The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1921-11-21
HUGHES PROPOSAL GREATEST DOCUMENT
OF CENTURY; STARTLING PROSPECTS
Direct and Indirect Effects Of Conference;
England Orders Construction Of War
ships Stopped; Japan Offers
to Leave Shantung

this, that instead of waiting for tel
years before building any ships 70
replacement, that they cut down tn
capacity of the shipyards to wher
i. they could only build one ship at
time, and dismantle the rest Of tn
/ shipyards, merely keeping handful
OF skilled w0rkmen employed all tn
time, instead --of keeping up th
shipyards and the PERSONAL for sucl
activity as might be needed after tel
years. This plan received consider
able endorsement at first thought
but on further analysis it was in
sisted that it be discarded because
first, it was a modification of tn,
Hughes proposal and they did no
wish to have is modified at all. Il
one nation should make modifica
tion, others might ask for modifica
tions and that would lead to- a debate
which might get them further away
from the great object they set out tc
attain. Another reason for refusing
to consider the British proposition
was that the natural affect of Il
would be to cut down armaments
and stop construction work far be-
yond what was contemplated in the
Hughes direct proposal and that by
the expiration of the ten years
agreed upon, nobody would want to
build any more fighting machines,
and thereby 1t would ned. AS the
various delegates have considered
| this phase of it, they have been
startled by the far reaching effects of
the original document read at the
first session.
Some Startling Prospects
They have been startled by the
far reaching effect of the Hughes
plan, as originally stated. They
were startled by the reading Of the
original proposition. They were
startled by the affect it would have
in the further reduction of arma-
ment after the agreement was put
into affect; and again they were
[startled by the prospects that none
of the nations would have any use
for ship yards in ten years from
now, excepting such shipyards as are
maintained for building merchant
ships.
So sweeping and so sudden has
been the development pointing to the
absolute cessation of naval construc-
tion, making such stupendous saw
ings to the taxpayers, by stopping
construction, and turning SO many
thousands of men out of employ
ment, making hard times for them,
that out Of all of those things, those
prospects, the firms and people d.
rectly affected by this change and
this adjustment, that they have been
putting up a protest, and suggesting
what a damage it would be, what
hardships 1t would entail upon these
people affected, just as the saloon
keepers and the owners of breweries
IN the earlier stages Of the prohibi-
tion movement set up the cries that
it would destroy business by turn
ing people away from employment
at the breweries, and how 1t was
destroying a market for corn and
rye, and how saloon keepers and bar
tenders would be out of employ
ment, utterly disregarding the big
broad end of the proposition. These
objections based on petty selfishness
and on other cruelty to the people
affected by war, are compared to the
squeaking of mice mingled with the
great music of the world.
Good Roads VS.. Battleships
Those people have utterly disre-
garded the fact that one of the great
burdens of the world, one of the |
great undertakings that has appalled,
the public by a immensity, is the |
construction of good roads, and |
especially in America is this such a
stupendous task that 1t wearies the
public mind to contemplate 1t. The I
men holding the broader view of this |
loss OF employment spoken Of in the
preceding paragraph, dispose of it |
all by saying that the people leav-
ing employment in the shipyards
can be employed in road construc-
ton, and the hundreds Of millions |
annually for naval con-
struction can be put into good roads
ana bridges.
Some Indirect Results
British statesmen in commenting
On the stopping of construction work
On the one hundred and sixty mil
ion dollars worth of battle ships on
he Clyde have forseen that stopping
hat construction work will also
make it unnecessary to provide very
many other things that are Of tre-
nendous expense, and following out
hese estimates they reached the con-
,lusion that when the admiralty
stops construction work on those
particular battleships, they not only
ave the one hundred and sixty mill
Ion dollars entering into that con-
'truction work, but they would be
lble to save about three hundred and
orty million dollars worth Of in
lirect expenses that must neces-
arily follow the construction Of the
,attleships, All of these things are
taggering pieces Of information for
he world, and the statesmen Of the
world. They all reflect back. to the
influence OF the Hughes
'roposal. sf94ls
ID . + fa / I