The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1920-03-12
Record of Hearing.

cooperation as vehicle for further
argument IN that direction.
Record of Hearing.
The sensitive attitude Of congress and
ne navy department may be discovered
Inc stenographtc record Just avail
le Of Secretary Daniels testimony
,, lore the house naval affairs COM
Representative Browning. Did Won
4 zee an article in this mornings paper
! m regard TO the English navy?
. Secretary Daniels: Yes.
IA Mr.. Browning; Saying that they did
F., Got expect it to be any larger than the
Secretary Daniels: l saw that.
NJ. Browning; Have YOU any COM
4 Aent TO make on that statement?
Secretary Daniels: OF course, | would
Z not like to make any comment on It
as being official. Unless / had an
7 official statement from Great Britain
: would not like to assume
! ~ Browning: l do not presume
Z that II is official
The Chairman; 1t is purposed to
Z quote the ambassador who is coming
4 10 this country, and, Mr.. Secretary, if
! that statement should not
The Chairman 1t purported to
/. quote the ambassador who is coming
70 this country, and, Mr.. Secretary,
. II that statement should not be verified;
~ OAllCl NOluS IL IIllS statement Oh lne
Z ambassador should turn out to be the
+ policy of Great Britain, what have you
4 TO say about it?
z Secretary Daniels: | would like to
+ ask whether that is the policy of Great
britain as represented in parliament in
I London, or whether, instead of build
Z ing these great ships by Great Britain,
+. through the imperial government, the
(. increase is to be made in line with
the policy foE which Lord Jellicoe has
been going around the world, where he
has proposed to Canada, New Zealand
and the English colonies that they
should themselves build a navy which
. they have not had heretofore. In that
case it might be that the imperial
+ government in London would not add
ships but the colonies would,
Daniels Recommendation.
MIR Hicks: AS I understand it. Mr..
Secretary, you stated that unless the
l"ague of nations is entered into by
Inc United STATES, you feel constrained,
as understand, to recommend that the
t7nited states build the largest navy
=. in the world?
60 Secretary Daniels: Absolutely.
:. ~ Mr.. Hicks: What l would like to
~ know is how you can reconcile that to
Il THIS condition. Previous to the war
n Sjreat Britain had the largest navy in
the world, as she has now. There was
N temptation, yet we were not building
Hthen to outstrip Great Britain. Now,
g.Nhy should we, at the present time
n even, without the league of nations,
embark upon a program to outbuild
.A Great Britain? Why should we change
VI the policy we have followed for the past
Z four or five years?
- Secretary Daniels: | do not think
we ought to start on program or be
I'm influenced by program to outbuild
-nGreat Britain or in competition with
-rany one particular nation but 1 think,
sif we are to go back to the old condi-
tions, particularly with the great I'M
~ rest throughout the world, that our
country out ut to have navy not sur
passed by any navy in the world.
49, ..es Mr.. Hicks: Then you think there is
+-+some single national situation that war
rants going ahead and building the
e. largest navy in the world which did not
~ Exist five years ago when there was
emo league?
Taught Us Some Lessons.
- Secretary Daniels: The war taught
e-1us some lessons, and l have learned
something, hope. ! think in this
country all of us-and say all of us
because / think it applies truly tc
Observation-Disclosures we We're not In
nanger of war, a world war. Many
fe-people thought that the great CONNER
s~4eial interests of the world were so pow
! .erful that they would prevent WORLD
4. war, and I think looking back upon it
@sthat we did not apprehend the dangers
N chat existed and that, if our foresight
had been as good as our hindsight in
1913 and 1914, / would have recommend
led and urged this committee to build
-s many more ships than we built. ! an
@s-certain that when the war came woul6
!. have given anything on earth and mort
gagged my souls future for as many
N testroyers as, we have now.
Mr. Venable In the event that The
United States does go into the league
Eof nations and the treaty is ratified
HI do you think we should build the pro
-s..gram to round out the fleet as fight.
ing machine?
Secretary Daniels: Yes, because
with league of nations as it would
be now, the passing of year has oc.
casioned the loss of much Of the mora
force that a league of nations should
have. 1t would be years before The
countries of the world will accept its
Z. decisions, and l think that this country