The Irish standard., 1917-01-06

ing spTPpOHueIduCe dI sea WAlCu WOulQ
have secured us against any conceiv.
able enemy. We were not satisfied.
We said, Let there be dreadnaughts.'
What for? We did not require them.
Nobody was building them. And #
anybody had built them we could east
ly have outbuilt. them. =.
Two Power Standard.
1--WE have more shipbuilding re-.
sources than any country in the world
and more than every country of the
world put together. So really there
was no need for it. So let me put ar
other consideration before you which
don't think is sufficiently pointed
out. We always say we must have
what we call 'two-power Standard
What does that mean? You must have
a navy larger than the combined ma
vies of any two nations in the worli.
so. whether it is Russia and
France Germany and France, Ger
many and Italy, we should always
have fleet large enough to defend
our shores against any combination
of the two greatest naval powers in
Europe. This has been. our standard.
Look at the position of Germany. Her
army is to her what our navy is to us
her sole defense against invasion.
She has not got n two-power stand
ard. She may have stronger army
than France, than Russia, than Italy,
than Austria, but she is between two
great powers who in combination
could pour in vastly greater number
Of troops than she has.
Don't forget that when you won
der why Germany is frightened at al
liances and understandings and some
sort of mysterious workings which 3p-
pear in the press and hints in the
Times and Daily Mail.
II remember motoring on Sunday
morning in Germany, and I picked up
a German newspaper and the only
words could read were Observer and
Daily Mail, so | asked friend what
it meant, and he said it was an extract
full of menaces to Germany and the
German paper had copied it. All that
means something in Germany.
Here is Germany in the middle Of
Europe, with France and Russia on
either side, and with combination of
their armies greater than hers.
80 we had here possible comb
nation which would lay us open to in
vasion-suppose Germany and France,
or Germany and Russia, or Germany
and Austria, had fleets which in COM
bination would be stronger than ours!
Cause fer Being Frightened.
"Would not we be frightened, would
not we build, would not we arm? OF
course, we would.
II want our friends who think that
because Germany is little frightened
she really means mischief to us to re
member that she is frightened for q
reason which would frighten us unde:
the same circumstances.
What does this mean? What you
want is clearing up of misconceD
tions. All say in conclusion is this:
THAT it is deplorable that two
great, progressive communities like
Germany and Britain should not be
able to establish good understanding
We have done it with France; VIC
have done it with Russia; we have
done it with the United States; with
all these countries we have had our
feuds. troubles and suspicious. but
now we are on terms of cordiality with
all three.
why not rope Germany in? We
are spending in this country every
year G000OOO0 ($300, ,0O0,O00) on
preparing for war. am not going 10
point out what stupendous waste
that is and what might be done
with it.
You can each imagine that for
yourselves in trade, in commerce, in
improvement of the conditions of the
people. in their enlightenment, in their
development, in generally alleviating
suffering and raising the people above
the level of despair.
ut Is said that we would suffer If
we nut, an. eng to- war: That vf:would
becsIhe:a; race of. ..aessnsrates. IF We
dif not fight the. people. would: 'bt;
.bsaksp. spirited unless. we had war: YOU
tight :ss ~all say ycG can develop
your muscles by paying to look at a
football match as say 1t makes a
nation brave to send 100000 or 100000
men to fight for them.
But are there not plenty of things
for us to fight. worse enemies than
Germany - intemperance. ignorance,
crime. vice. disease and that most
dread OF all invaders that sooner or
later reaches every home?
"Are the nominations of death not