The Washington herald., 1921-04-26
LEADERS URGE
CONFERENCETO
REDUCE NAVIES
House Hears Arguments
For International
Agreement.
AMERICA IN STRONG
TO LEAD
Cochran Is for Strongest
Forces, Then Offer
To Curtail.

Urgent plans for an international
agreement to curtail naval building
were voiced by congressional lead
ers in the House yesterday when
the s96,000,000 naval appropriation
bill was taken up.
Leader Mondell. Representative
Burton, former Senator of Ohio;
Representative Kelley, of Michigan,
who has charge OF the bill, and Rep
resentative Burke Cochran. Of New
York, Joined in urging President
Harding to call a conference of the
principal building powers to work
out an understanding to reduce
naval expenditures.
At the same time. they made 1t
clear that the bill represents the
House maximum and that they Will
be unwilling to yield 10 the big
navy men of the Senate who expect
TO boost the naval appropriations to
nearly $500. .0oe. 900, principally to
provide Pacific naval bases. now de-
clared gravely deficient. Neverthe-
less, there was no sign of any SYM
pathy for disarmament schemes
which did not look to proportionate
curtailment by other powers.
Coehran's Stirring Appeal.
Representative Cochran startled
the House with the statement that
for the first time in history one
country-the United States-wss in
a position to bring about that limi-
tation. This Congress should equip
the President with the greatest OF
all forces on land and sea and then
he will be in a position to proclaim
that we will disarm as fast as others
do" said Mr.. Cochran.
Il have always been a lover OF
peace" said Representative Theodore
Burton, and ! am reluctant TO vote
for this bill. but on the other hand
I cannot see my way clear to vote
against 1t. We must have an ade-
quate navy. This is not the time
for the pacifst that believes in in
a troubled era ~.
- "But is not this the time for the
President to call all the nations
all this waste on ornaments, all
built 70 rdefense. the nations think.
No Contest with Britain.
II do not agree with the idea that
we should seek to top the navy of
Great Britain and l do not under
stand that this bill necessarily
points to that. A contest is un-
thinkable between the two coun-
tries. This bill is not extravagant
and it carries no threat for any
foreign nation" concluded Mr.,
Burton.
Representative Kelley urged COM
pletion of the present building pro-
gram, insisting that this would
place the United States in a most ad
vantageous position to advocate
naval reduction.
Representative Mondell Joined in
the general appeal for the calling
of the conference but asked passage
of the bill and carrying out the
naval program meantime.
Representative Meyer London, OF
New York, Socialist, wac the only
man to direct his opposition speci-
fically upon the terms Of the pend
ing bill.
Prelates UrEe Call.
While the House was debating the
issue. the administrative committee
of the National Catholic Welfare
Council, composed of Archbishop
Hanna. of San Francisco: Bishop
Muldoon. of Rockford; Archbishop
Bowling. of st. Paul: Bishop
Schrembs. of Toledo: Bishop lius.
sell, of Charleston; Bishop. Gibbons
of Albany, and Cardinal Dougherty
of Philadelphia. issued a statement
urging an immediate call for ar
| international disarmament confer,
ence.
While must leave the imme-
diate question of disarmament tC
our national legislators. we should
| take active means to bring about
for the purpose of general dis.
armament a meeting of representa-.
tives of all the leading nations oi
the world the committee said
America should sound such a cal
and we should do all in our power
to make it known that such is tn,