Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-05-20
Greater Savy Assured

! THAT the House Committee Naval AT.
/ 1 fairs has not gone far enough in pro-
| vidinS for naval increases may be conceded.
! We shall hope to see the provision for two
| Dreadnoughts restored the floor OF the
| House. or in the Senate. along with the five
year building program. Three Dreadnoughts
would be better
COnceding this. however, the bill which the
committee has decided to report in itself
marks new era in the history of the Amer-
can navy. II provides for five battle cruisers.
OF thirty-fveknot speed. armed each with
eight siXteen-inch guns or ten fourteen inch
guns, and carrying the heaviest armor pos
sibte for vessels of this type. They will be
the hnest and swiftest vessels of their class
afoat, and are to cost S102.00000O. Twenty
submarines. four scout cruisers ten de-
stroyers. hospital ship, fuel ship and an
ammunition ship also are authorized. The
bill adds $500 men to the navy personnel.
So far as capital ships are concerned the
committee report goes further than the
recommendations of Secretary Daniels He
asked for four--two Dreadnoughts and two
battle cruisers-and the committee stands for
five. Certainly we need fast vessels Of great
fighting strength, and five are not too many
when We have none in existence or building
BuI need also the ,Dreadnouchts We
need vessels as powerful in defense AS in Of
Tense Our navy is defensive institution
and the hattleship always must be its first
reliance.
AS Secretary Daniels has said. his recon-
mendatiOns represented the minimum and
not the maximum OF the navy's needs
Doubtless he is as delighted AS any one else
that hive battle cruisers are provided. The
little navy men on the committee. who
swore they would not vote for a single battle
ship, seem to have kept their own word of
promise TO the ear. while breaking it to the
hope They have voted for battle cruisers
which mean nearly the same thing.
The building that is 10 be done under the
House committee report aggregates in cost
$50 100000. This is more than three
times the building appropriation made last
year. There never has been naval construc-
ton program that even Appropriated it, If
it were further enlarged by provision for two
or three Dreadnoughts and additional fleet
and coast defense submarines. the country
would feel satisfied
No great army has been authorized The
conference report, which bids fair ultimately
10 receive the approval of Congress and the
President, gives a regular establishment of
something like 10000 men, and provides
pay for perhaps twice as many national
euardsmen That is not eXtrava CANT GER
tainly. for a nation of 1000 900 Ii would
he only drop in the bucket il we ever be-
came engaged in a real war waged under
conditions OF modern warfare. Our navy
must be our principal reliance. II must keen
the enemy at bay while we are drilling and
arming the hosts of volunteers that in times
of danger would flock to the colors or the
conscripts that in such situation we should
call TO the colors
Not only can afford to be generous to
the navy. but we must be generous Let lis
give il, in more and bigger ships and in
creased personnel. what we have saved on
the army. House Senate should place
back in the measure the fve-year program
the committee has stricken out for pro
gran is OF the very essence OF wise naval e5-
pansion. Perhaps il would not bind future
congresses, hut ii would at least point their
duty.