Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-06-01
BR|TTEN|S TOURCE
BUILDING BIC NAVY
Illinois Representative Wants
Three OreadnoughtS This
Year and Next.
WOULD THEN CONSTRUCT
TWO OF THEM ANNUALLY
Says Congress Can Insure Peace That
Way Better Than Bryan Can With
Doves and Good Will.

ON the theory that MS The man b.-
hind the punch who gets hy nnIn.lcS,-
ed. Representative Fred sritten ~ ili-
nois. new member of the House naval
affairs committee. announced his infcn-
ton last night OF going into tho heh'
Tor big navy by demanding thre. dread
noughts this year. three next and two
big floating fortresses year. from tl,n
on. So that the United states nag viii
float troy the biggest navy atluat Nui
oy>A-~Iat but Representative Rritt.u
Us going Ia put up to ia. House In. prop
! osition that the rnites states shall con
duct battleship aimnr plate plant az
its own. In explaining his battl.shI,
| ideas To Star reporter Mr.. Britf,a
declared that a navy fun of ships would
do whole lot more toward insurinA
peace than Secretary organs navy uf
doves and good Will"
The nted States il not iutinchlc m
WAT. II Is not prepared for war. said
Mr.. Britten. and the attitude al our last
Congress toward our national def,nt, i
| incoinprehensible IL me. Representative
OF inns nation are preparing IL sacrifice a
| billion dollars To save NIFTY az SIXTY
| millions in the next year or two Their. j.
| no getting away from his fact or getting
| around II. and ! am preparing Ia protest
| against IL ~ my fullest ability If con-
4
the naval programs which hay" been pre-
| sented 10 IL ny naval experts who ~. paid
by the government to tell the government
4 what il needed for our national def.ns..
We would have navy large enou-h t.
make war not only improbable. but i'm
| possible: and Congress can retrieN. Us
/ folly OF the last decade only by now tot-
| ing for naval program which viii ma he
| impossible the shameful condition AM
| the frowning menace of today
i
Two Dreadnoughts a Year.
II am in favor Of and intend - ,lrge
| the building of three battleships = ~,
dreadnought type this year. three r.Ni
| year and at Least two each Year there
after. making program OF two dread
noughts per year. with an accompanying
proper number Of cruisers. torpedo
boat destroyers and submarines.
For the past decade this country hts
been relying on policy of international
peace. looking to disarmament, tnat has
gradually been putting al an eN.t =
growing disadvantage. seeing that othei1
nations are eyincng no inclination toN
dispense with OF curtaii their prepaia-t
lions for war. !,
Fer instance. the United States now,
has in process of building warshlp ton-\
mage to the extent Of i2".23s toms.
Against this Great Britain has in processl
of building t9s.s4o tons; Germany. ss6.
275 tons: France, 1890 tons; Japan.
1876 tons. Russia, 172,217 tons. and,
little Italy. 191.i73 tons.
| The comparison is disheartenlny 81
| to me ii is TO Secretary Bryan with
his battleship program If doves ana
good will
| II believe that Americas need At thea
present time is navy large enough,
| to protect her coasts Al present wel
| have nevy barely strong enough 70
look after the Atlantic coast, which
leaves the Pacific coast practically
| without any protection ut all.
| Its the man behind the punch that
gets by unmolested.
Ambition of Japan.
| 1T has been an open secret for years
| that Japan's ambition Is the supremacy
| OF the Pacific, and it is openly talked
| in the diplomatic circles of every ma
i ton that the question must be soon
| fought out as to whether the Pacific
| ocean is to be ruled by the white o.
| the yellow man. which alone should
4 be sufficient reason for not cu-tailinS
| our naval program. The present diff
| ficulty between the United States al.d
Japan, which many thinking men Al"
| inclined to believe is not the kind To
! be settled by the peace-losing diplo-
macy of President Wilson and Secretary
Bryan should make US intensely ally.
| to the fact of our naval Unptrpareu-
| ness. when we are without a mod"i q
snip. or an army or a completes i"fu-
dcation In the i'aci iic region. -
against Japan's readiness Tor tpaFi-
/ tions offensive aud defensive AGAINST
all corners.
Representative Bfittens policy -.
| .7ir1ing IA batt'eship arin0r plate plant
| operated by the goyernnt nj grows
from a long experience in construction
| work.
Il do not care to put any private
| plant out Of business. he said. 'huI
any one knows there is some sort ~
| collision between the three big bfuS
now furnishing W with arin"r Iiat'.
| We need them In time Of war. but !
think the United states ought - ran
! a plant Of It's OWN at ia. same ilane &t
/ that experiments ia armut plat ,H#Ad
be made and 50 that naval uflre
would haze Il chance Ia work OF, ~. 4.
own theories to the best advanta 49,