American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1919-02-07
number of completed dreadnoughts

possessed by those nations.
AS the result of your treatment of
the statistics, the country is led to
believe that Great Britain has 81
dreadnought battleships completed,
France 20, and Italy IA; whereas the
truth is that Great Britain has only
SO, France Z, and Italy 5. So that in
your effort to convince the taxpay-
ers of the country and their repre-
sentatives in Congress that u navy
is inadequate, you give the correct
figure for the dreadnought strength
of the United States Navy, and ex-
aggerated figures for the dreadnought
strength of our allies. Your state
ment would make them believe the
British dreadnought strength to be
about double what it is, and the
strength of France and Italy about
treble.
Now, sir, we have a profound re-
spect for the exalted and difficult po-
sition which you occupy in these peri
lous times; and We naturally and 10y
ally jumped to the conclusion that
these glaring error were merely a
slip of the pen. So we sought for
an explanation of 81 being given as
the total of the British dreadnoughts
and found that it included the Il
predreadnoughts, or Older" battle
ships as you call them in your table,
and ever the z obsolete battleships
OF that navy. Now If we add 81 and
Z to 33 (the actual number of dread
noughts) we arrive at your total of
81. Similarly, we find that Italy has
9 predreadnoughts, which number
/ added to her 5 dreadnought5 gives us
your total of IA,
We go thus into detail so that you
may understand our p~erplexity; for
1t is evident hat you had the full data
before you in all its detail, not mere
~ of our own navy. but of those OF
our allies: and what We are asking
ourselves, and what the House Naval
Affairs Committee and the country
at large will not understand is why
the Secretary of the Navy should
give the true totals in regard to our
own navy and incorrect totals as to
the navies of our allies.
What the American people, natur'
ally, want to know is: II a battle
ship is obsolete or old in u navy
why is its counterpart not obsolete
or old in the navies of our allies
If Italy has IA battleships, France
20 and Great Britain 81, by the SAM
reckoning the United States has 80
Why, Mr.. Secretary, do you thus con
fuse the issue by conveying the i'm
preston that 16 and not 39 repre-
sents the relative standing of thu
United States?
Furthermore, the suggestion tina
the German fleet be sunk vas promp
ted by the belief hat an era of re
trenchment for all navies, including
our own and Great Britain's, was a
hand. The elimination of the German
fleet was regarded as the first logi
cal step in this direction. 2
That this suggestion should hav
originated, as Admiral Rodman ha
announced, with himself and AID
& miral Beatty at the German surren
der, proves that the thought and de
sire for ~retrenchment were alread
in the air.
: Now that the public has been mad
aware of this fact, you will perhap
understand, Mr.. Secretary, that you
persistent advocacy, even before tn
peace conference has opened. OF hug
increases in the United States Nav
has filled all thoughtful people, nc
, merely among our allies, but here
! America, with amazement and deer
i seated concern.
4 This note OF deep oncer is sour
: ded in an editorial on your attitud
in the Washington Post OF Januar
e Sd, which says: No patriotic citize
wishes to hear any language at TIL
time, or at any time. which is in II
7 essence a manifestation OF distrui
u of and latent enmity to n or moi
q OF the nations that have fought sic
O by side with the United STATE
I against Germany. Yet Mr.. Daniels
q 80 lacking in discretion that he d
3 reefs his utterances along thei
lines, at a time when President Wi
e son is straining every erye TO sho
D. the Allies that the United Stat
/ sympathizes with them, and is an.
ious to have them all adjust the
interests to the common welfare al
: peace of the world.-Scientific Anne
IT, lean.