Activate Javascript or update your browser for the full Digital Library experience.
Previous Page
–
Next Page
OCR
7. “l’(Cop1'p, 0
:3 " E3
‘V,
. Enreiusn, A'1‘THB‘l
P. 0. NEW YORK’
:N.Y., AS SECOND
CLASS MATTER
VOLUME v 5 ceiirs A copy
NEVV YORK, JANUARY l7, l9l7
AMERICA’S RELATIONS ’1‘O THE GREATLWAR
John William Burgess’ Notable New Book‘
HAT has been the attitude of the United States in the pres-
ent war? Has it been neutral? Has it been beyond cavil
the attitude of an honest broker (to quote a phrase of Bismarck)
between two friends who have bad a falling out? Or have we been
more tolerant of the excesses committed by one side than of the
conduct of the other, in observing the rules of war, and of favoring
‘ > one to the exclusion of the other? Finally, if we admit that our
policies have been one-sided andthat we have suffered impairment
of national rights anditolerated abuses in order to show our sym-
Why for one set of belligerents to the disadvantage of the other.
ha“? We pursued the right course? And if we have not protected
0111' own interests with sufficient firmness and impartiality-what‘
Problems will grow out of our neglect to trouble us in the future?
will the triumph of the Allies redourid to the fui‘-therance of our
W11 interests and,the welfare of the world in time of Pace? Wm ‘
if b’5 t0 the advantage of the United States to" have the Cent”!
Powers reduced to the helpless condition outlined in a recentVedi-
torial in the London Spectator! The day will comewhen Wevshall
3"‘ ‘0 give an account of our action; not. perhapsv i" the World’
' ‘ but to ourselves; when we -shall have to pass these Pl'0blem5 l“
Critical review before our eyes and conscience, and have the Come‘
finance’ impressed upon us more forcibly than we think P0553519 30" ,
m,"“f' Setluestered position, our complacent aloofness and coucem
: With immediate profit. - g
‘ There is not in all our great countryia writ!‘-t’
fllexvidence and present it in the form of a readable brief, and from
’ it to forecast the probable results as Prof. John VV. BurgeS5- Thoie
wh""9C3ll the pleasure ‘afforded them by this author's admirable
bmkt line European lVar of 1914" will greet with genuine delight“
tile appearance of his recent companion volume, “America's Rela-
tions to lhe Great XVar"‘ in which Prof. Burgess as 3" Ammca"
.' p"litlCal economist of uhdisputed pre-eminence P515595 ill review tile
vario“ Questions that have ‘arisen between the belligefmis ‘md il,"s
c.0"““'Y and after a searching analysis WlllCl1Vl'etll1CCS eiich m ‘ls
simplest terms, outlines clearly how these develoPm ,
the future of our owncountry It is Prof. Bufges-5'5 mam that he
Q“. ‘Wilt an involved subject with the simple lucldliy “lid Sleapcut
log“: which renders Blackstone's “Commentaries" so attractive even
to lb,‘ Ymmgest student. There are but five chapters llnd“ the
“"‘“Winz captions: .' ' ‘
so qualified to gather
I
e .
1' ‘V31’ by Starvation and Submarine 13oerle‘Y1h5:-BrMsh‘.I‘;1lotik,i
2- T - f
w1i;‘:t‘::i::i 3;2::':i".hE's:::1t"‘sa .
‘U- - he Legal Status of the A1’tl1Cd‘Me-r
.na"fiShd Sriibmarine. ‘ g
. e . , .
‘5-’ ;VVhen1ii.JiiJclagfairb(iv:l'KVill the “far End? '. ;
chantman and the
In on ' ' . .- , 01; of
ewar ln’:h:ie:pl:cgtalti:sspelcstsa iiiil:i::l:dti:iiiioa wealth of. precedents
and ludicial rulings attacking the validit)’ 0‘ the Admlmshialmns
liolicles-i Thus Prof Bur ess says‘ “The XVashington administra-
hunt in addition to its tlifeats had all along borne hard upo“ em:
V "man Government with the argument that Germanyls cage agilnjs
.re"" Britain rested ‘ more than upon anything elm o‘n hermhotlld
1Si0’lCal defense of the ‘freedom of the seas andtiiat 5 e 5 .
