Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1918-12-25
THE FREEDOM OF THE SEAS.
New York WORLDLY

The United States went to war will
Germany over the freedom OF The
seas. That was the vital issue be
tween the two nations. Had the i'm
perial German government respected
the rule of visit and search; had 1t re
Trained from employing its submar
4 ines in ruthless attacks on merchan
ships, enemy and neutral alike; hat
It respected the rights of non combat.
ants to life and property, no legiti.
mate cause of war would have exist
ed.
From the day that the Lusitania
was sunk until the day that the Presi-
\ dent appeared before Congress to
urge declaration Of war against the
Imperial German government, our con-
trOversies with the Junker autocracy
al turned on the freedom of the seas
Now that the war has been won
now that Germany has been defeated
md Prussian militarism has been OBJ
liberated, we are told by Senator
Knox. Theodore Roosevelt and other
distinguished republicans that the
freedom Of the seas has no place in
the Peace Conference or in the peace
treaty. The one issue that we must
not deal with and the one principle
which we must not assert are the is
sue and the principle on which we
went to war. It is as If certain emf
nent statesmen at the close of the
Civil War had solemnly declared that
slavery and secession were no con-
Germ whatever of the American peo-
pie.
Not being distinguished republi-
can, the London Times is unable to
take the advanced position held by
the Knoxes and the Roosevelts. The
most influential of all British news
papers is more than willing to con-
cede that the United States is not a
British colony and that it has rights
on the seas both in peace and war
which deserve consideration and re-
spect. The legal correspondent Of
the Times goes so far as to insist that
the law of the past has been the
same in both countries. The prize
courts in England and America have
followed the same rule. This agree
Is3}t may be continued if there is rec
ogniton Of the facts as they are,
among Nhich are the unique position
Of EnKlahd Sand the scattered, frag-
mentary chaiPcter Of her empire.n
: That Is the view Of most thoughtful
Englishmen. Who desire complete
agreement with the United States on
this question and are wise enough to
forsee that il sub an agreement is
not reached, seriotE, and needless diff
ferences are bound p arise in the fu-
ture between the two countries.
The British propas against the
freedom of the seas .lch mr.. Roose-
welt and other republicans nave made
their own was instigate by British
shipping interests which Suddenly be-
came appalled, by the rapl increase
in American ship-building nd by the
prospect that the United Staes would
soon have the greatest merchant ma
rine in the world They have 'elcited
themselves that, whatever the cost OF
the war might be, Germany had Deen
destroyed as an overseas rival vnen
they began to realize that a possibly
more formidable competitor had ben
created across the Atlantic, they H.,
mediately set up he doctrine that 1
the United States persisted in main
tanning a formidable merchant marine
our ships must sail under the guns
of the British fleet and the fat of the
British navy must be the law of the
seas.
Part of the responsibility for this
acrimonious controversy rests upon
President Wilson himself, for he has