AMERICA'S STRENGTH.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 16499, 27 March 1917, Page 6

AMERICA'S STRENGTH.

FIGHTING POSSIBILITIES. NAVY AND FINANCE.

, It'has often been said by apologists for ; American • neutrality ; that America is of greater assistance to the allies as a neutral , than she could be as a, belligerent. This ' contention ,' is admirably".; disposed 'of in an; article in the New York Outlook for February - 21, which asks tho. question: "What could America do • in'. the case of war ?!'•; and '. answers it •as follows ':—'■' Not only can wo.prohibit all shipment of goods between this country and Germany, but we can ; join with Great Britain in prohibiting the shipment of goods to neutral ports ..intended for Germany, arid from i neutral ports ' all goods obtained in Germany. We can thus make still more effectual tho not ineffectual blockade which Great Britain, has instituted. The indica--1 tions are that this blockade is the weapon which Germany .; most fears, and has the : most reason to fear. More than any other now neutral Power we could do much by reinforcing tho blockade of Germany to compel Germany to sue for a peace based on justice and-liberty. • "We can.make use of our navy. This is our first line of defence, and it is the first arm of » the Government which could be used to enforce the purposes of this law- . ful war. What the navy can do we shall 1 not pretend to say. That is something , for the experts of the Navy Department to determine. It is sufficient to say that, though our navy is not as powerful as we would wish, it is by no means powerless, It is clear that the < whole "country should support the navy in every way possible and bend every effort to strengthen it as the first step towards effective warfare. A. Military Force. "In this lawful war against lawless' war we can contribute to the fighting land forces.' 1 Many thousands of Americans have already crossed the Canadian border and enlisted with Canadian troops for campaigning in France and Belgium. This they have done despite the fact that recruiting in the United States has been impossible. If recruiting offices were open in the United States— they could be in time of war— one can even approximately estimate how, many would offer their sendees.' It is well- known that the announcement in the papers that. Mr. Roosevelt has offered to; raise a force of volunteers in case of war has brought him a host of applications from all over the country. The Rough Riders who volunteered for the Spanish .American \ war, i when the appeal to courage and chivalry I was far less than no«, and the militiamen | who volunteered to guard the Texan border, though there was little to appeal Ito the,love of adventure or. to the love of country, furnish an indication that it j would not be impossible to raise in six j months a ( not \ insignificant expeditionary j body of men to . reinforce the French and | English in the trenches. . And though the i number thus volunteering compared with i the millions already in the field, might ! not, and probably would not, be large, the moral effect of such a reinforcement, j voluntary on the part'" of the soldiers •.themselves, but backed by the power of j the "United States Government and by the I united public sentiment of the people of"•- the ! United States; ; would be 'very' great. It would at the same time - hearten the French and dishearten the Germans. And jthe raising of that force in this country [■would not only have an ■ immediate moral , effect during the period of its training on I this side of the water, and 'a: continued moral,effect on its arrival in.Europe for further- training and : for participation ; in the fighting under, the American flag, but a real moral and political effect in the i part that America would.play- in the Vet-' tlemeut of : the issues at the close of the j war. . •■ . . „ r L . »„• «| ;.'"■ "In .addition' to,such an ; expeditionary I : force, necessarily .'not;large,' we - can "at oncei institute in this country; a system of universal '■,military,? training, and ?by that means announce the determination of the American democracy not ;; only .to defend its': own " territory from invasion, but % its obligation to democracy i and liberty from violation. : , ' •■';-r ; V''' : - ■;"•■:-=■'•';'/'':•'•"'•"-.- ■•' : - : ''' ! '

;'-'] ..Industrial and Financial Power. ■ '"■ "We can mobilise our industrial resources. There is no question that if we.enter, this lawful war we can redouble our- efforts in amount and efficiency .in providing' munitions for ;the allies. What England has done we can do. -England has not cnly raised an army) millions and equipped them, but at the same time - has - provided munitions in large quantities .for her allies, i-I Though the : shipment ; of; munitions abroad might be temporarily ... interrupted, the ■ efforts {or ■■ the supply .of:; munitions, which have been so far largely unco-or-dinated. would,-'under war conditions, be organised under Governmental supervision. ; In this lawful war against lawless . war we have at ' our disposal the resources ,of a continental country, and wealth derived from these we can put at the disposal of the other nations : with -which we ;should act in military concert, f '■■■ It - is ; probable that ,in this ' respect more than in any other we can make our power, felt in this war. Mr. Theodore H. Price quotes in Common arid Finance from the Cleveland Press as follows:— ;. ;. ■ ( ;"' .;;'■,' ' . • ; "With America in, would be the - .men and money of practically the ; whole world against Germany. • Wo are proud, of America, but -.. even in ' our pride; we do riot realise how won-' - derfully : . strong; this nation is—what a ; gigantic weight of, money-power and ■'. man-power : 'lAmerica would place in ". the scales against a foe. "In wealth we have nearly double : ; ; the wealth of the British Empire, five .• times the wealth of France,. six times ■ the wealth 'of Russia, : .; twelve' times' the wealth of Italy, sixteen times the , wealth of. Japan. Our-resources are \ nearly : a match for the resources of all ■ . tl* allies, ebig arid little, put ; to- . gether. Our ' resources are two and ahalf tiroes those' of ■ Germany, Austria! and Turkey ■ combined. Add -Uncle .. : Sam to the forces fighting Germany, and r the .balance, of.resources against the ;■■ unhappy "> nation would ;be about .: five to one." • ■ ' V'- "v \v \ ■ .*' ';• ■'■■.; ■■'•'. "•'.;;-; Immediate financial Aid.

" This nation has been of. great financial aid to the allies. .j It has lent, large sums of money to Great 1 Britain and France, and France and Great Britain have in turn financed the other allies, ; The best judges believe that if wo : became an active participant in this ': war we should not only not have to | withdraw our financial aid but would be-able greatly to increase it. We should, of course,. give our first consideration Co. our first line of defence— tho navy; I and we should*' have to';" give thought to the "development of our military: arm, though' for some months its effectiveness would bo chiefly moral;.but financially we could -be at once of immense benefit to the cause of liberty and law; for Congress could at once vote a very largo loan, in tho billions perhaps, putting it at the disposal of the Entente allies,;with whom wo should bo acting in concert. ; By means of financial assistance, which in concrete terms means a vast flow of goods and supplies ;of every sort, ve could thus use; our inexhaustible resources ! much ; more freely and legally and openly i than we are now doing.' ">' ; ; |