But, more than this, an open sea demands an open policy. This means
that, while every nation must have the right, for commercial and fiscal
purposes, to impose whatever duties it thinks fit, these duties must be
equal for all exports and imports for whatever destination and from
whatever source. It would be tantamount to world empire, in fact, if a
country owning a large part of the globe could make discriminating
duties between the motherland and dominions or colonies as against other
nations.
This has been of late the British practice. German colonies have always
been open to every comer, including the motherland, on equal terms. Such
equality of treatment should be the established practice for all the
future. The only alternative to an open sea and free intercourse policy
would be a Chinese wall around each country. If there is no free
intercourse every country must become self-sufficient. Germany has
proved that it can be done. But this policy would mean very high customs
barriers, discrimination, unbounded egotism, and a world bristling in
arms. While the free sea policy stands for the true aims of
international relations, namely, in exchange of goods, which must
benefit either party, to be mutually satisfactory, it will engender
friendly feeling among all the peoples, advance civilization, and
thereby have a sure tendency toward disarmament.
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