The Greeneville daily sun. (Greeneville, Tenn.) 1918-1920, 1918-09-10
THE SEA AS AN ALLY.

The battles that have shaken Europe seem to be the
most important and decisive factors Of this war; but
the fact is that the is profoundly affected if not
controlled by the factor of sea power Germanys lack
of movement crippled her from the moment the Brit
sh fleet took command of the SEAS while France al
though outnumbered and terribly weighed down. was
able to stand firm, thanks to aid from the sea- The
first act Of the Germans after they had secured the
'peace' of BrestLitovsk was to shut off Russia from
the Baltic and Black SEAS
Germany has strained every nerve to counterfeit the
advantage possessed by her enemies in their free use Of
the At time appeared probable that by foul
means Germany might sink sufficient shipping to cause
famine in France and England; but redoubed vigilance
in chasing the submarines and redoubled energy in build
ing ships have made it impossible for Germany to
wres the advantage of transport from her enemies
The transfer of an American army to Europe was
looked upon with grave msgvngs in the spring Of 1917
1t was expected that the losses would be severe if not
disheartenng 1t that the possession of sea
power enables the allies to transport armies of millions
at WILL with practically loss; to carry across the Az
antc millions Of tons of food and munitions to send
to America thousands of officers to assist in training the
American army and generally to utilize the sea high
ways for war and commerce with entire freedom and
facility.
To Great Britain belongs the lions share of the credit
for bringing the to the service Of the allies and
closing them to the service of Germany The British
navy in many respects has been the one solid rock of
refuge in times of storm 1t has been on guard always
night and day, patroling the SEAS conveying troops
protecting merchant ships destroying submarines and
ready and eager at nstans notice to grapple with
and destroy the enemys fleet After one taste of Brit
sh battle, off Jutand the Germans battle fleet has
never dared to leave its harbors 1t has cut sorry
figure of caution not to say cowardce which has been
in strange contrast to the swashbuckng Of the German
army when engaged in destroying smaller forces The
Prussian naval bully has not been staggering to
make the mistake of tackng some one Of his own size
He will be meditatve than ever now since he has
seen the Prussan army bully make the mistake Of tack
ling forces of his size and meeting disaster whose
extent is not yet known.
At the beginning fthe war the British navy repre-
8,OOO,OOO according to Premier Lloyd George Doubt
less Germany with great energy has built warshps but
the British fleet remains ncomparabIy the strongest
armada created. Until it is beaten, Germany is
locked in and cannot win the war, matter how much
fighting there may be on land In the dark days when
Paris threatened, the allied leaders took counsel
and agreed that the could not be lost while they held
control of the With Paris gone they would have
fought on, and later Germany would have been
by the stranguaton that applied from the
sea.
Americans should not fail to study and digest the les
son conveyed yths war in the matter of sea power
This nation swept by two oceans must always be
cerned with the 1t could not have delivered its
army in France without the powerful aid of the British
navy 1t would have been open to invasion by Germany
but for the British navy Instead of having rapidly In
creasng army French soil, moving toward Berlin the
would have nits own soil rapidly increasing
German army, taking possession Of the richest cities
Germany knows better than any one else the power
of the British fleet The hatred of England is based
upon baled hopes of spoils Englands navy has made
Germanys army ineffective weapon in conquerng the
world although it is terrible weapon and has been
irresistible on land Only when the seas were brought
to the side of the allies was Germanys threat made
vain.
The stars of liberty fight in their against Ger
many The waves of the sea make highway for the
innumerabe conquerors who move on Germany.-Wash
ington Post.
i YANKS 1T is.
Nicknames are NOT manufactured When thew are