The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-12-16

tenn should be as much interested , in the project as any Mississippi val ley state because the Florida canal would enable its river barges to car " freight direct to the Atlantic and bring return cargoes up stream.
 x # F
 Wooing the Dove of Peace
 by Building a Great Navy A T a time when Senator Borah A proposes to test the good faith of Great Britain and Japan by ask ing these governments to join the United States in reducing armaments, the general board of the navy recom- mends a new three-year building pro- gramme which provides for 88 ships, and says our navy should be made equal to any other navy in the world. Secretary Daniels said he would ap- prove the boards recommendations unless the United States becomes a member of the League of Nations, or some other similar association. At Ge- neva the water-logged league is mak- ing feeble attempts to get the problem of disarmament started toward solu- ton.
 It is evident that the nations of the earth are not yet ready to put aside arms and adjust their differences without resorting to warfare. Eng land and Japan are watching America narrowly and in America great navy is favored for "self-defense." In it's annual report the general board said:
 No other nation can in reason
 take exception to such a position.
 In assuming it the United States
 threatens no other nations by the
 means of placing itself on equality
 with the strongest. It is an act of
 self-defense, which all will ac-
 knowledge as an inherent right
 and cannot justly be construed as a
 challenge. On the contrary, the
 pursuance of such a policy of equal
 naval armaments may we'll tend to
 diminish their growth and would
 certainly work to lessen the dan
 ger of sudden war.
 A nation with far-reaching and
 sometimes conflicting international
 interests must always be prepared
 to defend it's rihgts. Navies are pe-
 culiar in that, if neglected, they lose
 efficiency with startling rapidity.
 It is fallacious to argue that we
 can wait few years and then,
 with our money and our construc-
 tive genius, raise ours quickly to
 power commensurate with our
 needs. It cannot be done. Navies
 are not built in a day; it is a mat
 ter of years, even of generations
 All of which is quite true, as applied to present conditions. In the case of America we do not desire a powerful navy for purposes of aggression, but we are the only nation in the world who can make such a claim and not have it disproved by history. What government has ever built navy and maintained standing army with the avowed determination of attacking some other nation? They are always needed for elf-defense," but sooner or later they lead to war.
 The future peace of the world de- bends on disarmament. It is the only method to prevent war. If the United States, Great Britain and Japan would lead the way, other nations might follow, and if the League of Nations is to be something more than a debating society" they could be forced to disarm.
 * E <
 Morgenthau Is Chosen
 to Represent Wilson r HENRY MORGENTHAU is an U U ideal choice for President Wilson's representative in mediating between the Armenians and the Turk ish nationalists. When MT. Wilson agreed to act as mediator, he was AL