The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1919-03-10
British Craftsmanship

Great Britain went to the peace conference
willing to do her share to stop future wars and
ready to conserve her national interests. The
contrast between her methods and ours is set
forth by the Chicago Tribune thus:
The peace conference agreements on sea law
will leave Great Britain more completely the mas
ter of the sea than she has been since the destruc
tion of the French naval power by Nelson. The
German navy is gone. The German voice is silent
in the councils which are remakng sea law. The
submarine, which threatened British commerce
and British naval control, is to be outlawed.
Naval warfare is to be confined to the surface.
where British preponderance is conceded and
even preserved under the new covenant of inter-
national alliances.
1t is one of the greatest triumphs of British
craftsmanship and Americans will not grudge
it. Fortunately for us and for the peace of the
world, Great Britain and America, the two giants
surviving the world conflict, have been able to
get along with reasonable amity and their essen
tal interests are, in the main, parallel rather than
conflicting We can follow, therefore, the adroit
and farseeing statecraft of our British allies
without fear or hostility. At bottom we feel that
British sea rule is not incompatible with our in
terest-in fact, has certain substantial advant-
ages for us in that we have enjoyed its benefits
without paying for them. We also feel that Brit
ish strength, when allied to or supported by our
own is a better guaranty of world peace than any
league of nations.
Nevertheless, certain measure of envy must
enter our observation of the resourceful and mas
terful handling of British interests at Paris. 1t
offers not very pleasant contrast to the course
our representatives are following. The British,
without permitting themselves to be put in the
position of sef-seeking and while working, we do
not doubt, quite sincerely for peace which is
founded on Justice and toward better inter-
national cooperation, nevertheless making the
security of the British empire their first consid-
Grafton and leaving nothing on that score to in
ference. At the very threshold of the peace con-
ference the freedom of the seas was taken over
by Great Britain on perfectly defensible British
grounds. Not inch would British representa-
tives go until that was agreed. AS the negotia-
tions proceed we find that the Paris covenant is
British and we find step by step, that British
vital interests are being protected and British
greatness conserved.
We do not criticize the British representatives
for this. On the contrary we applaud them for
their patriotism and their gifts of craftsmanship.
If we felt it was hostile to America we should at
tack it. AS it is, we only wish our own repre-
sentatives were as wise and firm trustees Of
Americas welfare. If they should not
have our essential concerns left open to inference
or debate They would see to it that our legiti-
mate interests as definitely safeguarded as those
of Great Britain
The British, we believe, are as idealistic as
Americans, but they are keeping before them in
this epoch making negotiation the homey maxim
that charity begins at home.