Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-12-25


of the sea power of other nations
hitherto, they do not believe that
America can afford any longer to
be placed in position of relying
solely upon the British navy. 1t is
also contended that while British sea
power has been used as a civilizing
-. influence. America should not rest
content to depend for precaution on
her long Atlantic and Pacific coasts
on the benevolence of the British
. navy. but that American sea power
should be the equal of any other on
the seas.
Would Scale Fleets Down.
Indeed. these men go so far as to
urge that. while they are anxious
that the two English-speaking de-
, mocracies comparatively shall be the
backbone of any league of nations,
there ought to be no objection to
scaling the fleets down. 1t is fully
realized. however, that the British
may be unwilling to do this, so it
is being urged that the American
naval program now before Congress
will enable the United States to reach
a point of equality with The fleet of
Great Britain.
At the same time the fact that the
British navy of the immediate future
will be larger than that of America
is at the bottom of the proposal that
unless the German fleet be given to
AfltTlCd. llalS, FRANCE ana Japan, so
as to bring up their naval strength
somewhere near that of The British,
the best thing to be done is to COM
plete the dismantlinS of the German
battleships, cruisers and destroyers.
When asked an American naval
! officer of prominence whether he
would not view with a feeling of
regret the destruction of so many
vessels he remarked. ANY officer who
looks upon the weapons of the navy
as anything but an instrumentality
to obtain the good of mankind mis-
takes the purpose for which the
American Navy. at least, has always
stood and will stand" Indeed. he
. gave me the impression that it would
not he bad idea to accustom the
world to thinking of a reduction of
ornaments, and that now was as good
time any to see navies scaled
down. of which the dismantling of
the German fleet would be conSpicu
4 Gus example.
My own prediction is that the
American mission will be inclined to
view with disfavor the distribution
OF the German fleet in such a fash
ion to increase the gap between
America and Great Britain in naval
strength and that as a compromise
solution it may be proposed to dis
mantle the German fleet entirely.
The intriCacies of the problem di-
rectly involve the agreement which
NAV he reached in regard to the
league of nations In fact PRACTICAL
Nv every important point of difficulty
sooner or later turns upon what
America and the allies are ready to
do in such a league
For this reason Mr. Wilson has been
urging that many points which other
wise might produce differences can
be harmonized in a definite under
standing of the character of the in
ternational concert to be formed. For
example the discussion in regard to
the freedom of the seas will be prov
ed to have been superfluous if an
agreement is reached that the pres
crvation of the peace of the world
is common obligation of all the
signatory powers.
must Not Olctate oea LAWS
on. ,,srher of tho American mis-
-, or1n;,ad ~ forn,a,1y there is NOT
,ha sI;,btast ohjection 70 the nosses-
80, re- crea+ Rritain Of a large navy
In, +bis should NOT mean that she will
- ,hia 70 ,Is. bar force To dictate
the laws of the sea Tnouestionably