The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1919-03-21
FRANCE INSISTS


I
invasion destroyed our principal in
dustriai centers. ravaged our nelas
and ruined cur towns. and villages
and. before rstreating. the enemy car"
{ ricd of our machinery
BURDENS WEIGH HEAVILY.
! Naturally, our financial situation Is
| involved and our burdens VIII wetgh
| heavily upon several coming genera
| tions. II is possible TO earn money
and rebuild houses and Factories rut
~he NNNrtve US 1eek or en- ttdrs2 Z
ali as sA4,ys f-ssthe~ aower Of youth. IN
the most productive period. We have
priority claims TO whatever can to
any extent replace their productivity
and the economic force they rspre-
scented. The number of our dead ex-
ceeds those of the British empire and
italy combined.
France should, for her own sake
and for the sake OF the worlds eauil-
ibrium, recover at least the same rel
ative position she occupied before tho
war.
AS for the navy. here is our situa-
ton: We entered the war on the first
day and remained in IT I'm the last. We
protected the Mediterranean. prevent
ing the Austrian feet from coming
out, while the British feet was held in
the North sea. keeping the German
neet bottled up. Thereby, we made
possible. in the early months OF the
war. the transportation Of troops from
Africa and Asia, who helped stem the
German armys advance.
We attacked the Dardanelles with
the British. losing several important
ships We saved the Serbian army
from destruction and then transported
and supplied the army of the. Orient
which broke the Bulgaro- Austaro-Ger-
man front, helping to turn the scale
in our favor.
We lost a great number of war
Ehipz through mines and submarines
We are unable TO replace our losses.
Our warships reached Archapgel in
she extreme north and vladivostok In
the extreme east supporting the bases
81 the Russian front Our feet ~ de-
Etroyers. with the British and Arneri-
can units. protected the maritime
routes by which wheat. iron. steel and
coal were transported and by which
ne splendid American iegions reached
France.
throughout this four years
activity our ship yards and arsenals
were limited to indispensable repairs
required by naval equipment. We not
only have launched no new boats dur
ing the war. but also stopped con
struction on boats already started
I'VE desisted from plotting five
drcadnaughts of the Narnandi class,
though four were already sufficiently
advanced to enter service during tn :
war IL construction had been con-
tinued. We had to discontinue 1t be
cause our whole activity had TO be
devoted TO the construction OF heavy
artillery--the seventy-fivcs, especially
wagons. trucks, many millions OF
shells, gun carriages, iron bridges.
etc, thus replacing not only what the
enemy destroyed OF our own material,
but for the Russians, Rumanians. Ser
bans, Greeks. Americans and British.
France Sacrificed Herself.
In other words, instead of replac-
ing the losses in the navy. as our al
lies did. our warship building ma
chinery was transformed into II. nur
sing mother for the entente armies.
France sacrificed herself for the COM
mon interests. She does not regret it.
She would do the same tomorrow. But,
when hostilities ceased. we were con
sequenuy in O. particularly difficult
position
This correspondent was permitted
In 1917. TO visit the great F'ranch
naval base of Toul, and saw the
mounds of shells for the battles ir
Flanders. champagne and on the
Somme. shells made by machinery
originally intended for naval pro-
jectles. plunged into the depths of
the Mediterranean In French sub
marine. assembled ina French airplane
i saw the tremendous transports and
hospital ships for the Macedonia
army, which broke the Teutonic
charm by beating Bulgaria to her
knees. Remembering these sights, !
could not but admit the force of the
French marine minister's reasoning.
What about disarmament" I
asked.