Durant weekly news. (Durant, Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 190?-1944, 1921-08-19

!. .run in advance of its veto. Eng
i,Yd might say to Japan that III the
.,,ri of n fight that racial ties
vaild bind it, to- the United States.
Nll Emgland say this?
I, we can avoid a war b! dipio-
i.lc, OF by economic pres. ure would
H., we b. justified in doing SO?
Germany would have declared war
AGAINST France nj the time OF the
Aradir dispute, except for the flct
ma, England told Germany that she
would support France and the added
fact that French bankers threw a
tremendous money pressure against
Berlin by calling loans.
Now a refusal to finance a war Is
sometimes a potent preventive.
Thursd:.y The Commercial Appeal
carried the story of England pre-
pairing to spend $1.O0O,000,00 on
varships. What is England going
to do with these warships? Do these
warships give the Japanese more
confidence in their alliance with Eng
land. and does England's prospective
bigger navy make the Japanese
more cocky?
England owed the United States.
on July /, $4.166,000.000 with in
tcrcst amaunting probably to half
OF u billion more.
England reports she cannot pay
now, and our leading financiers and
business men say it would destroy
our export business If England did
pay
We are in a paradoxical position,
where it is stated that If all those
foreigners who owe us debts would
pay we will have a period of tremen-
dous business depression. The rea-
son alleged is, II the foreigners pay,
they will have no money left and nc
credit to be used in buying our sur
plus products. Funny, isn't It?
Our government might ask Eng.
land where she stands? What does
she intend to do with these battle
ships Will she be complacent, fol
Us or against us If We do have trouble
with Japan, and will she tell Japar
where she will stand? II England
refuses to answer or intimates thai
.hc might stand with Japan, then tht
United States government can i'm
mediately say. well. pay that ST.,
"on. 100000 you propose to use fol
ships. and at least. we will stop you
building programme that far"
Sir John Fisher had novel plal
OF preventing the war of 1914. HI
developed his plan in 1908. He pre-
dictci in 1908 that unless stoppe,
>nonor Germany would go to wa
with England in 1914. He said tina
Germany in that year would hav,
her naval programme complete. tn
cost Of the big German army wOul,
| be so great that Germany woult
either he forced to fight to get al
indemnity or be forced to give vi
her army and navy. because the Ger
man taxpayer could not bear tn
! burden.
Sir Johns idea was that just y
| soon as Germany thought she wa
ready to fight she would start ou
He measured Germany's ability t.
fight England by the strength of tn
German navy.
Some six years before 1914 81
John Fisher. head Of the British. sug
gested in all seriousness that tn
British navy. then Copenhagen,
the German fleet. During the Ma
poleonic wars Denmark was about (
be 70, ced into an alliance wit
France. Denmark had navy. Rea
lizing that this navy become par
| OF the French navy. Lord Nelson dc
strOyed the Danish navy in Sc
fight off Copenhagen. (Hence Go
penharen" as used by Sir John.) 81
John wanted. overnight. to attac
! and destroy the German fleet as
stood six years before 1914. Mayb
the attack would look to be barbar
ons. but 1t would have prevente
Germany ;oirg 10 war in 1914. On
sea fight Of half dozen hours
duration would have postponed TO
long time. maybe for u century, tn
war that lasted four years. FOu
or five thous'and may have bee
killed in the sea fight, hut $4,000
900 wnLld not have been killed !;
The late var.
Now the United States would no
'hink of deliberately starting out I
destroy the Japanese navy. even /
we were able to do so, but som
tiers say that as soon as III
japanese get strong enough wit
their navy they will take crac
Mt ours.
Mr.. Harding summons a disarma
ment conference. 1t Is reported tina
Mr.. Harding suggested that the Pa
tific question could be discusse
earlier. England was ready for tn
preliminary conference. Now, Wash
ington says it wants no such pre-
limilarv conference.