The Republican journal., 1918-12-12
ENGLAND.

Today England is burdened by an
enormous debt, much of her once mag
nificent fleet of merchant ships lies at
the bottom of the sea, she is filled with
pity for her manned and is weeping for
her slain. But she is not dismayed nor
is her ambition dead The foundation of
her greatness which she has been build
ing for more than two hundred years is
unshaken Her business tentacles still
grasp and firmly hold the advantages
which she has secured and her colonies
are more strongly welded to the mother
country than ever before. The sons and
foster sons of England have fought to-
gether and died together in common
cause and this has enabled her to emerge
from the war still resolute and reliant.
Although she is sad and inert today, he
who lives to know her ten years hence,
will see her as merry England once
more, mistress of the seas and as far as
trade is concerned leader of the world.
In future trade the United States will be
her closest rival and we, in comparison,
will be but puny. While England has
hunted all over the world to find foot
hold for her enterprises we have been so
fully occupied in our own development
that we have done little to acquire and
hold the trade even of our Southern
neighbors who are 50, 000,0 900 strong
There are those who venture to predict
that some day England will rule the world
as completely, but not as brutally, as Ger
many hoped to do. National supremacy
requires the acquisition of lands for the
production of food and raw materials. 1t
must have shipping, manufactures, capt.
tai, energy and men who will work or
fight as occasion arises. England has all
these. In lands she rules one-f; urth OF
the area of the world, and these lands
are populated by one fourth OF the IN
habitants of the globe This gives her
an immense working force of cheap labor
in time of peace and vast offensive or
defensive force in time of war. The
major part of her colonies are in the
torrid and the temperate zones where the
climate and soil are favorable for the pro-
duction of great variety of the things
which are essential to the existence and
comfort Of mankind. From Australia,
which is nearly as large in area as the
United States she gets wool, meat, hides
and an annual output of gold of about
S25, 900, 900. In India she gets Co., 100000
pounds OF cotton on an average each
year, Coal and iron she has in abund-
ance in the home country. In her Asiatic
islar possessions she gets a surplus of
sugar and rs per cent of the tin used in
the world. In Africa she gets grain of all
kinds, other soil products which are raised
in torrid or temperate climates and near
ly half the gold output of the world. 1t
may surprise some of our readers to
know that Great Britain no ds first place,
in the production of gold, WOOL sugar,
tin and cocoa, and second place in coal,
tea, tobacco and rice. For year or two
England must build ships. We must then
expect to see her reaching out, first to
restore her own trade and then to secure
as much as possible Of ours. We are to-
day the richest of the nations, we shall
have ships enough within the next two
years, our natural resources are great. To
certain extent we can hold our own
with England in the struggle for business
which is sure to come in the not distant
future We have one great disadvantage.
Cheap labor will outrun we'll paid labor
in the race for the market. England is in
the saddle, has the pole and is headed for
what we call the foreign markets. If we
would save our own for ourselves there is
but one way to do it. CT late we have
been hearing much about "the freedom
of the SEAS" as if this was of great i'm
portance to the United States. There
will never be freedom of the seas either in
trade or in accorded international rights.
1t is folly to discuss that. 1t is but the
dream of an optimist who has not opened
his eyes to conditions which are obvious.
England has been mistress of the seas
for many years, and mistress of the seas
she will continue to be, in peace as well
as in war