The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1921-06-03

Eadany ConSressmen Advocate Non-
 Expenditure on Naval RecOnIznen-
 datiOns, Others Prefer to Test VuI-
 nerabiiity Of Batueship First.
 Washington, Jan. 3-When Presi- dent Harding reaches the moment when he deems it advisable to talk disarmament to the other nations of the world, as he has said he would do when we are at peace, he will lind that he t~~S a powerful sentiment in Congress to back him.
 This sentiment has been brought to the front by the various moves to se- cure peace, and by the fact that at the same time the army and navy appropriations came up for discus sion. With these bills before it Congress had the proposition of eith- CT beginning in some way on the cur tailed armament idea or see huge sums continue to be voted for an expanded programme of military eX- penditure.
 The former course is being vigor- ous1y agitated as a permanent policy by leaders in the House on both mill tary and naval committees and in the Foreign Naval Affairs committee. While there are strong supporters in the House of the heavy armament programme, the men who have to decide on the money to be expended, and where this money is to be Ob- C!tained, are known to be equally strong advocates of the plan to ''cut down as much as is consistent with safety
 This sentiment has crystalized in several resolutions. the most recent of which was introduced by Represen- tative Theodore Burton, of Ohio, which requested the President to con- suit with Great Britain and Japan with a view to substantially reducing the naval expenditures of the three powers.
 Quote Pershing's Opinion.
 The supporters of this idea state forcefully that they are not pacihSt in their ideas. and do not advocate complete disarmament. What they gramme cut radically and those who desire it on other than economic grounds point to statements of other authorities, including General Persh- ing who said recently:
 s'That if the thinking peoples of the world cannot reach such an agreement at this time, in the face of all that has happened, we might very seriously ask ourselves whether civilization was leading us in the right direction, or whether We had reached the point where civilization was ac- tuaIly intent upon destroying IL self"
 On the House Naval Affairs com nittee a strong sentiment exists not for complete disarmament, but for cutting our naval programme, ana, at - the most holding it to its present limits House leaders also point to a forthcoming event which, they say, may mean a cOnSid erably altered Droerannnae of expenditures for both army and navy. If in the forthcom- ing series of duels between battle ships with their powerful batteries aI.1 heavy armor. and the compara- t1yeIv light army bombing planes. the tattleships should be wOrstcd. "3on- gress may shift much of the actual Expenditure now planned for battle ships to moro modern weapons Of the air.
 With respect to the land side of our defenses. there is some difference or opinion, not on. the size of our army, but on its character. The advocates os ,,DfvarsaI service are still waiting for the time to put their ideas In ef- feet. while many of the more con seryative CongressTnen favor volun- es,,o.+ion.1 and other benefits that tbe 1,e0uired men will be obtained.