The sun., 1918-11-22
Danieis's Plea for New ships That
Might BE Scrapped.

foreigner. The Secretary Of the Navy,
Mfr. DANIELS, appeared before the
Committee on Naval Affairs Of the
House of Representatives on Wednes-
day and announced that he would
press the continuation of the building
Of battleships according to the pro-
gramme that was laid out long before
the end of the war was In sight, his
only modification being that the es-
Inmates Of $2,4OO. 100000 would be
scaled down by the reduction of ord
nance and personnel.
Mr.. DANrEIs's chief, the President
of the United States, is expected to
sail for France in a few days, and
there has been no intimation that he
has receded from two important points
of the fourteen which constituted his
programme of the worlds peace:
~. Adequate guarantees given and
taken that national armaments will be
reduced to tho lowest points consistent
Win domestic safety.
IA. A general association of nations
must be formed under specific covenants
foI the purpose OF affording mutual
guarantees Of political Independence and
territorial integrity to great and small
States alike"
To suggest that JosEPHUs DANIELS
has lost faith in parts Of Mr.. WILSON'S
programme that have been applauded
throughout the world would be to do
the Secretary Of the Navy a wrong.
We must accept, as Mr.. DANrELs's
argument for the continued building
Of warshlps on n great scale, his state
ment as 1t Is reported by the Wash.
ington correspondent of the Times:
I'm reply to questions as to why he
advocated the policy OF expanding the
navy in face OF the possible creation OF
the League to Enforce Peace. Mr.. DAM
IE1.s said that It was desirable 70 have
a navy which would be thoroughly rep
resentative OF the nation. and place It in
a position OF strength with the fleets
OF other world Powers The impression
given by the Secretary was that the
United States and Great Britain would
be the major sea Powers in the League
of Nations. and that their navies would
be expected to po.ice the seas and main
tain peace"
The obvious question is: How large
navy would be deemed necessary by
league to enforce peace, and how
much of that navy Is not in existence
now? Does Mr.. DANIELS mean tina,
the allied fleets Of Great Britain and
the United States. ms they are today.
are not large enough to police the
waters Of the world? Or does he
mean that for the sake of national
pride we should bring up our fighting
fleet 10 the equal Of England's? II
that were done, what next? Mani
testify. under the Wilson programme.
the scrapping Of large percentage Of
the ships Of each feet. Before the
war England's fleet was three times
the tonnage Of ours and In the war
she operated 5000 anti-submarIne
craft in the North Atlantic alone, ac-
cording to recent sta tement made by
Admiral SIMs.-She carried two-thirds
or our troops to the war and escorted
half Of them; and with all that her
Grand Fleet lay in the North Sea bar
ring the egress of the Germans.
Our own feet is not a trifie. The
American Navy IS now operating, In
battleships, cruisers, gunboats, de-
stroyers, mine ships, submarines, sub
marine chasers, torpedo boats and
auxiliary ships, about $40 regular
naval vessels; and 1t is also operating
an auxiliary fleet of more than 9OO
converted merchant vessels, which
have been used as troop transports,
mine sweepers, repair ships. tenders.
hospital ships and the like. These.
with the vessels Of the naval overseas
transportation service and other ships,
make a total of nearly 1000 vessels
that the American Navy has used In
the war; and in the manning of this
considerable sea equipment nearly
100000 Americans, regular or reserve,
have been employed.
Is 1t remarkable, IN the face of
these figures, that tie Republican
members Of the House Committee on
Naval Affairs dissented from Mr..
DANIELS to the extent OF Insisting
that Americas naval programme re-
main undetermined until the arbIters
Of peace pass judgment on President
WILSON'S proposals for reduction Of
ornaments and league to enforce
peace? Not only Is the President
scheduled to go abroad in n few days
to support his programme. but the
only obvious naval menace to the
world was, at the moment Of Secre.
tary DANrELs's argument. sailing out
from Its hiding place to surrender to
the Entente and America. A deter
mination on the part Of the United
States to go ahead with a great naval
programme at an hour when the world
is hopeful for coalition navy of the
smallest possible size would we be-
lIeve, be mislnterpreted In those re-
gions which were recently so broadly
referred to by the President as "the