[To THE EDITOR OF THE " SPECTATOR."'
SIR,—In the Spectator of October 3rd you maintain :-
(1) That German expansion outside Europe must of necessity be harmful to Britain or to Britain's friend, the United States.
(2) That Germany clearly aims at expansion outside Europe.
(3) That, therefore, genuinely friendly relations between England and Germany are impossible.
If it can, indeed, be proved that German expansion, no matter where, must be ipso facto harmful to us, the question might perhaps be asked whether we are not more ubiquitous than we have any right to be. But can this really be proved ? Leaving South America out of account, can it be shown that the acquisition by Germany of the Congo State (the present administration of which is a disgrace to Europe), of Asia Minor, of Mesopotamia, of a cantle of territory in Northern
China, would be harmful to England, would be distasteful to America, would be otherwise than a. blessing to the regions
concerned ? The United States may earmark an entire hemi- sphere as its legitimate preserve. Russia may advance in any conceivable direction (outside India) through the length and breadth of the largest of the continents. But if Germany, the most highly trained nation in the world, a people which has triumphed over difficulties of environment to a degree un- paralleled in history, a people the very existence of which is one of the intellectual assets of this planet,—if this nation seeks, or is credited with seeking, an outlet for the overspill of its population, a shriek of dismay is raised by ourselves, who own the largest Empire in the world. But it is this very Empire which the Germans covet ? Is it seriously contended that Germany hankers after, and believes she could hold, one of our self-governing Colonies ? Is it possible to set up the German Eagle as a scarecrow on the frontiers of India, now that the Russian Bear has ceased to be a bogey ? Will the United States acquiesce in our supersession by Germany in the West Indies or the Eastern Archi- pelago? Will France view with unconcern the advance of Germany to the Niger ? I maintain, Sir, that our true attitude should be one of encouragement of German aspira- tions in certain defined directions. And I urge this on the ground not only of abstract justice to Germany, not only of the advantage which must accrue to mankind from the con- centration of German energy on one of the barbaric places of the earth, but also of political expediency,—a point which I would urge at greater length did I not fear that I have already made too great a demand on your space. As it is, I venture to hope that your sense of fairness will allow you to submit to consideration a point of view which is antagonistic to your own, and I ask this on account of the unrivalled influence which you wield with the middle mass of our educated classes.
[The Germans, or rather the ruling caste in Germany, desire territorial expansion in South America on a great scale, and mean, if they can, to accomplish their desire. The Americans are equally determined that the Germans shall not extend their system to the American Continent. If we desire to remain friends with our own kinsfolk, as we certainly do, we shall do nothing to assist German aims in this respect.—En. Spectator.]
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