The Washington times., 1917-04-23
BALFOUR EXPLAINS
FREEDOM OF SEAS
British Envoy Expressed Views
Before America Became
EngIand's Ally.

Views Of Mr.. Balfour on the German
meaning Of the freedom of the seas
as expressed before the United States
became an ally of Great Britain are In
teresting.
In a symposium Of official allied opin-
ions under the title OF The War OF
Democracy" published by Doubleday.
Page & Co, Mr.. Balfour says:
THE phrase freedom OF the seas Is
naturally attractive to British and
American ears. for the extension OF
freedom into all departments of life and
over the whole world has been one OF
the chief aspirations of the English
speaking people. and efforts toward that
end have formed no small part of their
contribution to civilization. But tree-
dom is a word of many meanings, ana
we shall do well to consider il what
meaning the Germans use 1t when they
ask for it. not (it may be safely said)
because they love freedom, but because
they hate Britain.
What Maritime Freedom Means.
About the freedom OF the seas. In
one sense. We are all agreed. England
and Holland fought for it in times gone
by. To their success, the United states
may be said to owe its very existence
For II, three hundred years ago. the
maritime claims of Spain and Portugal
had been admitted, whatever else Nortn
America might have been, 1t would not
have been English-speaking. 1t nelther
would have employed the language nor
obeyed the laws. nor enjoyed the lnstitu-
tions which, in the last analysis. are
Of British origin.
But the freedom of the seas de-
sired by the modern German is a
very different thing from the free
dom for which our forefathers
fought in days of old. How, indeed,
can it be otherwise? The most sim
pIe-minded must feel suspicious
when they find that these mission
aries of maritime freedom are the
very same persons who preach and
who practice upon the land the ex-
tremest doctrines of military abso-
lutlsm.
Gould anybody suggest after our
experience in this war, after reading
German histories and German theo-
ries of politics, that Germany would
be prevented from taking such a
step as to cast to the winds the
freedom of the seas by the mere
fact that IL was a breach of interna-
tional treaties to which she was a
party-she would never hesitate, and
the only result OF the cession by the
specific powers of their maritime
rights would be that the military
powers would seize the weapon for
their own purposes and turn It
against those who had too hastily
abandoned ii.
One Road to Free Development.
But surely, even now, it is fairly
clear that IL substantial progress is
to be made toward securing the
peace of the world and a free devel-
opment of its constituent nations,
the United States OF America and the
British empire should explicitly rec
ognize, what all instinctively know,
that on these great subjects they
share a common ideal.
81 am well aware that in even |
limiting at the possibility of cooper |
alton between these two countries
am treading on delicate ground. The |
fact that American independence was
wrested by force from Great Britain
colors the whole view which some
Americans take of the natural rela-
tions between the two communities. /
Others are Impatient OF anything
which they regard as a sentimental
appeal to community of race, holding |
that in respect of important sections |
OF the American people this commun-
ity of race does not, in fact, exist
Others again think that any argu-
ment based on a similarity of laws |
and institutions belittIes the great |
ness OF Americas contribution TO the |
political development of the modern |
world"