The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-12-10

were never to be used or which were to DO
sed for destruction Of other battleships. built
at great cost to other nations could be turned
into productive enterprises A few--the eleven
out of s2s-have rejoiced in big navies and the
romance OF war and have loved to boast of the
might Of the United States on the seas and
have anxiously sought to make idle the boast
Of Great Britain that Britannia rules the
seas
For many. many years. these eleven out of
s2S have had their way and for many years
to come will continue to have their way, despite
the passage OF the Hensey resolution. 1t has
been so because, however much most of us
deprecated war expenditures we have been
faced always with condition which seemed es-
tablished for many generations TO come How
ever much we may have wished TO reduce
ornaments we have always been met with the
objection that so to do would place us at the
mercy OF other nations with more devotion to
war than TO peace and with more fear OF other
nations than OF economic wastefulness. So We
have continued TO build battleships and to In
crease our armies and to TAKE from internal
It to purposes Of protection from the menace Of
external destruction
There have been few who have visions
and who, possessed of the courage which comes
from the knowledge Of righteousness. called
by the militarists the valor OF ignorance, have
fought inststenuy for smaller expenditures for
preparations for wars. But these have been in
the minority because OF the practical obstacleS
in the way and their appeals havg~6e dis
missed with somewhat sneering illusions to
dreamers and theorizers and Utopians
Gradually. however, the dreams Of these men
have proven contagious and their theories have
made impression. They have dreamed and
thought and talked and others have been In.
spired to more practical thinking Lured on by
the possibilities held out the very men who
have been planning the construction of mammoth
batteships have. because knowing better than
any others the cost. been driven to the search
for ways and TO bring 1t all to end
So 1t 10 only natural that the first practical
suggestion for reform should come from one
whose duty It has been to increase expendi
lures for the navy. 1t was not surprising that
Winston Churchill British lord of the ad
miralty should be the one to come forward witt
a proposal giving promise of results ant
paradoxically it was not surprising that such
a proposal. coming from him should make
a deep impression upon the world.
The moment the suggestion was made tina
Germany and Great Britain should agree upo1
A naval holiday" the idea was seized and dc
veloped on this side the water. Speaker Cham
Clark had already given expression to much tn
same idea and Secretary Of the Navy Daniel
lost no time in placing upon tt the seal of hi
approval and In going even further and sut
costing conference Of all the powerful nation
of the earth
From the first 1T was evident that in such
movement the United States should take tn
lead 1t needs smaller navy than the othe
great powers; it is free from suspicion of ulteric
motives and In this country peace sentimer
has always been stronger than elsewhere No
the first step has been taken. The congres
, has expressed its approval in no uncertain term
There was no real opposition when the Hensle
resolution came up IN the house. Practict
men find now a way to overcome the obstacl,
long In the way and those asserting to nav
increases because confronted with a condiuo
not Of their own making will welcome the tri
Of a plan to remove those obstacles