New-York tribune., 1921-11-04
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(csntiHusd frsm pase sns)
ed by the collapse Of Russia, the defeat
OF Germany, the dismemberment of
ria-Hungary and the dissolution of
turkey. But the spirit Of imperialism
Is not dead. 1t has, in fact, as If by the
shatterng Of some compact seed plant
been scattered over wider area, and
Its spores are spread widely in the soil
OF several newly constituted or revived
national states, determined as occasion
offers the opportunity to extend their
frontiers at the expense Of their
weaker neighbors, all Of which in turn
desire to be as strong as possible.
Imperialism Turns to Sea
For the moment, however, imperial
ism Is transferred to the command Of
the sea. Who is to possess this COM
mand? Why should any single nation
be permitted to possess it, or even wish
to possess it? Is it not plain that no
one Of them can possess it, or even
claim 1t, without exciting opposition
and eventually union Of forces
against it? Is it conceivable that any
nation possessing the resources and
the vigor to defend it's maritime rights
will consent to have it's commerce with
friendly nations obstructed by the ar
bitrary enforcement Of wide zones of
blockade, unless it is itself interested
in the naval enterprise which has in
stituted it? Marine imperialism,
like every kind Of imperialism, points
ultimately toward war. It's pretensions
incite preparation for war, not neces-
sarily for the purposes of a counter
Imperialism, but for the legitimate de-
fense of national rights which would
unquestionably be violated if they were
not defended.
l conclude, therefore, on this point
that supremacy at sea, in the sense Of
absolute control Of the sea, by any
single nation or group Of nations is
intolerable to all self-respecting gov
ernments and peoples that intend to
maintain their rights on the great
highways of the world. Such a con-
troll intervening between a maritime
state and its oversee possessions would
be even less tolerable. SO far as the
Pacific Ocean is concerned, then, let it
be said emphatically that no state bor
dering on that great highway of COM
merce ought to tolerate naval control
Of that ocean by any power, whatever
its pretensions may be. 1t is the prop
erty Of no single nation or group of
nations. A race for supremacy in ma
val armament on that ocean means that
some one is eventually to win it and
alone to dictate the law of the Pacific.
No one may justly claim this preroga-
tive. No one should be permitted to
assert it on the ground that it had
the most and the strongest ships.
What is the alternative If i'm
perialism is impossible to tolerate,
what shall be said Of democracy? What
are its postulates and its methods?
The first basic principle Of all true
democracy is that all just government
is founded upon the inherent rights Of
all the citizens within the state and of
all responsible states, irrespective Of
their size or strength, in their rela-
tons to one another. These rights are
capable of definition, should receive
effective guarantees and these ruaran-
ties should be accorded and secured by
voluntary agreement.
America Has Had Moments
OF Quasi-Imperialism
This, in broad terms, is the general
theory of true democracy, but it is diff
ficult to realize, except between equals
in power, in honor and in good will.
Democracy may, of course, itself have
spasms of imperialism, whenever there
is an undue will to power, and there
are moments when the will to power
may seem To be righteous will, pro-
voked by sense of wrong or mission
of duty. In this manner tho United
States Of America has had moments of
a quasi-imperialism, as in the rescue
of Cuba from cruelty, degradation and
recurrcnt revolution and in the ran
som of the Philippines from misrule,
anarchy and possible transfer to
-,+L1.c. axr1o;4;p~ domination Th@