The Washington times., 1921-11-14

A START. at Least.
And Definits.
We Yield Most. 7
What About Arniss1
ARTHUR BRISBANE
Copyright. lsai.)

S6oSos W Iuo W0onm&LOn
conference know, from Secretary
hughes, that this country has
something definite to propose. It
can be put in five words, "Let us
stop our nonsense"
With the world racing to spend
thrift destruction. the sensible sug-
gestion is. LET us stop right here
and talk it over"
And that is Mr.. Hughes sugges-
ton made for the United States.
No more warship building for
Ten years. No finishing of ships
now building. And the plan in
voives the scrapping Of sixty-six
great lighting ships. The United
states, England and Japan are to
ee the three nations in the plan,
Tor they are the three great naval
powers.
The proposal is definite, drastic,
revolutionary, new IN the worlds
history, and is all written out in
detail. Some ships completed are
20. be actually destroyed within
Inree months-hundreds of mil
lions invested in killing machinery
70 be wiped out. All ships build
ing now 60 to the junk pile. In ten
years nothing now existing would
be worth using anyhow, even il
someone played false and saved the
partly finished vessels.
The ships that must be de-
stroyed, although now in the
water, ready, and the ships that
each Of the three nations NAV
Keep. are named. No room for
mistakes.
The United States shows good
faith in making the greatest sac
rifice in ships. money. and size.
With our wealth we could bank
rupt the world, including England
and Japan. at the shipbuilding
game.
Instead Of that. we agree to
scrap thirty-three vessels of 843,-
I4O tons, against nineteen Eng
lisb ships of 583,372 tons, and
seventeen Japanese ships of 448.-
929 tons.
England's king. in his latest
speech. said England must always
have the biggest navy. We could
have replied: "All right. 20
ahead and let US see who will
last longer" Even If England
used the billions borrowed from
us to build ships against us, we
could put her in bankruptcy
easily.
We take q different tone and
say that ,England's navy. COM
pared with ours, may be as SIX
is to five. We say. "You want
the biggest navy? Have it.
Well consent to your navy being
one-sixth bigger than ours. al
though we have twice your white
population and twice your money"
The plan ultimately is to have
English and American fleets
equal, the Japanese navy not to
exceed 60 per cent of either of
the other two. With England
and Japan united in alliance. that
would mean an Anglo-Japanese
fleet by 60 per cent greater than
ours, and we consent. 1t is not
merely that we consider 160 to
100 pretty fair odds for US. but
that we want to show GOOD
FAITH. And we are showing it.
How will the nations, England
especially. receive the suggestion? :?
II accepted. it takes from the ma
.ions, as individuals, the right to
"do as they choose with their
own" according to the sacred an
cient formula. 1t is not humanity
revolving against the barbarism
of war, but business common
sense revolving against going
bankrupt.
This country. which has least
cause to fear financial ruin, Of
fers the way to other big naval
mowers. 1t will mean a saving
Of $500, ,000, 900 year to each OF
them in one single direction. 1t
will release from wasting time
IN Ine navy ltiiS VI tifOuSoiiNo
made available for productive
work.
Nothing is said about flying
machines, since machines built
for peace could at once be used
in war. That which will carry
mail bags will carry bombs. Our
postofice needs, with Hays man
aging the department for the
President, will take care of the
country in that direction.
An effort will be made to reg
Mate building merchant ships
that could be used for naval
fighting. 1t won't be easy to regu-
late. A gigantic fast passenger
or freight ship could easily take
on board long-range guns. Pro-
tected by submarines, destroy
ers, and air craft, such a con-
verted merchantmen-with guns
of range sufficient-could wipe
out battleships.
But, at least, an attempt is
made to stop the spending be-