The Washington herald., 1915-05-30
gave UP rights
To AVERT WAR
Won Herwarth Says u. S.
Coded Canal Privileges to
Pacify Japan.
BRITAIN HOLDS THE KEY
Panama Considered by German Gen
eral Staff to Be Classed at the
Mercy of British Navy.
BY EDWARD LYELL FOX.

II is the opinion of the foremost
authority in Germany on the Panama
| Canal that that body of water has
where il can no longer dodge the is
| sues of world politics. He calls atten-
ton to May. 1918. when United States
soldiers. day and night. manned the
guns in Manila Bay. when the harbor
was mined. troops sent out and the
country on the verge of war with
Japan.
He says that since then England
had been interceding with Japan over
, the California question. and that the
price of her intercession was the Civ
ing up of our rights in the Panama;
Canal. He points out that i'll June,
19l3-a month after the Manila Incl
dent-President Wilson demanded from
Congress the revocation of the coast
ing privilege, and said that he really
would not know how to handle mat
tiers of more delicate character In
case Congress might refuse to crafty
his wishes about the Panama Canal.
Mai Won Herwarth CHARGES that in
this case England used Japan as a
club over the United States. The dis
closure of the May situation in Ma
Mia confirms the Presidents desire TO
Herwarth says that lie avoided it for
the time-but only for the time and
that the price he paid was high. He
pointed out that the British govern
ment announced through Winston
Churchill that il will be the policy of
that country TO control the worlds
petroleum sources around important
strategic places.
Enyland Gets Oil Lands.
When the worlds attention was at
tracted first by Tripoli. then by tine
Balkan troubles. and while Europe
wrangled about the frontiers of AL
bara. England went ahead and Sc
cured for herself all the oil conces-
sions she wanted; when Churchill
spoke the main part of that work was
already completed. The reason for Sc
curing these oil supplies is that the
genius of Dersel has made oil the fuel
of the navies of the world.
The greatest strategic point of the
next few years Is the Panama Canal.
Already England has the Island OF
Jamaica. commanding the entrance
from the west, and which Won Her
warth calls "A second Malta.
He shows that within the last three
years MeSiCo has risen from the
seventh oil producing country of the
oil interests were sent into Mexico
by the government; that Madero.
friendly to the United States, was de-
posed by these British interests; that
Huerta. who in November. 1913, said:
"One of these days England and Japan
and Mexico will go together. and after
that there will he an end to the
United States" that Huerta was Wig
orously supported by England. because
he was against American oil inter-
ests: that Lord Cowdray and Lord
Murray have secured for England i'm
portantly placed strategic oil conces-
sons in Ecuador, Colombia; that Eng
land has tried to secure the Galapag os
Islands. which have for the Panama
Canal a similar meaning as the Is
land of Perrin for the Suez Canal.
At Mercy of British.
The German general staff believes
that all these steps have been taken
because the Panama Canal. with its
tremendous strategic position must De
like the Channel, Gibraltar. the OAR |
danelles Il. e. Malta. and the Suez |
Canal at the mercy of the British |
navy. |
Mai. Won Herwarth told me that |;
while he sat next to Sir George Arm |