THREE GREAT WORLD POWERS

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2700, 21 February 1916, Page 6

THREE GREAT WORLD POWERS

•MR. H. G. WELLS ON THE FUTURE Mr. H. G. Wells reassumes the pro# pliet's mantle in the January number of "Cassell's Magazine." In the first of a series of articles which will try, to answer, the question, "What is coming?" lie suggests that the outcome of tho war will probably be the creation of three "Great States," which may form the nucleus of a World State bringing universal peace. Whatever appearance of separate • sovereignties are kept up after the war, the practical outcome of the struggle is quite likely to be this; that there will be only three great world Powers left—the anti-Ger-man Allies, the Allied Central Europeans, the Pan-Americans. - - . And these now Powers will be in certain respects unlike any existing European "States." Nona of the three Powers will be small or homogeneous enough to serve dynastic ambitions, .embody a national or racial Kultur, or fall into the grip of any group of financial enterprises. They will be more comprehensive, less romantic, and more businesslike altogether. No Personal Ambitions. Between these "Great States" the ttar throat will, in Mr. Wells's opinion, lie so plain and definite, t'he issjies so lifted out of the spheres of merely personal ambition and national feeling, that the standing conference of the threo may ultimately produce the World State. He holds that the real operating cause which is going on to bring about tins state of things is just that "inconclusive peace" which so many people dread. "Germany, I believe, is going fo be beaten," lie says, "but not completely crushed, by this war; she is going to lw left militarist and united with Austria and Hungary, and unchanged in her essential nature; and out of that state of affairs comes, I believe, the hope tor an ultimate confederation of' the nations of the earth. Because, in the faco of a league of the Central European Powers attempting recuperation, cherishing revenge, dreaming of a renewal of the struggle; it becomes impossible for the British, the French, the Belgians, Russians,' Italians, or Japaiiese to think anj longer of settling their differences by war among themselves. To do so will mean the creation of opportunity for the complete reinstatement of German militarism. It will open the '-door for a conclusive German hegemony.

Inter-Stats Congress. "Now, however clumsy and confused the diplomacy of these present Allies may be (challenged constantly, as it is, by democracy and hampered by a free, venal, and irresponsible Press in at least three of tlieir countries), the necessity they will be under will be so urgent and so ovident that it is impossible to imagine that they will not set np some permanent organ for the direction and co-ordination ,of their joint international relationships. It may be a qiieerly constituted body at first; it may be of a merely diplomatics pretension; it may be called a congress, or any old name of that sort, tut essentially its business will be to tonduct a joint',' fiscal, military, and naval policy, to keep the peace in the Balkans and Asia; to establish a relationship with China, and organise joint and several arbitration arrangements with America.

"Aud it must develop something more sure and swift'than our present diplomacy. Ong,, of its chief concerns will be the right-of way through the J3osphorus and the sDardanelles, and the watching of t-ho' forces that stir up conflict in the Balkans and the .Levant, It must have unity enough for that} it must be much more than a mero leisurely,- ■unauthoritative conference of representatives." _ _ >• ■ So far as purely 'material things go, Mr. Wells —who foretold with wonderful aconraoy some of the most startling scientific achievements of to-day—pro-phesies "a general arrest in invention and enterprise" owing to the war's vast destruction of capital and. the fact that we are killing off many of our brightest young men. 1