El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1914-11-21


rroceeded upon the theory that the
ITilipinos are now fit to govern them
serves Whatever may be our per-
sorsl and individual beliefs in this
natter we ought not as a nation to
break faith or evGn to seem to break
feitb. / hope, therefore, that the Fill
ninOs will be given their independence
at an early date and without any
guarantee from US winch might in any
Way hamper our future action or COM
init US to staying on the Asiatic coast.
I do not believe We should keep any
footbCld whatever in the Philippines.
ANY kind OF position by us in the Phil
irnines merely results in making them
BIZ a foreign power They can be Of
no commemorative benefit to US. Il we
were to retain complete control over
them and to continue the course of ac-
tinu which in the past 16 years has
resulted in such unreasonable berefjt
for them, then / should feel that it was
our duty to stay and work for them in
site OF The expense incurred by US
and the risk we thereby ran
But Inasmuch as we have now prom
ised to leave them ard as we are now
abandoning OFT power to work eff
cleRtly fer and III them, 1 do not feel
thar we are warranted in staying IN
the islands in an equiYocal position
without Comforting any real cOmpen-
sating advantage, Of kind which we
are bound n take into account on the
Filipinos themselves. II the F1Iplnos
are entitled to independence, then we
are entitled to he freed from all the
responsibility and risk which our pres
enCe in the islands entails upon US.
Our Aid Not Needed.
The great nations of southernmOst
South America, Brazil. the Argentine
and Chile, are now so far advanced
in stability and power that there is
Ito longer any need Of applying the
Monroe doctrine as far as they are con-
cerned; and this also relieves US as
regards Uruguay. and Paraguay, tne
oimer of which is well advanced and
neither of which has any interests with
which we need particularly concern
ourselves.
As regards all these powers, there
fore we now have no duty save that
COUNTLESS if they got into difficulties
and desired our aid, We would gladly
extend it. Just as, for instance we
would to Australia and Canada But
we can now proceed on the asSump-
ton that they are able to help them
selves and that any help We should De
required to give would be given by US
as an auxiliary rather than as
Our naval problem. therefore, is pri-
maTily to provide for the protection OF
our own coasts and for the protection
and policing of Hawaii Alaska ana
the Panama canal and its approaches.
This offers a definite problem which
should be solved by our naval men, II
10 for them, having in view the lessons
taught by this war to say what is the
exact type of fleet We require, the
number and kind of submarines, OF de-
stroyers, of mines and of airships to be
used against hostile fleets, in addition
to the cruisers and great fighting
craft which must remain the backbone
of the navy.
Civilians may be competent to pass
DC 2 H4a MA me urT CT ed
by the naval men, but it is the naval
men themselves who must make and
submit the plans. Lay opinion, how
ever, should steadily keep certain ele-
navy Necessary for Offensive.
The navy must primarily be used for
offensive purposes. Forts, not the
navy, are to be used for defence. The
only permanently efficient type OF de-
fensive is the offensive. A portion, ana
a very important porton, or our naNal
strength must be used with our own
coast ordinarily as a base, its strik-
ing radius being only a few score miles
or a couple Of hundred at the out
side.
The events Of this war have shown
that submarines can play a tremendous
part We should develop our force of
81. bmarines and train the officers ana
crews who have charge of them to the
highest pitch of efficiency-for they
those aboard them have been trained
in time of peace. These submarines,
when used in connection with destroy
ers and with airships, can undoubtedly
serve to minimize the danger of sue
cessful attack on our own shores.
But the prime lesson of the war, as
r. CARDS tthe navy, is that the nation
with a powerful sea-going navy, al
though it may suffer much annoyance
and loss, yet is able on the whole to
take the offensive and do great dam
age to a nation with a less powerful
navy. Great Britains naval superb
ority over Germany has enabled her
completely to paralyze all Germany's
sea commerce and to prevent goods
from entering her Ports.
What is far more important. 1t has
enabled the British to land 100000 or
5cO,O 900 men to aid the French, and
las enabled Canada and Australia to
send a hundred thousand men from the
CT posite ends of the earth to Great
Britain If Germany had had the
more powerful navy, I think no one
doubts that England would now have
suffered the fate of Belgium.
Cannot Stop Ship Building.
The capital work done by the Ger
man cruisers in the Atlantic the Pa
cific and in the Indian ocean shows
how much can be accomplished in the
way of hurting and damaging an
enemy by even the weaker mower # it
20 operate, thousands Of miles from
their own base. We must not fail to
recognize this. Neither must we fall
heartily and fully to recognize the cap
ital importance of submarines as well
as airships, torpedo boat destroyers
and mines, as proved by the events of
the last three months
But nothing that has yet occurred
warrants US in feeling that we can af-
ford to ease up in our nroEFam Of
battleshiOs and crrfearg &C
pecially the former The German sub
marines have done wonderfully in this
" ar; their cruisers have done gall
lantly But so far as Great Britain is
concerned the vital and essential fea-
tUre has been the fact that her great
battle fleet has kept the German fleet
immured in its own home ports, has
protected Britain from invasion and
has enabled her land strength to be
used to its utmost capacity beside the
armies OF france and Belgium.
If the men who for years have clam
ored against Britain's being prepared
had had their way, if Britain during
the last quarter OF century had failed
to continue the upbuilding OF her
navy II the English statesmen cor
responding to Messrs. Wilson and Bry-
an had seen their ideas triumph, Eng
land would now be eff the map as a
great power and the British empire
would have dissolved, while london,
Liverpool and Birmingham would lie
in the condition of Antwerp and Brus-
sells.
German Efficiency High.
Esraa.a