The Washington times., 1921-11-23
ParIey to Discuss War
Debts Rejected BY L. S.
Why w e Must Have
Ample Equipment
of Submarines

nREAT BRITAIN asks to have the submarine dis
Il carded by all the navies of the world.
This is not surprising, but it is very surprls-
ing to see American newspapers seconding the re-
quest and urging the Armament Conference to adopt
the recommendation.
The submarine is the only naval weapon that Eng
land fears It threatened her disintegration as
nation by threatening her control of the seas. For
14O yearsever since it was invented by David Bush
nell, a Yale College freshman, in the Revolutionary
War-Great Britain has tried to find some antidote
for it or to destroy it. She tried to suppress the
original invention When that failed she succeeded
in bldmng the world into disbelief in the submarine
Baron Fisher, of Kilverstone first lord of the
British admiralty, in his book published after the
World War, writes:
The most striking feature of the prewar period
the astounding disregard and absolute ricule cast upon
playthngs yet they sent 100000 tons of British tom
mage the bottom of the with their still valuable
and replaceable cargoes When at manoeuvres before
the war young submarine commander had torpedoed
hostile Admiral three tmes-such Is the story-and
claimed the admiras ship prize, all the change he
got for his claim a signal from the admiral You be
damnedp In a memorandum which had printed and
circulated in January, 1914 months before the
war; these words may be found in large capita! letters
The submarine the coming type of vessel for
fighting"
England's naval policy never changes. 1t is like
her diplomacy which always makes alliances with
other powers against the nation which at the mo-
ment she regards as her greatest competitor.
When our own Robert Fulton, inventor of the
steamboat, made an improved American submarine
during the Napoeonic wars he offered it to Will
lam Pitt, then prime minister of England Full
tons boat was modelled after that of Bushnell, the
Yale graduate, made thirty-five years earlier.
It was propelled by hand by one navigator within;
in those days there were, of course no electrical
power, no motors and no steam engines.
Pitt had the intellect and the Imagination to
see the Importance of the invention. He sent Full
ton to Lord ST. Vincent, then first lord of the ad-
miralty with letter of introduction. That bluff
old British sailor exploded with rage as soon as
Fulton showed his plans The British admiralty
chiefs remarks indicate that he Immediately
grasped the significance of Futon's boat. He ex-
claimed:
"What a fool Pitt is! He asks me to encourage
kind of warfare which useless to those who mas
ters of the and which, if succeeds WILL EVEN
DEPRIVE THEM OF THEIR MASTERY"
Lord st. Vincent had no intention of helping Full
ton develop his submarine He tried instead to sup
press ito prevent an enemy from using it. Great
Britain finally offered Fulton large sum of money
for his invention. In letter to Lord Granville
which is still extant, Fulton Indignantly rejected
this proposal: "Not for twenty thousand year."
he wrote, would l do what you suggest"
The submarine has no equal or substitute as
weapon for coast defense for the United States We
Continued Pa ge q Column 2)