The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-05-21
MONDAY, MAY 21, 1906.
THE BIG SHIP FAD.

It is well known that The Advertiser has never been an advocate or friend pf the big navy proposition which is such a favorite with some of our peo- pie. In a recent issue of The Chicago Tribune we find this editorial on the subject:
 One of the lessons which Admiral Mahan draws from a study of the war in the Far East is that it is inadvisa- ble to increase the size of battleships with any hope that one step forward will be final. There is no natural limit beyond which increase in size is impossible, and, therefore, if ono nation should construct a battleship with a nothing to prevent a rival from con structing one of 10000. NowJthe ex- pense of battleship increases at a of tonnage The nations are embarked in rivalry which is simply suicidal when each tries to outbuild the other. tary of the Navy that if Congress should authorize but one battleship this year it shall be the largest and strongest battleship that is known to be afloat,' was concurred ill by the committee on naval affairs, and the estimated cost of such a ship was put at S10.000,000. Any other nation with larger battleship and have 1t ready few weeks after the completion of the American battleship. America would have to begin the construction of still larger one before the first was completed. and so on.
 Admiral Mahan believes the only remedy for this insensate rivalry is an international agreement limiting the size of battleships. This would be an advantage to the nations with shallow harbors but apart from this possible inequality the plan would be to the general good. Each nation could them develop It's navy along the lines most spProX;eSu s e;tSar oy ed sns op gun nower or weight of armament. It would result in a fair contest of naval theories. More than that; it would give 70 skill value and would make the man more important than the machine.
 It will be noticed that Admiral Ma hans argument Is on the same line that we have followed in condcmnng the Bonaparte idea; namely. that there can be no limit, practically. to the competition. If it were a fact that no government but the United States could bulld large war5hips the advocates of such vessels might nave an argument in support of their therry. put not an excuse for carry ing # into practise, however IL we could build me equip a more powerful vessel than any other nation on earth could do 1t wocl6 net be reason why we should do it.
 The truth is that we cannot favor the idea of our government assuming the position of a bully There has in recent years been entirely too much bullying on the part of the admlnistra- ton and its supporters for tho credit of the country. If we could build and equip the most powerful navy on earth. and If no other nation could equal it, it would he virtually saving to the world that Uncle Sam is boss of all creation and that all other nations must submit to his domination. and unless there is d decided change in the character of our administration that Is exactly the position that would be assumed. The United States would take up the role of champion pjrize- fighter of the universe
 But any one ought to be able to see that such a condition is not even presumable. If our government should build the most powerful ship the world has ever seen there need not be any doubt that England. France, Germany or other European nations would build one little larger. and then we must go up another step, and so the insen- sate rivalry would go on until the na- lions had exhausted their resources. And by that time it is more than prob able that the first big ships would be out of date on account of advanced idea and discoveries. and would be fit only for the junk heap.
 The plan suggested by Admiral Ma han, that all the great powers of earth should unite in limiting the size of bat tleships is the only safe one. That was one of the objects of The Hague con ference but it was lost sight of in the press of other matters Perhaps the one 10 be held next year will do bet ter.