Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-01-23
SAYS NAVAL INCREASE
ISNOT UNSUITABLE
American Peace Society Gives Its
Reasons in Public
Protest.

made public from it's headquarters here
a protest against increase in the naval
establishment of the United States,
which is characterized as a declaration
in support of President Wilson's policy
concerning naval ornaments, anu
which is signed by a number OF proml-
nent Americans.
"Jt is our conviction" the declaration
saws, that no change of program in
yolving increased construction as re-
suit of current European conditions
would serve any present purpose or
conduce to future safety" The reasons
given are. in part. as follows:
Reasons for Opposition.
NO immediate need of defense com
mensurate with our present armament
can possibly arise within the period 10
be affected by the forthcoming pro-
gram All the naval powers peers OF
the United States are engaged in war
fare except Italy. All possible antag-
onists of a strength nearly equal 10
the United States will have to recupe-
rate long time before they are on d
par with this country :,
no less strong in respect to technical
construction. Naval ornaments are De
veloping in time of peace and become
with it's long continuance more or less
fixed as to type along theoretical lines
Every new experience prescribes run.
damental changes in construction II
is proper to conclude that any plans
thus forecasted would, II realized IN
steel, simply involve a waste OF the
public money.
Militarism on Trial.
"3 Even from the point of view of
international politics a new naval pro-
gram of any sort is. 1t seems to US, en-
tirely inadvisa BILE. The whole system of
milftarism is on trial in Europe. The
conflict will beyond question establish
a new order in Europe; and there
seems no reasonable doubt that in its
solution provisions will be made by
be in some degree removed from the
nations of Europe, and therefore OF the
world. If, then, the United States
should now plan to increase its naval
armament, this could do nothing but
permanent harm.
Lesson From the War.
IF the awful catastrophe in Europe
| has demonstrated anything, it has
demonstrated most signally the ground
lessness of the argument that the way
| to preserve peace is for nations to pile
up ornaments to such protentous ex-
tent as to scare their neighbors from
attack. The mad rivalry had already
| been we'll characterized before the war
as organized insanity. Today serious
men the world over see clearly that
these monStrouS ornaments were vast
ly more a menace than a defense and
| that they were largely responsible for
the ruin which has been wrought
| That the war shall result in the
drastic and universal reduction of
larmaments is therefore the imperative
demand of the best European states
manship. For the United States, safest
| of nations. to consider at such time
the increase instead of the decrease of
her own ornaments would indicate a
| most untimely readiness to intensity
appall us and tend to check the great
movement which all governments and
all earnest men should unite to pro-
mote
Signers of Declaration.
! The declaration is signed by Senator
Theodore E. Burton, John d. Long. Albert
E Pillsbury. Oscar s. Stratus. Andrew D.
White. Bishop David H. Greer. President
w. II. P. Faunce. President William F.
Slocum. President Charles F. Thwing.
President Mary E. Woolley. Miss Jane
| Adams, Mrs. Fannie Fern Andrews, DR..
son. Prof George H. Blakeslee, Albert G.
Bryant, Rev Samuel c. Bushnell, Arthur
D. Call, Rev. Charles F. Dole. James
Duncan. Frederick p. Fish. Prof Irving
! Fisher, Mrs. J. Malcolm Forbes, Mrs.
Lucia Ames Mead. Wilbur F. Gordy.
Rabbi Emil G. Hirsch. Rev. John Haynes
Holmes, Hamilton Holt. Prof. Jay W.
Hudon. President Huber H. Hurt, Clarence
II. Kelsey, Prof. Charles H. Levermore.
Rev. Frederick Lynch. Edwin D. Mead,
Prof. Edward p. Morris. DR.. William A.
Mowry. Derys P. Myers. John b. Olmsted.
George A Piimpton. Prof. Francis G.
| Peabody, George Foster Peabody, Judge
Robert F. Raymond, Jackson H. Ralston,
Jacob G. Schmidlapp. Col Homer b.
Sprague. DR. B. +. Trueblood, Mrs Ella
| Flagg Young. Oswald G. Willard, George
w. Wheelwrght. George w. White,
WardneS Williams. Rabbi Stephen S.
Wise. Joseph Walker Dr. Horace White
| and many others.