New-York tribune., 1919-02-13
In the Other Fellows Place

Put yourself in the other fellows place.
What would you think, what deductions
would you draw, if the other fellow did
as you did? No argument or action is
presumptivey good if you are unwilling
to turn it around and face the muzzle
end
In the light of this simple rule the
action of the House Tuesday in passing
what is called the three-year naval bill is
to be Judged The bill is not one which
authorizes the expenditure of $700,000,-
900 to create the greatest war fleet in
the world or as Hearst, going further,
describes it, "a navy that is more power
full than the combined navies of any
two other powers in the world"
The measure does not order the con-
struction of single ship. It's signih-
cance is in the provisions which say not
keel shall be laid until June /, 1920,
and not even then if the President, thus
given fifteen months instead of the ten
days prescribed by the Constitution, de-
cides to veto the proposed undertaking.
The plea in behalf of this bill, the ex-
cuse for its passage when its terms con-
fess there is no eXigency, is that the
President wanted it not for navy pur-
poses but to give him weight in negotia-
tions at Paris Hence the postponement
and hence the long-range Veto
The appeal along this line was not
camoufaged, and except for its employ
ment the BILL it is to be inferred, would
not have passed. A secret telegram was
handed about by advocates of "open
covenants Of peace openly arrived at"
Representative Adams, Republican mem
Der Of the Naval Affairs Committee de
clared on the floor he would vote "aye,"
and urged his party colleagues to do so,
because, he said, he did not want the
President to come back and say, however
contrary to the facts such statement
might be, that he was on the point of
securing a reduction of armaments and
a real peace league when his advice was
not taken at home. Mr. Adams, suspend
ing his own judgment and refuting once
more the silly claim of partisan oppos-
ton, was instrumental in furthering an
other extraordinary grant of discretion
airy power. Surely no President has
ever been supported as the present one
has been. Washington was more fet-
tered by the Continental Congress.
The patriotic motive of Mr. Adams,
his anxiety to do everything possible to
safeguard against another horror, is, of
course, easily comprehensive, but this
does not establish the wisdom of the pol
icy of teeth-showing he consented to-
Put yourself in the other fellows place,
How would you react if, in the midst of
negotiations supposedly friendly, a nego-
tiator were to stamp into the room and
ostentatiously slam a loaded pistol on
the table? In private life such behavior
would wither the firstlings Of the meet
ing mind. 1t is probably not otherwise
in international discussions. The bluff
has its merits, swashbuckling sometimes
has its way, but ill-considered resort to
it has dangers
So far as France is concerned the
naval bill, besides the mischevous poten-
tialities of its threat, obviously cuts
away the foundation Of the objections
made to ideas expressed by the dreadful
Clemenceau. If the United States, 5000
miles distant, needs a preponderant
navy, France, separated from danger by
mere line of frontier posts, may GER
tainly ask for forts and armies. Her
risk Is plainly greater than our own
But what would be the outcry should
France suddenly announce that next
year she proposed to fortify St. Pierre
Miquelon or Great Britain should begin
TO make Nassau a huge naval base? Put
yourself in the other fellows place,