The Washington times., 1914-11-15
SENTIMENT GROWING
FORA GREATER NAVY
Members of House and Senate
Naval Affairs Committee for
Era of Improvement.
By JOHN sNURE.

Sentiment among members of the
| House and Senate Committees on Ma
val Affairs is strong for building up a
greater navy. ..
A New York newspaper has been
getting expressions from various men,
bers of these committees. These ex-
pressions reveal that the feeling is pro-
nounced that this country must not go
to sleep and permit itself to be caught
+ unprepared.
The inadequacy of the navy and the
| fact that it has fallen behind. both in
numbers of vessels. in construction. and
in ordnance. are well recognized by
| many experts. Some of the members
| of the naval committees perceive these
| things, but some do not.
Whether the sentiment in the Naval
Committees is strong enough to effect
any marked changes of policy the
coming session In view of the Admin
istration attitude is uncertain. 1t is
to be doubted because few of the Dem
ocrats will do otherwise than the White
House directs.
Some Speak Out
Senator Thornton and Senator Lodge
speak out for a strong navy. Senator
Johnson of Maine also demands a defi-
mite policy and adequate defense for
the country.
Senator Tillman, chairman of the Sem
ate Naval Committee, will follow the
wishes of the White House and Secre-
tary Daniels
Senator Tillman makes this statement:
l think the European war has opened
the eyes Of the world in a great many
ways. as it has proved how far men can
go when ambition and greed for power
lead them on l see nothing that ought
to make the United States go wild I'm
building battleships or other naval craft.
We ought to study the conditions and
results as far as naval affairs are con-
cerned, and be governed accordingly. As
chairman Of the Senate Naval Affairs
Committee l shall try to carry out the
and our conscientious and alert Secre-
tary of the Navy. Neither of these men,
i am sure. will run amuck.' An eff
cient navy is what we need not larg-
er one, for by the time the English and
Germans get through sinking each 9TH
er's ships we will have the largest navy
in the world anyhow. ] think
congressman Gerry, Browning Bath
rick, and Talbot are among those 1aV-
oring an adequate navy.
Needs No Increase.
On the other hand. Congressman
Witherspoon says the present Euro
p6dn war mas SHOWN lIliS country UeeUS
no increase of navy. However. he re-
fers rather to increase OF battleships
than to other fighting craft. He believes
in the submarine. He says:
The war also demonstrates that the
opinions of Dewey. Goethals. Scott.
and other high authorities that forti1-
cations, submarines, and torpedoes have
rendered battleships and dreadnoughts
useless, is correct. In a world war of
more than three months not battleship
has fierd a gun. The German battle
ships and a part of the Reussian fleet
are close together in the Baltic sea,
and neither has dared to attack the
other. If it be said that the Russian
fleet does not attack the German be-
cause it is not one-fourth as great in
number then why does not the Ger
man fleet attack and destroy the Rus
sian? The only answer Is that the
Germans know that before they could
get to the Russian ships their battle
ships and dreadnouehts would he de-
stroyed by mines, submarines. and tor