. Germany has practically no coast
line and it does not possess single
first class port. The German people
are and always have ben land lub-
bers. But that does not prevent the
German merchant marine being the best
afloat, and it does not prevent the Ger
man navy being the most highly organ
lied fleet in existence
Yet it is difficult to believe that the
growing German navy is intended alto
gether for purposes of protection. Ger
many would feel but slightly a blockade
| of it's own ports Of Bremen and Ham,
burg, compared TO how much it would
suffer from a blockade Of Antwerp and
Rotterdam. The power TO control the
mouth of the Rhine is the power to
throttle German industry. AS long as
Belgium and Holland control these
great ports. Germany need not fear
hostile action from those two small
countries. In fact they would be fore
ed to submit TO German dictation in
everything if it were not that they have
| the moral support of England and the
I potential backing OF the British navy.
When the German navy becomes suffi-
! GENTLY strong to make the issue of a
contest with the British navy doubtful,
] then it no longer will be possible for
Belgium and Holland always to COM
mand effective British support 1t is
| within the realm of possibility that the
new German navy will be able to Sc
cure for germany the economic. If not
/ the political control Of the much covet-
ed low countries. From the German
point of view. nothing could be more
! desirable
Germany Not Democratic.
! Germany is not a democratic coun-
! try, and it is governed altogether on
| the theory that every mans will should
! be merged into the viii of the state
Yet the Germans are human beings
and insist upon being treated as such.
| Like other peoples, they decline TO pay
I taxes except for the things they believe
they need. the navy bill of 1900, which
revolutionized the German navy policy,
! was conceived in the mind of William
! ii, but 1t was enacted by the Reichstag
! as the result of 4 popular demand from
! the people of all classes.
| Fhe German navy league is the Iarg-
/ est and most influential money raising
patriotic organization in the world
/ IL mas now more than million members
/ each OF whom contributes every year
sum ranging from II cents to $780, to
be used in the propaganda of the
? league. This organization has gone so
/ far as TO build and equip a warship to
present to the imperial navy. This
/ league was founded in 1898, a few DAYS
! after the passage Of small navy bill
Y hich failed to endorse the broad prin-
Ciples of the kaiser's naval poIicv The
! league was organized for the purpose
Of influencing public sentiment by pop
! ular agitation, and it proved to be most
! successful. The chief organizer of the
! league was the late Alfred Krupp. OF
/ the krupp gun works, and he had the
active assistance of prince Henry of
Prussia, the sailor brother of the en-
peror 1t was planned carefully that
the names Of the greatest arlstocrats
should be at the head of the organiza-
ton, national, provincial and local. but
that all classes would be invited to join
The organizers knew how we'll lower
! class Germans like to get into touch
with their aristocracy, by whatever
means. The people fIocked to Join the
! league. and within two years 1t had a
membership Of quarter of a million,
and was so pow erfuI in its influence
! that the sweeping navy bin of 1900 was
passed without any opposition other
than the perfunctiory protest of the
Social Democrats.
Naval instruction.
! he emperor the league the
use Of special flag and badge. and
! under the patronage of the imperial
family, as well as of the royalty of the
i minor German states, the league con-
tinued to grow rapidly, especially in
the cities. But the villagers and pea
SAINTS were not neglected. Lecturers.
accompanied by moving picture appara-
tuS and operators, toured the country
and gave the people not 1 percent OF
hon, bod h. hit
| a visual demonstration of what the
navy league intended to do for Ger
| many. The country people followed
gaHs?'. he demanded in amazement
This is M son. sir" said the old