Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1918-12-24

! Philadelphia Publ,c yedscr.l
| The staggering suggestion comes for
the second tine from EUROPE that the
SURRENDERED German warsa'ra he sunk
instead Of bclns added to the naval
power OF tho allies THIS tine tho sus-
gcstion Is sud to emauate from the
/ Anne ricun delegates 10 the Peace Con-
( ference and To be supported By Sir
Eric Gsddes, British First Lord of tho
| Admiralty. And as 81 these three facts
1.-The wasteful sinking. the American
source Of the suggestion aud the Brit :
! isc support not amazing enough
| our breath Is completely & zen away
| by The reason so hraZerN put forward
! tor this astonishing action The rea :
son is TO avoid contention Con
I tcntion" between whom? OBVIOUSLY he :
tween the allies,
II this para.yzing report means any
'hin~ st aiI--a-d II - carried by thu As
'"'atcd Press from Paris-'t means that
,hn allied -atio~s or rathrr 'hn allied
roverrm"nts--w ch have lust finished
/ ,, war IN rh'ch th"v sent at least eight
million soldiers To death and still more
millions 20 mutilation and tho enfeeh-
1.rg co.'s -uIienCes Of WOUNDS r-d dis
egg I'D al for the hiv hes, and most
aitriI'r:'C md fnir-sounding purposes
cannot trust themselves today on the
eve VI the peace conference to divide
{ the battered remnants OF the German
navy. II is appalling. soul sickening.
Incredible, So incredible is it, indeed,
that. for our part. we paid no attention
to the first report Of this astounding
proposal. thinking that II could not
possibly possess the smallest founda-
tlon in fact.
The waste would be criminal Tn
less the systematic sabotage of the
German naval authorities Outing the
last days of war has practically wreck
cd and rendered wholly useless the
tulks they turned over to the British
navy few weeks ago. there then
fioated into the closed harbors OF Brit
ain many tens of millions OF dollars
worth of warships. Nor Is there much
danger that the alleged stripping Of
the German fleet really did destroy its
rccuperative fighting value for this
reason IS not given as an excuse for
srra Dping il ard the terms Of the ar
mistice demanded that the ships should
be in good working order. fthny were
50 badly mauled as 10 he worthless
we should surely have heard Of Il at
the tirrlc as q practical violation Of the
arm:rt;Cr-and we would much more
surely hear of IT now as n reasonable
excuse for the proposed scuttlins.
II was large ard formidable Hvh--
;.,r, F,,- oil naliaG m
follow. one another in humiliatlnR fash,
ion--"l!ke shorr hnrded by dozs 10 their
ro'd" to quote Reatty-irto the F$rth
.ng Forth. The terms of ths sr7u'stice
called for III" surrender Of six battle
cruisers ard fifty destroyers. In addi-
ton. one hundred and sixty .stingis'ss
submarines were given up The com
nander Of every one of them had to
sign a statement that his vessel was In
order Some of these battle cruisers
end tattleShlyss were at the opening OF
the war as powerful as all but few
~ the first-line fighting machines OF
the British and American navies.
So on the most conservative estimate
The value OF this captured navy must
run into big figures. The ships may
need fixing and refit.ing: bat this could
he done AT cost entirely contempsi DE
when compared with the cost OF re-
placins them Nth new ships. The
artluous and -ekiiied Dor of many
thousands OF men and raw material OF
immense value would be wentonly fos-
sed into the sea If these Intricate ana
complicated creations of German
genius and adaptation were towed out
into the ocean and torpe4oed.
The only possible excuse for such
sweeping destruction Of property would
be that more of II could ever under any
conditions be of use again. But is'that
true? VIII the world not require war
ships in the future Even the League
OF Nations must have an active. mobile
and powerful navy to enforce Its man
dates. Indeed navy will be the hand
lest and most effective weapon it can
possess In nine cases out Of ten
reca!citrant member of the league can
be brought to book by naval action
alone. without landing soldier or
ros.sibly riskins the life of single 90
Hreman" Of the league. The old con-
cert Of Europe kept the peace IN the
uuarrelsome and uncertain east largely
h., naval rreesure There we're always