Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-10-02
MACDONALD'S NAVAL VIEWS
Premier Holds Development of Air Forces and Submarine
Have Revolutionized Opportunities of Winning
War by Starving Enemy.
BY J. RAMSAY MACDONALD

BY J. RAMSAY MACDONALD.
written exclusively for The star and , the
before Mr.. Macdonald was reelected
prime minister.
It is surprising that we have ad-
vanced so little in settling the most
prolific causes Of international disputes,
and yet the reason Is not far to seek
The nations have never acquired any
confidence that peace can be kept be-
tween them, and so, while they have
been willing to agree to arbitration in
disputes of q superficial kind, they have
always reserved for the sword and the
soldier the real causes of war-matterS
which they class as things affecting ma
tional honor, national safety and such
like.
Therefore the policy of every nation
has been to prepare its military forces
to meet "the next war" and to hold
within its own control freedom to hit
enemies at their most vulnerable points
by means best calculated to force a
Successful issue. That Is why Great
Britain, an island and naval power, has
declined to allow its control Of the seas
in time of war to be weakened.
Right of Blockade Essential.
The right of blockade, of search Of
neutral ships, of diversion of sea traf-
| flc has been regarded as essential to our
self-defense. And who will say that
that was wrong SO long as there was a
! danger of war in which we should be
| involved. and also so long as we were
in 2 position to enforce the right upon
other states?
In trying to retain that right it must
| be confessed that we were rather in
genuous when we protested that the
navy-the instrument by which we en-
forced that r1ght-waS being maintained
by us solely to keep the seas open. His
! tory presented the story to other ma
tions at an angle different from that
| from which we saw it.
In time of peace 1t used to be that
every naval power reserved great ocean
areas for its own trade as some nations
| now reserve their own territorial waters.
but economic enlightenment has made
that thing of the past. In times Of
war there is up to now no question Of
| the open seas. The doctrines of con-
traband and of blockade have been va
ried from time to time, but whenever
war has broken out, whether 1t was a
| civil war, as in the United States, or the
last war. freedom of the seas has been
interpreted to suit the convenience and
necessities of belligerents.
The whole question is again UP for
consideration under completely new
| conditions. Readers of COL Houses
Intimate Papers" know how frequently
cur action in interfering with United
States rights to use the sea as a trad
ing highway brought us into dangerous
conflict with American interests, and on
occasion, but for the influence OF
friends, the United States might have
fought us as soon as it fought Germany
Object to English Rule"
Indeed, the United States has always
been antagoniStic to 1.-The English rule
of search and blockade, and it was
quite apparent that when the war end
ed America would challenge the inter-
| ference of trade on the seas by naval
belligerents.
At one of the sittings of the peace
conference at Paris, Col. House, on be-
half Of President Wilson, intimated that
unless we modified our claims the
United States would build a navy
against u.s.. That has now happened.
| 1t is perfectly obvious that when a
nation ceases to be able to enforce its
wilF on the open seas 1t is bad policy
for it to try to do so, and for us now
to build ships against the United States
is hopeless task, and dangerous one
to boot. Nor will our people tolerate
the attempt.
We simply decline to treat the United
States as a potential enemy. To come
to an agreement with America on the
freedom Of the seas is the only basis Of
"a completely satisfactory friendship
with that country.
In the event Of another war in which
we should be engaged a surrender Of
the rights which we claimed and en-
forced during the last war would I'M
doubtedly weaken our striking power
other side Of the account now than
heretofore.
Airplane and Submarine Enter.
| The development of commercial all
services and, above all. use of the sub
marine have changed the world for the
| great naval powers and have revolu-
tionized their opportunities of winning
a war by starving their enemy. When
nations, including every man, woman
and child, now fight, and not only sol
diers, everything is contraband and
nothing is private property.
! This enormously increases the task
of those who would close the sea high.
ways, lays them open to new attacks
upon themselves, and n1ultiplies very
seriously their risks Of creating new
1
Moreover, the fact that contrabaEt
can no more be separated from gen.
eral trade and that blockade canno'
stop short Of the starvation of old anc
young soldier and civilian, must weaker
the effectiveness of the naval power
because the horrors attending on it.
use must more and more outrage oul
moral sense and create revulsion ir
the hearts Of peoples against those re-
sponsible for It.
The weapon has become too horrible
and for that, II for no other reason
civilized nations must abandon 1t.
It is quite impossible to limit the op'
erations of blockade and contrabans
now, and that means that we canno
repeat any Of the old compromises
There must be either complete freedom
Of the seas or competitive naval arma
ments and growing misunderstanding
between certain nations. The power Il
interrupt the freedom Of the seas ha
broken in our hands for both militar!
and moral reasons.
What can be done in such dilemma
Fortunately the events which hav
brought the dilemma have also brough