ARGENTINA AND NAVAL IMPERIALISM.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXVI, Issue 10104, 23 March 1909, Page 1

ARGENTINA AND NAVAL IMPERIALISM.

A recent issue of the Prensa (Buenos Ayres). the leading organ of the Argentine Republic, contains an article on tho proposed measures for increasing the strength and efficiency of the Argentine army and navy. It is very evident that a feeling of apprehension' and distrust has been aroused by the building of tho great liray'ilian battleships of the Dreadnought class, now in various stages of construction in the English dockyards. Ono of the ships, the Minus Gereas, has already been launched. The writer of the article, limes the necessity for immediate action on° the part of the Argentine Republic, for, while the prospects of that country have never been brighter, the danger of losing its influence and prestige in South America has never been greater. The intentions of Arucntine arc then explained : "We repudiate imperialism, and we are instinctively moved to prevent its arowth within our natural sphere of influence. In order to accomplish this task without clamor or violence, the Argentine Republic requires the protection and guarantees alforded by an effective and stable military and naval force. Pence and harmony in South America are necessary for the' development of our resources and to enable us to utilise the powerful imnulse given to our civilisation by immigration and by the influx of foreign capital. Hence tho possession of naval -ower is at least as essential art are railroads, hanks, educational institutions, etc. It would not be proper to attribute to Brazil any aggressive intentions: but when, without- any immediate and: apparent reasons or permanent causes which could explain such a course of action a country arms itself as Brazil is doing today, the fact must attract the- attention of its neighbors and induce them to take precautionary measures in view of tho livobable ultimate effect of such a preponderant force on the international relations of the South American countries." After briefly noting some instances of the pressure already exerted by Rrazil upon some of the neighboring Slates, the article concludes as follows j—- . "What assures the security of the Argentine assures at the same time the security of the whole South American continent;, and- renders it- possible for us to play our part effectively as the guardian of peace and harmony in South America. This, mission is assigned to us both by our geographical position and by our resources ; it is an honorable mission in every respect, and one we neither can nor should decline. In the same degree in which Brazil grows as a military power, under the inspiration of its political leaders, South American ■ opinion will become more and more distrustful of that country's policy, Brazil wjll lose the sympathies of its neighbors, for oppression is always antipathetic; he who submits is never a friend. The attitude to be observed' by the Argentine Republic is prescribed by the character of the events which have iiroduced the present diplomatic situation; by arming itself for selfpreservation it will become a- force foT the preservation of international harmony in South America,, clearing the horizon, banishing suspicions, allaying fears, and, finally, satisfying the supreme aspirations ot a half dozen neighboring and friendly States for concord, peace, and cloudless days without end,'*