New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1919-01-26


PARIS, Jan. 25.-The following
statement, which may be taken sub
stantially as the British official view
on the subject OF the freedom of the
seas, was prepared By Sir Joseph Cook.
formerly Prime Minister and now Min
ister Of the Navy for Australia, who is
one OF the British delegates to the
peace conferences:
Long experience, dating from the
time Of the Armada and renewed in
the present war. has taught Great
Britain that her very existence as an
empire depends upon unimpaired sea
power. 1t is therefore natural that she
should be anXiously interested in the
second of President Wilson's fourteen
points, upon which the Allies have re-
served complete liberty of action.
Oceans Are Highways
Ours is a maritime empire, and the
oceans are our highways. BY them we
move, live and and have our being as
the British commonwealth of nations
THE trouble is that no one knows
precisely what freedom of the seas
means. 1t is one of those phrases that
depend upon the speaker and the point
OF view. Count Won Reventlow said
freedom Of the seas meant for Ger
many German domination Of the seas
and the surrender by Great Britain of
such points as Gibraltar, Malta and
Adcn
"A recent American speaker has said
that from the American point of view
freedom of the seas means that the law
Of the seas should be such that the
United States can compete successfully
with the mercantile marine Of other
nations.
British View Given
"Our own people point out that the
British navy had made and kept the
seas free in times Of peace by chal-
longing and defeating the claims Of
Portugal and Spain, and later of the
Low Countries. to a mopopoly of navi-
cation in certain oceans. and by sub
sequently sweeping piracy from the
seas of the world.
"ln this war the power of the Brit
ish navy once more saved our common
civilization and protected our stand
are the hard compelling, challenging
facts which must be met and overcome
before q demand for change can be
made good.
"The second clause in the fourteen
points is in the following terms:
"'Absolute freedom of navigation
upon the seas outside of territorial
waters alike in peace and war, eX-
cept as the sea may be closed in
whole or in part by international
action for the enforcement Of inter
national coVenants.'
zone thing at least must be clear.
Absolute freedom cannot be intended
to mean absence Of all control upon
the high seas.
Nelson Against Piracy
at is not to be thought that Prcsi-
dent Wilson purposes to license piracy
suppose that Mr.. Wilson intends to
be realized that strict reading of
his words would make it wrongful for
one ship to interfere with another
alike in peace and war in any part
Of the high seas which had not been
closed by international action.
"Therc is. however, an exception of
generality in this provision 1t is
contained in the words except as the
seas may be closed in whole or in
part by international action for the
enforcement of international conve-
nants.' Plainly the reference is to a
league of nations, with which the four
teenth point specifically deals.
"An analysis of the language of the
second point shows that President Will
son actually proposes that naval war
fare should be prohibited altogether
unless carried on under international
license. If this be the case, it is clear
that the question raised is of the
gravest character. To accept such
limitation upon our sea power would
be practically to destroy it.
Doubts Allies Will Agree
at may be safely assumed that the
Allies as whole Will never agree to
any such proposal as this. Moreover,
whatever may be the technical content
Of Mr.. Wilson's point the practical
and, it would seem, the prevailing view
of the American people is expressed by
the following statement of William
Howard Taft, at the Empire Club
in Toronto the other day:
Great Britain's supremacy Of the
seas he said. lin time of peace always
meant equality for all nations and in
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