Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-12-08
WHY 'FREEDOM OF THE SEAS
IS VITAL WORLD ISSUE TODAY
Proposed That England Shall Be Relieved
of Her Self-Imposed Task and the
Three-Mile Limit Extended.
BY EDGAR STANTON MAcLAY.

States Navy" "a History of Ameri-
can Privateers," "Reminiscences of
the Old Navy" etc.
~ NE of the most important. if rot
the most important, duties con-
fronting the American delegates
to the peace conference that
is to determine the final terms of /.
treaty with Germany will be that OF
properly Interpreting that i!lrsive
phrase. Freedom OF the seas Ii is
4 point that vitality. concerns the fa-
ture development Of these tnited
States, and the American people cam
not be too anxiously employed in
seeing that it is properly determined
at this most critical period of our
national career.
II we will consider the subject in
the light OF the following broadly
stated facts, we will realize how mis-
leading the expression freedom of
the seaa} Is, and low fraugit it IS
With danger to the proper develop
ment OF the United States in the
future:
Not Ere Tor centuries.
1. In the last two hundred years
there has been no such thing as free
dom of the seas" any more than there
has been freedom of the land.
3 Such has been the astonishing de-
velopment of international and inter-
continental means of communication
in the last few decades that time has
been obliterated and distance ami
hilated so that the uttermost corners
of the globe have been brought into
the closest touch and the world has
grown into a compact community.
No longer can the seas" be regarded
as the common property of all nations
any more than vast tracts of Land be
without definite ownership and under
specific civil and military control.
3. A logical adjustment of such
civil and military control of the
century-old "three-mile limit from
coast lines" to halfway across any
body of water separating any two ma
tions-whether that body of water
be river, lake. gulf. sea or ocean.
In reference to tn" first point it
may he stated that in the last .oe
bred years the British navy has been
years the British navy has been
the big policeman that has been the
main agency in preserving order and
suppressing disorder on the seas of
the world. True. it was a self-ap-
pointed function. but, nevertheless.
the duties have been carried out with
satisfac Glory to the world in general
and to England in particular. Now is
the propitious moment for the United
States and other maritime nations to
divide the water area of the globe in
proportionate sections so that each
hn ~,
ship of some specific civil and. mill
tary control-just as every tract of
land, in a general way. On the globes
surface is under the domination Of
some acknowledged power.
Prolific Source of Wars.
1t was England's arbitrary inter-
probation of freedom of the seas"
that formed a. large factor in bring
ing about the American revolution,
1775-17S3. Navigation acts were
passed by parliament with view to
curtailing the freedom of colonial
trade. American vessels We're for
hidden to trade, not only with the
enemies of the motherland. but with
neutral powers, and even with near
and manner craft. American iner-
chants were obliged to ship their
cargoes direct to England and accept
British prices for their merchandise.
while the English merchant forward
ed the goods to the continent and
sold them at inflated advances. Vir-
tually, England aimed at a complete
monopoly of her American colonial
products under her Interpretation of
freedom of the seas AS a COM
pensa ton for this she gave the col
onists the protection of her great
L. -F~ IL Ill *,
was q consideration of weight.
Our quasi-war with France, 113S-
1850, was brought about solely by a
dispute of freedom of the seas"
French cruisers and privateers at
tackled and captured American nler-
chantmen wherever found. and when
Napoleon undertook his invasion of
Egypt he seized many American craft,
Communicating both craft and cargo.
Our.wars with the states of Barbary
were brought about solely by this
question of freedom of the seas
the corsairs of Tunis, Algiers and
Tripoli capturing American vessels
and throwing hunrreds of American
men, women and children into Mus
sulman bondage.
Daniel Webster's Prophecy.
Our second war against Great Britain
was the outcome of long-standins
dispute over freedom of the seas"
The American slogan then was free
trade and sailors rights, the free
trade" Of course, at that time mean
ing the right of our sailors to trade
with other nations-nOt free trade"
as it is understood today.
It was during the heated debates in
Congress over this question that Dam
s~1 M l .tasl Nss2 or
istic words, which are now seen to be
prophetic. They are words which
our delegates at the coming peace
conference would do we'll to keep in
mind: eff war you must have. go to
the ocean. If you are seriously con-
tending for maritime rights, go to the
theater where alone those rights can
be defended. Thither every indica-
ton of your fortunes points you: There
the united wishes and exertions Of
the nation will go with you. Even
our party divisions. acrimonious as
they are, cease at the waters cage.
They are lost in the attachment to
the national character on that eie-
ment, where that character is made
respectable In protecting naval In
terests by naval means you will arm
yourself with the whole power OF ma
tional sentiment, and may command
the whole abundance of national re-
sources. In time you may enable
yourself to redress injuries in the
place where they may be onered, and,
if nee6 be, to accompany your own
flag throughout the world with the
protection Of your own cannon"
In view of the fact that four Of our
six wars against foreign powers were
brought on by dispute over the in
terprettaion Of freedom of the seas
Ito say nothing Of the severa! wars
t1.ax 1rara parror1v averted in the
same line of controversy, like the
SUPERINTENDENT fishery dianute with