The British Navy as The Guardian of Peace.

Te Aroha News, Volume XXVII, Issue 4421, 8 June 1909, Page 3

The British Navy as The Guardian of Peace.

* We cull tlie following interesting article from a recent issue of that prominent Home journal, “ The British Weekly,” : AH Christian men, and indeed all sane men, most deeply deplore the competition in armaments which threatens, as Sir Edward Grey said, to. make civilisation bankrupt. Every Christian man is bound to do whatever lies in his | power to promote the good fellowship of nations, and to restrain the fever and madness that lead to war. Mr Hunch man did not say a word too strong when he denounced as scoundrels those who, in the yellow press and in other ways, do their best to kindle the awful flames of ba tle. But we do not hold with thoie w: o accept the t olstoyan doctrine of no resistance, and would leave this country defenceless, either bv having no Navy at all, or by having a Navy too weak to be effective. Cn the contrary/ we believe I that it can easily be proved that, the j strong British Navy has been in the last I years the great guardian of peace. Mr Hubert Bland, in a most interesting article, has pointed out that when, eleven years ago, the Continental Powers were for interfering with the United Staff s of America in her quarrel with Spain, the intervention was put a stop to by our letting it bo known in the Continental Foreign Offices that if any interference wei e attempted with the United States just then, the British fleet would be -found alongside the American fleet. This not. only limited the sphere of war, which was in itself an incalculable service, but it also brought a very much closer union bshvean America and Great Britain. It w-as the strength of our Navy that accomplished these ends. A weak Navy could have done nothing. Again, when the Fnshoda quarrel occurred between us and France, and when war was imminent. the French ministers found that the British Navy was so great and so ready for sc t that not a single French soldier could be transpoit d to Egypt. In a fortnight every Fjeneh zolony would have been in British hands, Thus a war was prevented, and the battleships were peace ships. Again, in the South African war the Continental powers were thinking of intervention. They were fiercely and bitterly hostile to us, and they would have intervened if there had been the smallest prospect of success ; but there was none, for the British Navy was there, and the British Navy was in complete command of the seas. Once more, during the war between Japan and Russia, we had an alliance with Japan which lias certainly done much for peace, though no man can say ivliat the ultimate issue may be. But .Japan would have made no alliance except with a great Navy. These and many j other facts that might he adduced show i that tho British Navy within the last j twelve years, while it has net fired a 1 single shot or launcho 1 a single torpedo with the des gn of hurting anybody, has been our one security for peace.