Norwich bulletin., 1914-12-11
War Preparedness
 Dominant Subject
sEc,V DANIELS BEFORE HOUSE
 NAVAL COMMITTEE.
SAID NAVY IS POWERFUL
Declares When European War Is Over the Countries Involved Will Be Bur dened with Debt and That There Will Be RevuIsion Against War.

~ paredness of the nation continued to- day as the dominant subject of con- gressional attention. While Secretary Daniels was before the house naval affairs committee advocating his two battleships a year construction pro gramme and declaring that the senti- ment of the people of the United States was against turning the coun- try into a great military power, free for-all national defence debate occu- pied the house itself.
 Daniels Views.
 MT. Daniels, during an all-day ex- animation, said that this country all ready had a powerful navy and that while with abundant revenues" he might favor the general boards four battleship plan. he thought the de- partment's building programme ade- quate under the circumstances. Press ed for an opinion as to the world mil | itary situation at the close of the Eu- ropean war, the secretary predicted an international conference on armament.
 When the European war is over, | he said, these countries will be so exhausted in their resources and burd- ened with debt that there is going to
 be a great revulsion against war in all countries. I expect the revulsion will be so great that we will have an | international conference on armament more possible now than ever before and that we will get some action by which the navies of the world powers will be used only to carry into exc
 cution the agreements of the countries
 reach"
 Gardner Preeipitated Discussion. Representative Gardner of Massa-
 chusetts precipitated the military dis
 cussion on the house floor with a speech criticizing the administration flor laying the cold hand of death
 on his proposal for special investiga-
 tion of military and naval conditions He assailed the rules committee fol refusal to grant him a hearing and
 the naval and military committees foI | failure to summon before them form
 CT cabinet officials and other witness
 es whom he wanted examined. At 1 lacking President Wilson's statements in his annual message, Mir. Gardner
 said: If war were to break out to-
 day 1t would be found our coast de fences have not sufficient ammunition for an hours fighting"
 1 Flood of Oratory.
 This speech Ioosed flood of oratory
 on the House. Representative F'itz- gerald of New York, replied briefly
 and promised to make a complete statement later which would make
 ''notoriety-seeking ex-secretaries" les:
 anxious to discuss the national de fence.
 Representtive Dies of Texas ridicul ed the thought of impending danger O attack on this country from an. source. Representative Sisson of Mis
 sissippi charged the war propaganda to the manufacturers of war material T Representative Prouty of low; pleaded for international disarmament arbitration and an international police He declared that a force of trained force of squirrel-shooters could pre- , vent teh landing of a hostile force ol American soil.
 Il Today's discussion seemed to threat en a prolonged debate on both side of the capitol. In the senate tomorrow the military situation will be discuss
 ed by Senator Weeks of Massachu setts- Secretary Daniels will continu
 his statement before the house com Inittee