THE SECURITY OF FRONTIERS

Evening Post, Volume XCII, Issue 100, 25 October 1916, Page 4

THE SECURITY OF FRONTIERS

Sir T. H. Holdich, speaking at the British Association recently, said: —

' It must reluctantly be admitted that the best way to preserve peace among the nations is to part them by as strong and as definite a physical fence as can be found. A boundary must be a barrier, and the position of it must be influenced largely by the will of the people. The annexation of territory against the will of the people has always, been regarded as a political blunder. The assimilation of its people with the conquering nation is a slow and often an impossible process. An admixture may bo effected mechanically, but real chemical fusion never takes place. In such circumstances it is seldom that the acquired 'territory is a safe and thoroughly sound unit in the political entity. It is quite probable that we shall before long, be faced with a comparatively new phase of boundary problems, where there can. no longer be the excuse of want of sound map knowledge of the districts concerned to account for misleading and inaccurate delimitations, but where ethnical interests of the most important character will possibly present painfully complicated problems. In no ease, however, can I imagine that the 'wishes of the ».'La.jority of the people concerned will be difficult to ascertain. I insist that a boundary must be a sound and unbroken barrier as far as possible, and that it must be selected with the great object in view of hindering in overy_ possible way any proposed scheme of violation. Peace can only be based in this imperfect world on security. How are we to secure these strong barriers? Incomparably the best boundaries are mountain ranges. Failing a definite uplifted watershed, the ordinary divide between the heads oi minor affluents- of a river basin are quite auseful alternative. . I do not imagine that in the reconstruction of political frontiers at the close of tho war there will be any great departure from the old order which adopts elevations and places strong fortresses at intervals to guard frontiers. It is the strength of the line of French forts from Belfont to Verdun which determined the initial strategy of the German campaign, and it is the Rhineland fortresses, and not the Rhino itself, which will protect the western frontiers of trermany."