The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1919-10-28
VON TIRPITZ STORY
OF GERMAN DEFEAT
IcontlNnsa BON prsvlou. Is,n,.l

VI uLHHM I'LL LII
Continued From Previous Is.u..)
Ihs German nation had no eomnre-
senstSHh Tor the sea. In the hour ~
YS.ostiny u made no use of lie Geet
rnsa sIhains Tor me to raise a mopu-
49, 70 ~ The rapid rise OF the Ger
nnu.r 9u 70 the position Of a great
49, Il ner still more rapid decline
through the temporary pitIfuiness 81 ~
Roncy AMI lack Of national nride IL or
unparalleled tragedy p'iue' Is an
ret ws consider the tragic fate Of our
thst' Whlch Is not TO be Separated from
onjntoS ~ people, we might form the
an ~ mat any attempt of a Europe
~ seste 10 acquire an equal righf 10
sea power side by side with FpSie M
wn9uio De from the beginning doomsd 70
lahurs' believe that a detailed nm,
Eidssa history will not bear out this
spain was in possession Of the world
ma tLme When England in the strug-
~ ~ Ssainst the Spanish silver fleet. In
me days of Westward Hoi'; dsvsionsa
s tn IN agricultural folk into a pirate
,@es ana finally destroyed the great
spain was able to conouer nv her
htaIy force and for a time retain
-NH GOiDIIGH. NH she luALAA
commercial activity, that second findsl
hehtsl condition Of lasting sea mower
tioiland at m time had the hest
world trade and thereby reused tbe
n~osetousness Of England. She also
possessed q good battle fleet which once
ner ~ Kuyter, by directing lis guns
aealnst London, obtained a JUS, nsaca
but HOLLAND was a small country ard
possessed no hinterland of her own,
Germany lay torn nv tbe
Thirty Years war wbi,sfS o she
MY. committed the great he
torlGsi biunder Of attacking his ma
uural any Holland, in the rear. But
psthaps the Netherlands could have held
y longer until the time when a new
aly should arise for them In Germany
y only the mynheers Of Amsterdam had
not tnou9ht too much of gain and cIuny
100 tightly to their money bags.
IN spite OF the urgent representations
~ thelr great admiral they suffered
their fleet to go to ruin in time Of peace
Holland. WYNN Vi
French Sea Power Aided Rev,
dictionary America.
Inc internal conditions In Franc
caused her sea power to wayer in the
sahn manner, and the course outlined
py Richelieu and Colbert was thereby
interrupted repeatedly. In snite ~
mat French sea power before the out.
ntesk or the revolution was equal /,
that Of England. NNN"' "
i was principally by Its help that
washington gained the freedom Of
America. In India Guffren had heIS
tne balance OF power against England
ana tne mediterranean was in the main
french, The revolution DESTROYED the
rrench otflcers' corps and allowed the
SHIPS and personnel to decline, Wv
Later Napoleon found that even he
WIN ms energy and genius could not
conJure up a fleet at a moments nnticoe'
ana SO the numerically superior French.
spanish fleet was conquered by the
better quality OF Nelson and his hand
OF brothers. =" '"''u
The naval prestige then established
py England outlasted the nineteenth
At the turn Of the century Germary
possessed all the fundamental condj.
tons OF sea power-commerce and IN.
dustry OF world Importance whose I'll
gantic growth was almost too rand,
hliltary comprehension. talent for Or.
ganlsation, diligence, state W and
love Of country.
The time was short TO make i'm for
what had been neglected. but we vera
near our goal when a disastrous policy
caused us to be confronted by the fo,Ir
strongest naval powers OF Flurone ~
which England alone was doubly u
superior. "
Never Considered Full Victory
Over England.
From the beginning We could not
reekon on a fun victory, al oyerthrou,
OF england, but / dare express the con-
VIc.ion that our sea power was sound
ahd already strong enough to harass
england To such a degree that we could
nave Wrung from her the right to such
conditions that we could ~recuperate orr
heavy losses. "
To achieve this we should have com
prehended the nature of the war OF an
limitation which was being wared
against Germany, and In military mat
ters, as we'll as political. acted accord
lngly., and above all ruthlessly staked
~ ieet at the right time under an
u We consider the rise of Prussisn
Germany with any sense Of the actual,
from the complete INSTRUMENTATION
which followed the Thirty Years war
TO the height Of our prosperity in July,
Isl4, II appears almost a miracle that
we succeeded as we did. ~
situated In the middle of Europe. dis
advantageously as regards the ocean,
possessed OF only moderate natural
boundaries, surrounded by nations who
To-Day, as for centuries. have been living
IN wait to attack us--that is Germany's
position.
Perhaps these vital conditions, bu,
perhaps to a similar degree the char.
acteristics of our folk, are the reasons
why dermanys development to prosper.
tty and power never did proceed from
the folk itself but are to be looked upor
almost as a work Of art, erected by q
series OF state constructors whom des.
tny gave to us In the last three cen
turtles.
Can anyone believe hat the "Ewig,
reichstag.' which outlawed Frederick
the Great, or the Frankfurt parliament
or any other pleblscite would hav,
helped US forward? Prussian German,
was rather the work of single men wht
demanded and enforced fulfillment o
duty n subordination to the interest!
or the state, and who had the capa
putty OF keeping the aim in sight.
Al the turn Of this century we entere,
upon new conditions of life. Our ma
tion with flourishing industries wa
forced to take part In i%nternationa
trade on a large scale II it did not wisl
TO be dwarfed.
States are upheld by the forces whicl
created them. For Prussian German.
these forces were real power and de
Notion To tho state as a whole, not tn
visionary project Of a ~fraternizing q
the nations which the Anglo-Saxons, 1
so mastery a amer twice utilize,
successfully for the %garroting OF tn
! German folk.
Powerlessness at Sea Wi
Further ~Germany's Decline
! II is my conviction that the missio
! OF Germany for the good OF Europe an
v 1 th9 whole world ttfan fNN Nnt f.NtftllAs
We had nearly succeeded In pioneerin
Germany into the new age. An alread
considerable sea power gave us In
: nigh degree the means OF maintainin
. peace with honor, or in case OF neces
sity, OF waging war with tolerable sue
\ cess. IL was, moreover, a great neCes
= sary instrument for bringing our pec
pie In touch with the Mnrklnr and III