April 5, 1917 
LAND & WATER 
LAND & WATER 
OLD SERJEANTS' INN, LONDON. W.C. 
Telephone HOLBORN 2828. 
THURSDAY, APRIL 5, 1917 
CONTENTS 
PAGE 
The Dungeon of Despotism. By Louis Kaemaekers i 
Our New AUj^ (Leader) 3 
Present Policy of the War. By Hilaire Belioc 4 
The Great Excommunication. By Arthur Pollen 10 
First Condition of Lasting Peace. By L. P. Jacks li 
Russia's Revolutions. By M. A. Czaplicka 13 
A Democratic Autocrat. By Our Special Corre- 
spondent at Washington ' 15 
Books to Read. By Lucian Oldershaw 17 
The Golden Triangle. By Maurice Leblanc 18 
Union Jack Club 22 
Domestic Economy 24 
Kit and Equipment 25 
OUR NEW ALLY 
^HE present German warfare against conimerce 
is warfare against mankind. It is a war 
against all nations." vSo spoke the President 
of the United States in his memorable speech 
to Congress asking that body to declare that their 
country is in a state of war with Germany. The more 
closely one considers the speech, the more clearly It is seen 
to represent in concrete form the aims of the Allies in 
their present struggle against the arch-enemy of civilisa- 
tion. America enters the fight, to use again ihej Presi- 
d^nt's words, with no selfish ends to serve, desijing no 
conquest and no dominion, seeking no indemnities for 
itself, and no material compensation for sacrinces it 
will freely make. " We are but one of the champions 
of the rights of mankind, and shall be satisfied when 
those rights are as secure as fact and the freedom of 
nations can make them." 
Again and again Jias it been iterated, not in this 
journal alone, but in all the responsible organs of public 
opinion, both in this country and in France and Italy, 
that this is a war of humanity against the enemies of 
humanity, against those who would reduce man to a 
state of servitude for the material benefits of a small 
clique or section of mankind. The great transatlantic 
democracy is urged by its Chief Executive " to exert all 
its powers and to employ all its resources to bring the 
Government of the (ierman Empire to terms and end the 
war." The first condition of those terms, and the 
reason for it, is set forth in plain language by Dr. 
Jacks on another page. And the reasc^ why the civilisa- 
tions of the world must secure complete victory is ex- 
plained by Mr. Belioc in his contribution on " The Present 
PoHcy of the War." In fairness to these two writers 
it is only right to say that their articles were actually in 
t} pe before Mr. Wilson's speech was delivered, otherwise 
it might appear as though they were directly inspired by 
that utterance. 
It was seen from the first that wiLli the fall of autocracy 
in Russia, the war entered on a new phase. We who 
had talked of fighting for liberty and humanity were 
proved to be true to our words. The support which 
Great Britain gave to the Provisional Government at 
Petrograd was realized to be sincere. Only last week 
Land & Water celebrated, as it were, the close alliance 
at the two great democracies of the Old World — Britain 
and France — in a special number, and now the great 
democracy of the New World is joined with them, and 
promises to render the fullest assistance in its power. 
But it has been well said that henceforth there is out 
one world, neither new nor old, pledged to identical 
standards of honour, freedom and right. These are days 
of splendour. Mankind at the long last is coming into the 
full enjoyment of liberty. In tlusc islands the thought 
goes back to Runnymede, to the struggles of Wycliife, 
to the fires of Smithfield, to the sailing of the Mayflowct 
and to the Great Rebellion. The Anglo-Saxon has 
not been sparing of his own [blood when liberty has been 
the issue, though never has it been poured forth more 
generously than in the present war. But not a drop of it 
shall be wasted. To quote Mr, Wilson : 
Self-governed nations do not fill their neighbour States 
with spies or set in course au intrigue to bring some 
critical posture of aliairs which would give them an oppor- 
tunity to strike and make a conquest. ... A stead- 
fast concert for peace can never be maintained except by 
tlie partnership of democratic nations. No autocratic 
Government could be trusted to keep faith within it or 
observe its covenants. . . Only free peoples can hold 
their purpose and their honour steady to the common 
end and prefer the interests of mankind to any narrow 
interest of their own. 
This is what we are lighting to attain, and what we 
shall attain, and all the more quickly now that 
America has joined the Great Alliance. 
The entry of the United States into the war is to be 
no mere matter of form. From the very outset it intends 
to throw the full weight of its imjnense resources into 
the balance. The Pre.sident speaks with explicitness on 
this point. It has been feared- in some quarters here 
that this entry might cripple, at any rate temporaril}-, 
the supply of munitions from across the Atlantic. But 
Mr. Wilson states plainly that it will be the very practical 
duty of his Government " to supply the nations already 
at war with Germany with materials which they can 
obtain only from us or by our assistance. " At the 
present moment what the AlUes need most is tonnage. 
It is a matter of regret that the Admiralty has not seen 
fit to keep the public more accurafely informed regarding 
the actual shortage of tonnage which has been cause'd 
by the submarine campaign, having regard to the 
demands of the War Office for transport. The figures 
which are issued weekly arc misleading, giving a false 
sense of security which might be rudely shaken if 
the full facts were ever disclosed. In this direction 
the l.^nited States, both directly by lending merchant 
ships and indirectly by convoying them with destroyers, 
can render very valuable service to the Allies. 
\\"e need not lay stress on the financial assistance 
which the new Ally can give, and is wilhng to give, but 
we \\ould point out how inmiensely this will strengthen 
the position of the Moderates in Russia. So long as the 
Provisional Government is able to maintain a stable 
government at Petrograd and to ' prosecute a vigorous 
war, they may rely on the active support of the American 
democracy. The direct result will quite possibly be the 
declaration of a Russian Republic at no distant date. 
The American Navy is to be fully equipped, more especially 
with a view to the destruction of German' submarines. 
Though it will take time to train the U.S.A. Army into 
an effective fighting force, Germany will reaUze that all 
hope of equalling the man-power of her enemies is at 
an end. Her last chance of a favoin'able decision on land 
must be put to the test this summer. Her Cieneral Staff 
have been long aware that in any case this must lie so, 
but with America's entrance into the arena, they cannot 
continue to delude the German people that it is only a 
question of time before they bleed France to death Or 
starve England into submission. Mr. Wilson has made 
it quite clear that the fight is against German autocracy ; 
sooner or later this circumstance is certain to exert a 
powerful influence on the future of the Germanic peoples. 
But victory must come first. 
