Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1914-09-04
Commander DiSmukes t
Talks on the War.
Mississippi Officer in Canal JOne
Gives Interesting Lecture.

rrOm ~. ". IlAeS-flcayunes
Although the regulations of the Unt'
ed States army and navy place re-
straints utterance of officers re-
specting foreign political and military
affairs, Commander D. E. Dismukes,
U. S. N, commander of the port Of
Colon. in lecture delivered few days
ago in, the Cristobal Young Mems
Christian Association, Panama Canal
3 Zone, gave an exhaustive analysis OF
the conditions that caused the present
European war. He suggested that one
Of the fundamental causes Of the war
was Great Britain's belief thather com
mercial and naval supremacy had been
endangered bg the tremendous develop
ment Of Germany II late years
Comusn den Disugdkes declares that.
whileit noksd u. the map as if Ger
many were ii avise between her enem-
les, liable to ,be crushed from both
sides, on Che other hand she had her
enemies divided and occupies position
Of great central strategic advantage.
Commander 'Dismukes is a native of
Mississippi and is well known in New
Orleanss having visited this city On nu-
merous occasions on naval vessels.
His last visit to this port was in jan
uary this year as commander of the
gunboat Petrol.
Ar outline Of one of the several ad-
dresses that he has ,delyesed to Canal
Zone audiences Of the European, war,
I s,received by mail from Colon, is Civ
ia here. ss~,s ~ ~ .ssst i
The address began with lucid .eex-
tp0sition Of the, large world movements
leading up to the present crisis. The
speaker said. tn at the fundamental
causes of the outbreak were much deep
or than the superficial occasion of fh,
quarrel between Austria and Seryia.
Commercial and political rivalry for
mar ats and sfor territorial expahsiM y
had been going on steadily for half y
century between the great tppwers Of
Europe. He ventured an explanation
of one point in the situation. which has
been puzzlipg manv people of late
This iswhy liberal England and repub-
lican France, should be allied with Rus
s,a in this conflict. The main reason
III that it has come to pass since the
consolidation of the German empire
that Great Britain has conceived her
commercial and naval supremacy is
more endangered by the tremendous
development of Germany in late years
than by the power of Russia. In the
days of the late Benjamin Disrael.
England's diplomacy was based chiefly
on preventing the access of Russia to
the Mediterranean. Disraeli even went
so far as to endeavor to preserve the
integrity of Turkey and to keep the
Ott0mans in possession of Constanti-
nople rather than to risk Russian oc-
cupation of the Bosphorus. This card
inal policy Of England obtianed until
the result of the France -Prussian war
made Germany consolidated world
power. AS long as the German states
were small, separate kingdoms without
cohesive force, there was more reason
to fear Russia than Germany. But
Germany grew in power with gigantic
strides, while Russia lost prestage in
the Japanese war Then, too, the form
alton Of the triple alliance between
Austria, Italy and Germany gave an
immense impetus to the Pan-Germantic
movement and also added greatly to the
effectiveness Of Austria's designs. to-
ward the Mediterranean. With Ger
many behind her, Austria felt able to
try to absorb such of the Danubian and
Balkan states AS she got opportunity.
This was the way in which she absorb
ed Bosnia and Herzegovina. and is why |
she assumed such a strong attitude aft
er the last war in the Balkan states.
In effect. then, Great Britain began |
to see the Germanic nations marching
coward the Mediterranean just as she
had previously seen Russia. So just as
she formerly allied with France to stop
Russia in the Crimean war, SO now she
allies with France and Russia to stop
Germany.
These are the fundamental causes
The immediate occasion for the out
break was the demand by Austria on
.Seryia that the latter country suppress
certain newspapers and political organ
lzations in Servia whose influence Aus
tria alleged to have been the cause OF
the killing of the Archduke Francis
Ferdinand, heir to the Austrian throne,
and of the archduchess. Servia max
ing an unsatisfactory response to- these
demands, Austria prepared TO make
war upon her. This then brought into
evidence another great fundamental
causeapf the crisis. Servia's population
is Slavic. of the same blood as most of
Russia Russia's attitude has always
be N to absorb all the Slavic states
that she could and to promote the IN
.depeadence of others which she could
NOT .aeauire herself. There is large
Slavic population in the Austro- Hunga-
rian empire also, a fact whichhas caus-
ia friction between Austria and Russla
from time to time. Hence, Austria, ,s'l
demand on Servia led to Russia g
threatened Intervention. Tins, IN turn,
brought Germany into the affair sand
soon all the other great powers.
Commander Dismukes then passed-to
the second large phase of the subject,
fhe influence Of sea power in such con-
ditions. He pointed out how control
of tho sea has determined great inter
national conflicts in all periods OF the
world Is. history. Reviewing briefly 9ne
PRINCIPAL world CRISIS as illpstratlYe OF
this fSct, With 400 chips heat TIE per.