New-York tribune., 1918-12-11
British Hold Seas
Are Free Except
I'm Time of War
Attorney General Says Eng
land Must Concedc All
Possible to u. S., but Navy
Should Act as i'm the Past
By Frederick Moore
NcW York Tribune
E't,,nn,ur D.


Copyright. 1918. New York Tribune Inc)
LONDON, Dec. 10.-The speech OF
Sir Frederick E. Smith, British Attor-
ney General, last night was of the
greatest Importance, inasmuch as this
is the first pronouncement of this char
acter made by any member of the Brit
ish government.
His exact words were: zone Of the
gravest problems which was presented
to the interallied peace conference WAS
that which had to be based on the
meaning of the freedom of the seas and
what were the concessions which this
country, having regard for future gen
erations, was going 20 make.
"At the present moment / am prepar-
ing memorandum on the subject.
"The American nation rendered brill
liant service to the cause of civiliza-
tion. We are bound to approach the
peace conference with the determna-
tion that we must concede everything
the American view on every point at
fecting the national security and ex-
istence Of the empire.
"But in defining the meaning of the
freedom of the seas we must remember
that the seas of the world are free to
every one. 1t has been the fortune of
this nation to possess most of the
great coalng stations of the world, and
to them none was denied access in
time of peace.
"But it seems to me in time of war
one might as we'll talk of the freedom
of the land as of freedom of the seas.
If war broke out what would be the
good of Belgium, Northern France, Ru-
mania or Serbia talking about the
freedom of the land That Is the real
truth if we examine essentials and do
not allow ourselves to be misled by u
phrase.
"The moment condition of war
arises great coercive, elemental, prime
val forces assert themselves. We
leave the region of law and come to II
region of assertion by military and
naval force. We do not claim for the
naval forces of an enemy a greater i'm
punlty or greater immunity than is
conceded by universal practice to the
land forces of an enemy.
THE belligerents, when war is de-
clared, have q right to carry on war.
The neutrals have right to carry on
trade, despite the state of war exist
ing, but if and when there is a col
lision between the right of belligerents
to put constraint on the enemy and the
right Of neutrals to carry on trade,
then the subordinate right Of the neu
trails must give way to the imperious
and primary right of the belligerents.
at has been recognized for more
than three centuries that the nation
which is supreme at sea by force of
blockade is as much entitled to impose
its will upon enemies inferior at sea as
a nation stronger on land against a ma
tion weaker on land.
"All | am prepared to say now is:
Are we sure we won't have to say to
the Allies at the peace conference: we
shall be quite satisfied with such a def
will enable the British navy, in the un-
fortunate event of future wars, to do
exactly what the British navy, aided by
the American, has been doing during
the last eighteen months"
In his address to an audience
of women in London yesterday,
Premier Lloyd George said:
"The coming peace must not be one
of vengeance but of justice. A vim
dictivc peace is not just We must
have no AlsaceLorraine in our peace.
Tor II we repeat GermanyS S error OF
1870 we will meet fifty years later the
same fate that Germany did.
"Yet we must have sternness in the
settlement. Those responsible for the
war and it's atrocities must be made
to suffer
'Tn order 70 make war more difficult
hereafter, the nations must know they
must not go to war with impunity. The
rulers of Germany were tempted to war
by their immense army, with its great
equipment and clatter. The Kaiser
said: Let me end my days as a great
conqueror!' And if there is to be any
peace on earth, such great armies as
these must disappear.
81 am a believer in league of ma
tions, because through it wars will be-
come more difficult to start When the
god of war gets on the move it will