Omaha daily bee., 1910-08-08

The present naval policy Of the German
empire was crystalllzed in the navy bill
Of 1900 which, according to its preamble,
proposed to create fleet OF such strength
that "a war with the mighuest naval
ppwer would involve no risks threatening
the supremacy of that power" This Lam
suage was direct notice to England that
Germany was not content 20 permit the
British empire to retain absolutely undis-
puted the supremacy Of the seas. 1t did
not mean, perhaps, that Germany intended
to build a greater navy than the British
navy, but It did say that the German navy
should be large enough to cause England
to think twice before provoking o naval
war with Germany
At the time there was some excitement
in England. but the British people at that
time had their fill Of war in South Africa
and the general public did not take es-
peclal notice OF the changed attitude of
the Berlin government toward naval mat
ters. The navy bill of 1900 was supple
mented by other acts from time to time,
but about two years ago II was discovered
that the original bill was sufficiently elias
tic to permit the German admiralty to do
almost anything II pleased In developing
and extending It's program Of naval con-
struotion. When the discovery was made
that the elasticity OF the the navy law had
permitted the secret accelerauon of the
building program, the entire British EN-
pire was panic-stricken; an unwilling gov
eminent doubled its navy estimates; peace
full colonial parllaments voted approprla-
tons for colonial navies, and nothing was
to be heard in ali Britain but war talk.
The Emperor William, in a speech deiiv-
cred at Bremen in 1905 upon the occasion
OF the unveiling OF a monument to his
father made a declaration OF his views
with respect to strong military and naval
policies OF the empire. He said that in his
boyhood he had been angered and cha
grined by the pitiful weakness of the Ger
man navy, and that his naval policy had
sprung from that feeling, and was not d.
rected toward aggression, but to the COM
mand Of respect for Germany from the
rest OF the world. He said his aim was
to do everything possible to let bayonets
and cannon rest, but to keep the bayonets
| sharp ana the cannon ready, SO that envy
and grief shall not disturb us in tending
our garden or building our beautiful
house. / vowed never to strike for world
mastery. The world power that / then
| dreamed of was to create for the Ger
man empire on all sides the most absolute
confidence as quiet, honest and peace
able nation I have vowed that over
the time comes that history shall speaE
OF a German world power, or a Hohenzol
| lern world power this should not be based
! upon conquest, but should come through
the mutual striving OF nations after com
| mon purposes"
! 1t is needless to say that the people Of
| other nations do not accept the kaiser:
avowal of peace making by means OF tn,
tools Of war at it's face value. The English
man the Dutchman or the Frenchman will
4 point out that as the power of Germany
has grown, the kaiser has been tempted
often to take advantage of his possession
| of many sharp bayonets and many ready
cannon to force upon his neighbors, not 81
well armed. his own political and diplo
matte policies. His boyhood dream OF
peaceful world power based upon quiet ani
honest endeavor at home has taken OF
more and more Of the color Of dictatoria
world power based upon force.
The kaiser, in speech at Cologne II
1897, said: Neptune with the trident is
symbol for us that we have new tasks t
fulfill since the empire has been weldet
together. Everywhere we have to protec
German cltlzensi everywhere we have t
maintain German honor. That trident mus
be in our fistr' No man knows better thai
he that the British empire depends for it
very life upon its retention of the su
premacy Of sea power. II GeImania take
the trident away from Britannia, then tn
German empire will be what the British
empire is today-the greatest power Of
earth"
Germany contends that 1t needs a stron
navy, strong enough to prevent the pos
sibility Of war, to give protection to 1t
great merchant marine and its rapid
growing worldwide commerce; and to pro
tect German home ports. Germany ha