BRITAIN AND AMERICA.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 19103, 22 August 1925, Page 1 (Supplement)

BRITAIN AND AMERICA.

MUSINGS IN FLEET WEEK.

by archdeacon macjturrat.

Tho sight of eight mighty battleships of tho American Navy lying in the waters of the Waitemata has sot me thinking. Here is a wonderful manifestation of physical force, and my mind went back to tho days of tho Great War, when a pacifist reproached me, a churchman, for approving of tho use of physical force against Germany. I asked him if a man came to his home, knocked him down and proceeded to assault his wife or daughter, would he not resist. He said, " No." " Well," I said, " you would bo glad to seo a policeman turn up'," and he admitted ho would. " Yes," I said, " you would be glad to havo tho policeman risk his skin, using physical force, to save a coward like yourself."

There is nothing but good in physical force, provided it is controlled effectively by moral force. No citizen of Auckland has had an anxious moment becauso an overwhelmingly-strong American bajtloship fleet has appeared in our harbour. Why ? Because, first of all, that fleet is under moral control. Secondly, because of the fundamental friendship that ought to exist between America and Britain.

cAiau ueiwcou uuu ajuiu/M. Before the Stars and Stripes. Then my musings led me back to think of tho origin of the United States, beforo the Revolution separated tho Englishmen in America from the Englishmen in England. My mind went back to the days of Queen Elizabeth when Spain and Portugal, authorised by the Pope, claimed sole sovereignty over the New World, and sought to exclude Englishmen from colonising or trading in its waters. Had this claim been allowed to stand, what is now the United States of America would to-day have been another Mexico. In the sixteenth century England's sailors challenged Spain's right to exclude them from the New World, and the destruction of the Spanish Armada in 1588 made English colonisation of America possible. One of tho early consequences of Spain's defeat was the establishment of an English colony at Jamestown, in Virginia, to bo followed early in the 17th century by the Pilgrim Fathers, who settled in New England. Tho English-speaking republic of to-day could never havo existed but for the victory of English sailors in 1588, which opened tho door to English colonisation.

The French next established a colony in Canada of their own nationality, and very ablo plans were formed to secure a French domination of tho North American continent. Had those plans not been checked, tho young English colonies would have been cut off from penetrating inland, and their prospects ol existence would have been gravely imperilled. Happily there was a great statesman, William Pitt tho older, in power in England at tho crucial period, and the British navy, having the command of the sea, it was possible to capture Quebeo in 1760, and so atriko a fatal blow to French dreams of conquest in North America. That was a second great service rendered by tho sailors of the British Navy in making possible UlO great Englishspeaking republic of to-day. The threat of French conquest being removed, independence was rendered practicable.

British and American Katies. After tho Revolution, President Munroe formulated a doctrine by which he threw a shield over tho infant republics in Mexico and South America, which had revolted from Spain. There was a grave danger that tha Holy Alliance of Russia, Prussia and Austria would intervene in the interests of autocratic government, and Canning, the English statesman, suggested to President Munroe tho necessity of checking this scheme. The naval power of America in those days was not groat and the belief that England's navy would support America was the effective safeguard of the Munroe Doctrine in its critical days. England's command of the soa fiecured peace iu the western hemisphere in the first half of the 19th century. When America was at war with Bpain in recent times Admiral Dewev, of the American Navy seized Manila, the capital of tho Philippines, to the great chagrin of tho German Kaiser and his navy. Thore was a grave risk of a collision, and the British naval commander on the China Station mado it clear that if the Germans attacked Admiral Dowey he would support tho latter.

In tho late Great War England had to bear tho chief burden of the war upon ovory Eoa, as well as maintain a huge army, which had to fight in Franco and in Flanders, and also maintain a terrible struggle in Gallipoli, Egypt, Palestine, South Africa, East Africa and elsewhere.

When times were most critical through Germany's unscrupulous warfare against shipping, America came to the help of tho Allies, and Admiral Sims and his ships and men throw themselves into the struggle with all the energy which marks tho American of to-day. Tho Bplendid co-operation of Admiral Sims in the Quoenstown command, and the loyal help given by Admiral Rodman with his battleships in the North Sea, were important factors in winning the war, but were' also important in bringing about a bettor understanding between tho British and Ame-rican peoples. * It is significant that the joint action of tho two navies brought complete unity of thought upon tho one naval question which might have caused friction between tho two peoples—the claim of neutrals to obo tho sea to the hurt of a belligerent. Tho Washington Treaty.

Tho British Government in the opening dayß of the Great War made a terrible blunder by issuing an Ordor in Council enforcing tho Declaration of London—an Order which was declared illegal by tho highest judicial court eighteen months later, when the grave mischief was already done of enabling Germany to acquire unlimited quantities of the munitions of war through Holland, Denmark, Sweden, and Norway. And then my musings turned to the future—and one wondered whether the statesmen of America and England have not mado a blunder, which may causo grave troublo to one or both of the3o countries in tho days to como, through the Washington Treaty of President Harding's days. The motive was excellent to reduce armaments, and so far as the agreement went to limit tho number and sizo of battleships, nothing could be found fault with. But there was a further agreement, littlo noticod by the people of either country, not to add to the present fortifications either in the Philippines. or in Hongkong. In other words, the physical defenco of those possessions was abandoned, and trust was placed ontirely on tho goodwill of Japan. The Japanese have proved themselves loyal and faithful allies; we do not doubt their friendship to us still, but tho futuro must decide whether it wa3 wise to tie tho hands of the policemen of tho seas, the navies of Britain and America, by denying them a secure baso in their own possessions for the defonco of those possessions. The bittor cost paid for tying the navy's hands in the beginning of the Great War may bo found to be repeated in the days to come—unless, which may God grant, that a spirit of friendship and brotherhood takes tho place in men's hearts, that is now too often filled with international envy and jealousy. A cordial friendship between Britain. America and Japan should be tho aim of evory right-minded citizen of all throe countries, and failure to foster that friendship is a sin against humanity. In furtherance of that friendship we rejoice to havo the visit of our American cousins, and we are glad to say the more we know them (ho better wo like them.