El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1918-11-25
End OF A Great NAVY

he meek surrender Of Germany great fleet marks the
end of German naval power It marks tie conclusion
of record sensationay brilliant in some respects
and totally ngorous in others as the world ever knew
For instance history does record another such na-
val surrender this weakly without fight What was
rated the second greatest navy the world comes out
into the North Sea and tameIy is taken prisoner Huge
dreadnoughs, bulky battle cruisers, fast light cruisers
batesps OF the first class long lines of desrover Sims
of all kinds and sizes and all brstIng with guns and
manned by husky Germans-and they all give I'D Il moved
an American naval officer to exclaim Even the poor old
Spanlard, knowing they had not chance came out of
Santiago" Yes and came out fighting and the flag of
Spain only down before admras Sampson and Shev
when it was virtually shot down.
It IS true that in making this weak surrender the Ger
navy but obeying orders coruplving with the
mandate Of the new German government which insisted on
implicit compliance with the aTmistioe terms This would
be taken as matter of had been that the
world remembers that the German high seas fleet ran away
from defeat in the battle of JutIand off the Skagera in
1916 and notwithstanding its continual boasting and
threatening has dared stick nose out Of harbor
and risk fight since that time Patrols of light cruisers
desOyers and torpedo boats exchanged shell with
allied sea forces occasionally, but the capital ships have
stayed in harbor.
Here is the brilliant side of Germany's sea war: The
little ships have played hazardous game and have per-
formed arvels at hitting and getting away. Also the
raiders, Emdens the Seeaders performed remark
able feats o-Te of piracy but remarkable nevertheless
In daring and TesoucefulneSs willingness to take hair
raising chances these German sailors rank with any other
buccaneers the world has known
Then there feat Of the submarines which crossed
the Atlantic and attacked shipping off our coast There
is nothing admirable in the cowardly kind of submarine
Germany conducted but crossing thousands Of miles
Of submarine calls for seamanshp Of the high
est class.
Atop Of ALL remembers the stirring fight off the
Falkland islands IN the early days of the when Ger
man squadron of cruisers attacked and destroyed similar
British squadron; and how thereafter the British admit
ralty sraghtway dispatched superior fleet of light fast
ships from the British isles to put the Hun squadron
der the water The British chased the Germans around the
tip Of South America and up the west side and caught
them off the coast of Chile and destroyed them Out
numbered the Germans fought to the last.
Finally there the exploit of the Appaul the big
British liner which the German raider Moewe took off the
African coast The Appam left full of prisoners but
the Moewe commander merely put armed guard aboard
her and sent her clear the United States as
prize Of and inerned her That some more high
type piracy.
The record Of the German big ships has been in contrast
TO that Of the little ships The admiralty realizing Ger
many inferior to Britain France and the United
States at chose not to risk the big, costly ships after
the Jutland fight It hoped thus preserve them
throughout the Consequently the big ships lay in
harbor day after day month after month until officers
and went stale and morale died of dry rot In place
Of morale upTose mutiny and eugued the navy Fastening
the downfall of the empire
Now has the surrender the inglorious ending of
great navy It exactly what Germany had hoped to the
allies One reflector Of PTussian admiralty opinion Dr.
OppeDhemer, quoted in recent issue Of Golfers
Weekly said at stage Of TIE war: "If we win we
must utterly destroy the power England we must take
her colonies and her fleet We might take the French
fleet TOO and make France bear the cost of the war"
-O-