New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-04-08

a'~ oh one or two other powers. viii
i-A.',, - not only TO become an international
s..rsker, but peace compe'I'r IN me
ea,''', ,gst be evident TO any one who VIII
@ot'l' - history Of leading nations in the last
o'oI ,1r8red years-and more especially the
y on - changes that have taken place IN
4 -. l,,t few decades.
ae more than q century it has been our
:" M,+ this is the land Of liberty, Of ad-
-, 80. institutions Of highest ideals; and the
a.. been justified IN the results as they
H,..a.v Let us take a step further (and
SO" =. o. giants stride toward the highest
- 80 ,yilizationl 10y so shaping our ma
"''I ..,ces that VIC can absolutely prevent
~ - wars. or. at least reduce them to a
8 -.rpr Of destructive a"iuiness- a power
i - Lean in our Civil War was: "The Union
~. and Shall Be Preserved To-day this
80, is approaching position where we can
s...;velv back up the cry: Peace Must and
AL Be Preserved
Uho,syer our personal feelings may be tow
/ ! v,elap6. whether pro or con, 1t must be
'l-.;,,s5 that during the last four hundred
-, .bs has been the greatest single factor
Y ..i,,sinine peace throughout the world, in
S., wars tha. did break out to limited
80. !, reducing the conflicts between races
=. -. minimum Of general injury and in ter
TING great wars under conditions that
...r,,5 in long cras Of peace and world
prosperity
Az pnpreiudiced mind that will review the
III. history in the last four centuries must
.3ra that without Englands restraining infiu-
on,, the nations of the earth would have been
\ ~. almost continuously tearing at each
4 .,s,,,' ibroats; 50 that, in place Of the great
,ay,rcs we have had in civilization. the world.
,,5 more especially Europe would now be in
condition similar to that IN which it was after
.ss iall Of the Roman Empire and the succeed
~ Dark Ages.
TrDe. England seldom failed TO avail herself
.fber dominance by acquiring more territory,
hi. in frankness, we must admit that she de-
,,oDe5 this territory under the most advanced
orn Of progress and placed the natives under
no highest form Of civilized government
much % the advantage Of those territories,
I hose natives and to the world in general.
4 Without her dominating power and civilizing
sgence these acquired territories and the
llyes inhabitating them would to-day be IL
4 inch the same condition in which they were
s'ore they came under British rule
+ Two powerful factors enabled England to
saintain her position as the one, and only one.
rtiDuousv dominating nation in the world
the last four hundred years, namely; her
asusr position in relation TO Europe, and her
.iequate navy. While every other considera-
Ne nation on earth has been devastated by
6reign invasion in the last four centuries,
England alone has been spared from such hor-
Dr-the several invasions of her home terri
Tory that did occur being at the invitation Of
Pverful section Of her own people.
Il must be evident to the impartial observer
'ho carefully considers the situation that
England is rapidly losing her insular position
ID regard to Europe. so far as it affords her
absolute protection from foreign invasion. Re
eatedly have the Germans in the present war
reached her shores. not only on the surface OF
he water. but under it and in the air above.
No longer can it be said that the twenty TO
three hundred miles of water that separate he:
ron the Continent is an insurmountabe bar
r'r. What the Teutons have accomplished
ihs1 far is merely the beginning. What they
vil no. succeed IN doing, with the eXtraordl-
ra'y advances in the science of aerial, aquatic
and 'ab-aQuatic navigation, no one can predic'
With any degree Of accuracy.
Anf l.. Ion ION
seriously imperilled, but we find that her navy.
powerful as il is is incapable Of protecting
aeT shores-or even Trafalgar Square itself
ron hostile attacks. This incapacity is frank
y admitted by the British Admiralty-a body
generally considered to be the highest naval
ass'rity in the world. 1t would be rash to
p'eaa that all the present above-water hght-
ag eait in the world are TO be swept aside 10
'A'~ Of the submarine but it is obvious that
Naptndous revolution is going ON IN naval
@sHiie The final outcome of which the future
alone vii reveal The one solid fact confront
lg ~H this moment is that England, in spite
% he' nsusr position, backed by the mighties;
-''y the world, has been unable to protect
I" a'se territory or even her commerce IN
''' Tone waters from hostile attack.
n'N We ask evil the United States sue
wa tasland as the great insular and domnat-
power Of the world" Every indication o.
'e ''s' seems to point that way. So vast has
e' As Development Of national, international
Nv mtfcontinental communications in the last
0seades that the uttermost corners of the
80" say be said 10 nave been knit into one
''' "nmunity. No longer does such thing
H-ot country" exist. London can com
INNl'ctle u-.