The Daily News. SATURDAY, MARCH 20, 1913. PREPARING FOR ARMAGEDDON.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 263, 29 March 1913, Page 4

The Daily News. SATURDAY, MARCH 20, 1913. PREPARING FOR ARMAGEDDON.

Mr. Winston Cliuvcliill's speech in presenting his naval statement ,to the British Parliament is a remarkable one in many ways, but most noticeably so in its references to the rivalry between I Great Britain and Germany. The '■wasteful, purposeless, futile fotly" of the race for naval supremacy was dwelt upon, and an apparently sincere appeal was made for German and British cooperation in observing a "naval holiday," in the shape of a cessation of warship construction for one year. It is quite true, as Mr. Churchill remarked, that a concerted effort to arrest the expenditure on armaments should be "the first of international objects"; but the sad fact remains that the nation.: are not willing to trust each other in the matter. Even Britain,, which has more interest than any other nation in preserving the peace of the. world, is not prepared, to rebate on jot of her pretensions to "rule the waves." Almost in the same breath that he made his impassioned" appeal for a cessation of naval rivalry, Mr. Churchill told of unexampled activity in British warship construction, and indicated that this might have to be increased, in which ease Supplementary Estmates would be. submitted later in the year. He plainly intimated that Britain would not allow, herself to be deflected from political power by naval pi ensure;'and, if any Power attained the position of being able to apply that pressure, there would inevitably be war. It is the old story of presenting the olive branch with one hand, and a threatening ultimatum with the other. It is not to be expected that Germany will, in the circumstances, show any eagerness to accept the peaceful overtures. We need not ascribe Mr. Churchill's Janus-like attitude to "British hypocrisy," for it is more or less the attitude of all the Great Powers. Mr. W. J. Bryan, the Secretary of State in Dr. Woodrow Wilson's Cabinet, has just been stating that the United States should give the world a "shilling example" in the matter of disarmament; yet there was never greater naval and military activity in America than there is at the present moment. France, which for many years showed the most sincere desire for disarmament, bus within the past few weeks been subject to a wave of bellicose patriotism, and is voting large sums of money for increasing the. strength of the army and adding to the fortifications. Germany and other nations profess a desire for peace, but they steadily add to their armies and navies. Russia is perhaps less of a hypocrite than any, despite her reputation for crooked diplomacy. So it comes about that, while peace has been prayed for by all the nations, and while disarmament has been talked about, the expenditure- on warlike preparation has gone on faster than ever before. Since 1883, the six Great Powers of Europe—Britain, France, Germany, Austria, Russia and Italy—have increased their expenditure on armaments by the enormous sum of £179,100,000. and the limit has not yet been reached of what Mr. ' Churchill call's "pitiful folly." But, is it folly? The ancient Roman adage, "If you wish for peace, prepare for war," has so much of truth in it that we may well doubt whether the nations are not pursuing a wise course. Better, perhaps, the burden of costly preparation than the terrible scourge of actual war. It is at least arguable that the growing cost of campaigns and their increasing deadliness have done much to prevent an actual outbreak of hostilities between the civilised Powers of Europe. And there may be much more behind everything—much in the way of a secret purpose that is working, unknown even to the principal actors in the great drama of warlike preparation. What if the Powers, ostensibly arming against eaeli other, should prove to be in reality getting ready to encounter an enemy at present not dreamed of? It would lie inconceivably sad to think of Britons, Germans and French engaging in war with each other by land and sea; but it is consoling to imagine that they may be unconsciously preparing for a great conflict in which they shall be found acting in concert on the side of civilisation against semi-barbarism. That such a tremendous conflict is pending is the conviction of many thought Fill men. Nowadays we often bear public men speak of "Armageddon,"' not with the scornful sneer that wa.s formerly the fashion, but with a tone of conviction that it is near at hand. That great predicted conflict will, according to some interpreters, be between European Powers and "the Kings of the East." In the view of others, it will be largely a si niggle between Great Britain and Russia, the latter (referred to in prophecy as "(he King of the North") being aided liy a confederation of other Powers. Observers of the trend oi events i-unnot fail to perceive how Western Europe might soon find itself face to face with a great crisis, in which it would be forced to unite for mutual protection. Russian ambitions in Persia and Asia Minor might provide one cause of quarrel; the removal of the scat of Turkish power to Asia might easily supply another. Then we have an awakened China and an aggressive Japan to reckon with. The native unrest in Egypt, and a possible pan-Islamic rising, in which the Cross and the Crescent will try final conclusions, are other factors that may cause great trouble. In view of the tremendous possibilities that lie ahead, there may not after all bo so much of folly or madness in the European race for armaments.