The limitations agreed to at the Washington Disarmament Conference applied to battleships and battle cruisers. They did not apply to certain types of fast scout cruisers, nor to submarines. In contrast to the policy of our Nation in reducing, sinking, and scrapping our ships, other Nations have been building, building, building fast scout cruisers not restricted by the Washington Conference. The result is we have fallen below our relative Naval treaty strength. It is a matter of record that Congress did appropriate funds to begin building the three cruisers.
Women believe in reality.
The believe that such a program as proposed by the Secretary of the Navy is to backed up by real appropriations to build real ships. They are not disposed, however, to interpret fulfillment of this Naval program as the entrance into a Naval race with other countries. Correspondingly, it is a part of the support of adequate National defense to stand back of the Naval authorities of our Nation in their plans for a strengthened and powerful Navy. That our Army and Navy strength be brought up to at least a fair average is asking very little when the protection of a country numbering 120,000,000 is at stake. To fall miserably below other countries in defense is an admission to the world that we have nothing in our borders worth defending.