Arizona republican., 1921-03-23
A MERICA ,SLARGEST
 BATTLESHIP SLIDES FROMCAMDEN VA YS
IRepubIlcan A. p. Leased Wire1

CAMDEN, N. J., March 22-Argu ments againts disarmament formed the keynote of three speeches at luncheon which followed the launching of the super -dreadnaught Colorado today The speakers were Theodore Roosevelt, assistant secretary of the navy, Sena- tor H. D. Nicholson of Colorado, whose daughter, Mrs. Max Melville of Den yer, sponsored the great war craft, and Representative P. H. Kelley of Michigan. chairman of the house sub committee on naval appropriations
 Many naval officers, representatives of the army, men prominent in public affairs, shipbuilders and leaders in other professions were in the throng which gathered at the Camden plant of the New York Shipbuilding com pany to watch the huge mass of steel slide gracefully into the Delaware from her ways beside her sister ship. the uncompleted Washington. And these same distinguished men, at the lunch con, were enthusiastic in voicing ap proval of the pleas against disarma- ment and for a navy second to no other.
 We are faced by critical period and all of us must make up our minds to accept certain responsibility and do certain things" said MT. Roosevelt. There are people who, for one reason or another. are talking against the navy, saying the country should dis arm. Some are perfectly sincere paci- fists. some are perfectly sincere fools. and. incidentally. they are the same thing"
 The average person. he said thinks the battle cruisers a type of ship in- ferior to the battleship, and he pleaded for this type of craft, declaring it to be as forceful as anything afloat
 What we want in this country is this he declared. We want a strong navy. our present program completed, a balanced navy navy with a high morale, high as 1t has always been in the past. And a navy that is at all l times capable Of going into action" I do not care what program Engla Id may have in building a navy" said Senator Nicholson. '1 do not care what program Japan may have. I want a navy that will protect every American citizen wherever he may be in his law | full right to protection I have no pa- i tience with the feeble minded people who talk about disarmament I want a navy in keeping with the power and dignity of this great nation" Arguing for the completion of the
 1916 program. Representative Kelly said:
 There should be no economical saw ! ing not to complete if; it would cost l as much now to stop the work as tc finish it. When these 16 powerful ! snips are added to those we now have to my judgment the American navy will be second to none. I do not know whether there will be a reduction oi
 armament. There will never be such | a thing as disarmament. reduction
 must proceed upon a proper basis.
 "The question of great navies is ! largely a question for Great Britain l and the United States. If Great Britain and the United States agree to scrar some old ships and stop expense on old craft-reduce the size of the navy from the bottom-why. when this new pro-
 gram IS completed, we could afford, 1T l my Judgment, to make a proposition
 to Great Britain for proportionate re- auction from the bottom. And witt the navy that we would have left al
 brand new, the most powerful ships ot
 their kind afloat, we would get along
 first rate"