Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1918-12-05
BRITISH PLAYING
UP SUI REMACY OF
SEA IN ELECTION
Campaign Arguments Being
Made in Pending Contest
Indicate Policy at Versailles
of Ocean Freed
Copyright, 1918, by the Press Pub
fishing Co.

Copyright, 1918, by the Press Pub
fishing Co.
(The New York World)
Especial Gable Despatch to The World
and Albuquerque JournaD
London, Dec Am estimating the
value attachable to British speeches
and newspaper articles on the free
dom of the seas at the present time,
it is desirable to remember that Bri-
tons are in the throes of a general
election, that competing parties are
wing with each other in clarifying
the navy and what ii stands for as the
arm which made victory possible.
At High Tide of Popularity.
The popularity and prestige of the
British navy never stood higher, and
its recently proved efficiency makes it
a useful. indeed an absolutely essen
tial card for the candidates to play.
The imperialst and dominating wing
of Lloyd Georges coalition is making
hay while the sun shines on their
view, which, frankly, is that 1t is i'm
possible TO circumscribe the powers
of the navy as exercised in this war
without imperiling the British En-
pire and sacrificing the fruits of vic
tory
Winston Churchill an eleetioneer
hardly second in astuteness to the
Premier, put the claims of the navy
the foremost place in his first adj
dress to his constituents. Nothing
in the world,' said he. nothing you
may think or dream Of or any one
may tell you; no arguments however
specious; no appeals, however seduc-
tive must lead you to abandon that
naval supremacy on which the life of
our country depends.
"a hopeful and sincere advocate of
a League of Nations, | will do every
thing in my power to make it a prac-
teal and powerful reality, but a
League of Nations is no substitute for
the supremacy Of the British fleet"
Naval Supremacy Vital
This puts the claim OF British ma
val supremacy in an apparently UNI
compromising form, but Dundee
where Churchill is standing. being
strongly imbued with Gladstonian ira
dition, he deftly continued: NAVAL
supremacy is vital to us, but If we are
to begintrusted with that tremendous
trust for all nations we must continue
in the paths of sober virtue which our
fathers and grandfathers followed.
Our greatness owes as much to the
principles of Gladstone as to the vic
tory of Nelson"
This is where Churchill prepared an
avenue of escape for himself from
the translation of his lingo outburst
into a practical reality, for the prin-
ciples OF Gladstone caused him to be
dubbed "the Little Englanderr by the
party with which the transient politi-
cal exigencies are causing Churchill
and other Liberals at the moment to
coalesce.
Fair Example of Election Jingoism.
The Gladstonian principles We're in
exorably opposed to the idea SEEM
ingly set up by Minister Churchill
that all sea law is to be scrapped to
make way for a nebulous, intangible
something which he camouflaged as
the tremendous trust in Britain to
rule the seas, for all nations. He is
quoted as a fair example of the cleo
tioneering iingoism useful to catch
votes at the moment, but we'll known
by its exponents as incapable of ex-
listing when the cold light of reason
is brought to bear upon it at the
peace conference.
Furthermore, these navalist heroics
are based upon the protested fear
that the presidents ideas of the free
dom of the seas are incompatible with
the security and rights of the British
Empire. which is an absurd delusion.
An Old Diplomatic Device.
II is a familiar diplomatic device TO
set up an imaginary bogy, In order to
show your cleverness in knocking 1t
down. Tory feeling, as represented
by the Morning Post, is not content
with the allies reservation respecting
freedom of the seas. 1t rs exceedingly
nervous lest the peace conference may
feel itself too rigidly bound to an ac-
ccptance of the remaining thirteen
points.
The Post argues that the fourteen
points cannot be rightly estimated un-
less it be first understood that they
are the development of an ethical the
DRY in which the spirit Of nationality
is omitted In order to secure clarity of
Apparently what the Post is anx-
ious about is the preservation of the
power of big nationalities, not what
suits their purposes with small nation
alities, for this is the only sense in
which a League of Nations is pro-