The Washington times., 1915-10-20


has no boundaries except the seacoast.
Switzerland Is bordered by Germany.
Austria and Italy. the most highly or
Kanized militarist nations In the world"
Australia 10 several thousand miles
from any possible enemy.
The United states by reason OF Its
size, Its vast area. Its sparse population.
It's remoteness from possible enemy.
its great seacoast mileage. more closely
resembles Australia than 1t does Switz-
erland. switzerland and Australia, as
unlike as any two nations on earth In
every physical detail have adopted
very nearly the same system Of military
defense. That system IL commonly re-
garded as excelIently adapted to the
needs OF both Switzerland and Aus
tra.Ia. Why not. then. to the United
States?
The parallel between Australia and
the United states is the more impress
sive when II Is borne in mind that the
two enemies that Australia instinctively
fears are the Japanese ana the Ger
mans. while the social menace that II
breads Is the possibility OF an incur
sion of the yellow race.
Australia as n whole thinks and talks
about the yellow peril In the same
tone that Is echoed on our own Pacific
coast, All Pacific countries Inhabited
basically by white men have that same
terror. for the pacific Is the ocean OF
the yellow and brown races. as the At
lantic is the ocean of the white race.
Sign of Common Interest.
That there Is In Australia an insunc'
tive appreciation of this similarity TO
the United States was shown when the
hattie fleet Of the United states was
sent on its trip around the world
toward the close of the Roosevelt era
Nowhere was there given to that ar,
mada such royal UNDERSTANDINGS ana
truly national welcome. as was accord
cd IL in Australia: these antipodear
Caucasians saw in that fleets progress
over the great waters the sign and
tcstimony that there was one rich AND
powerful nation in the newer world tina,
understoo ood and was preparing aEaihs'
the Oriental peril.
,'So matter what was tho underlying
n,,rpose of Mr.. Roosevelt In sending
the feet on its voyage: no matter
whether or not he intended to exhibit
a primarily to Japan as evidence tha'
the United States was able and Will
tny to take care of itself wherever. its
| interests might be assailed. the Aus
tralians thought they saw In the Ameri
can fleet the sign OF common interes
and understanding between the two
great national pioneers OF Caucasian
civiiization on the borders OF the Pa
| citic.
Co-operates With England.
The obvious similarities between Aus
tralia and the United States have In
duced many people to regard the Aus
tralian military system as desirable
study for those who would reorganiz'
the American scheme: and II has beer
given most careful analysis In connec
| tion with the preparation OF the plar
that will he laid before Congress- thu
| coming winter. Australia learned
lesson from the Boer war, as did ever,
other appanaRe OF the British empire
The need OF greater preparedness an'
| of less confident reliance on the hom'
governments powers. was impressed OF
the Australians: and while the United
Kingdom was studying these problems
| from one point OF view. Australia wa.
at work on them from another.
While system of COMPULSORY nnC
substantially universal military train
acts OF 1903 1909. and 1910 It was no
until 1911 that the commonwealth
adopted the project which brought III
| defense prorram into harmony and co
| operation with the imperial system
! Lord Kitchener was the putative author
OF the plan. which involves a co-opera
tion between the United Kingdom anc
| the Australian commonwealth.
Has Its Own Fleet.
J Australia has a royal Australian
| fleet" which belongs to the colony anc
: Is supported by It; while the imperia
government makes naval contribu
ton. The Australian naval forces ar,
In close unison with thosA OF the en-