, E‘. ' at Wdru ‘be procured
l, .
) .
"America's Relation: to fllzhagg’ p
rough TH! Arnnutnn. Prire, $1.10 P9
ents will affect '
the ‘problems of.
,not stultify herself. .Whethefithe threat or the argument had the
greater effect in determining Gerriiany’s courseis difficult to deter4 7
mine. The argument undoubtedly had a very great influence. Cer- j
tain it is, however, that the Washington government-cannot use any
such argument with full force so long as it acquiesces in the tyranny by
of the seas by Germany's enemy; .When a belligerentgunlawfully
prevents a neutral fromcommeree and trade with'its enemy,'a'nd
the neutral does not ‘enforce its right against, nor‘ withdrawrfrom '
commerce and trade with the offending belligerent, then is the neu- ‘ ‘
tral virtually an ally of such belligerent. . . . It is therefore to be
feared that the’ controversy over retaliatory: submarine. warfare
against merchantmen may be revived by newjacts of retaliation
against the increasing lawlessness o'f.‘Great Britain and her allies ion’
the high seas. It has become intolerable not simply to their enemies,
but to the neutralinations. It will be ditiicult to refuse further to’
recognize the legitimacyiof the leg taliauis, or to fix the bounds to
the appropriateness or the measure of the means whiclfmay be’ ‘I’
-rightfully employed under it, unless British maritime policy and "
‘practice he immediately and radically reversed and the freedomvof
the seas for neutral countries in time of .war, restrained only by the ti
law of contraband and blockade, aslrecoginizedat the outbreak of
‘the war, he immediately, established.” , ‘.7 I
Of speciialgintei-est atthis time is 'what, a laW.‘8.l.lll10l’ltY-Of such ‘, ,
eminence in the international ‘field, 'and‘[with an understanding of r 7'-
all the questions involved in the war unequaled by any native Ameri-
can living, thinks of the terms of peace that should govern when
the belligerents are ready to gather round the council‘ table and w
discuss terms,)‘ These terms, Prof. Burgess declares, ought to ‘bet; .
viewed from thetwentieth-century.reqiiirements, as follows: ’
1. "Freedom of the seas. H i
2. The inviolability of private propertyupon the high
in time of war as well as peace. '
The independence of all V
government. ‘ p ‘ ‘ ’ Q g p
1 4, Theholding of all other colonies as a trust’for the
‘ world, and, therefore, the maintenance of the open door in them
i toitrade with all the world upon the same conditions as with '
the mother land. ‘ . ' T ,- - ' g ‘ g‘
5, The independence of Poland.< "1 . ,
6. -The relinquishment of Belgium and the occupied districts
of France and the independence of Irelan . . ‘ V .
, The organization of the. Balkan populations under the
hegemony of Austria-Hungaryland Bulgaria. so 'as to‘put an
end to the machinations of Russia therein through thegagenicy of '
Servian. Motitenegrin, Albanian and Macedonian adventurers. '
' 8. The economic Ias ,well as politicalgregeneration of the"
"Ottoman eriipire; and " ; V . ' ’ '
- 9.‘ The integrity of China and ‘the
all nations therewith. ‘ ‘ ,
S685
‘colonies ‘capable of ‘ self-
open cloiorto the trade of
. '" - -I , ' , I
i,,'.
. The author applies the touchstone to the enlightened mission pro-
i claimed by the Allies,‘ wlien, inycommenting ‘on these terms. he
, .
.declares: ti ’ ‘ - - ‘ "
. "The ‘Colonial Empire Triist would, if true to its proclaimed prin,
ciples, and to the provisions of theagreement between its members, i
resist to the utmost er-cry am’ of these propositions, while Germmy -
and her allies -would stand by awry ‘one ‘of them.--Is there any ques-
. lion upon which side the United States of America would throw its
influence’ and vote? I think not. Our way would be as plain to us
" as 3 Qurnpike road. as Mr. Lincoln used to say, and is prescribed 1);;
our original principles and our, traditional ,poliey., Vlf our country
$2 PER.:YEAR ' NUMBER 24 ;