The New York herald., 1921-11-17
Make Clean Sweep Now of All
Outlaw Warfare.

In his fine, frank speech of Tues
day Mr.. BALFoUR, accepting the
American proposals for the reduction
of naval armament, went step fur
ther than even Mr.. HUGHES had gone.
The head of the British delegation
declared his belief that in the Hughes
programme too great an amount Of
tonnage had been permitted for sub
marines. He suggested the possibil-
ity of eliminating all submarines
whose size would make them useful
as weapons of offence.
With sense of the happiness with
which the whole world has received
the American programme and its ac-
ceptance by four other great Powers
TIE New YORK HERALD believes tha!
the conference can, and should, take
step even longer than Mr.. BAL
FOUR has taken. If England, whose
very life depends upon the protection
Of her seaborne commerce, has the
courage and the sense to turn down
the submarine in part, why mot
IN full? Let the conference show
in this matter the same brave wis
dom that has characterized its mo-
mentous sessions.
Let it strike the submarine entirely
from the list of instruments per.
mitted in warfare. If nations must
fight, let them fight like men and not
like the shark and the squid.
The submarine was never weapon
OF fair fight. The world knew, when
1t heard the news of the first subma.
rine in the war, that it was tool of
cowardice.
N When that fine old British sailor
Admiral FISHER heard that a Ger
man submersible was at work in the
war he declared that if he captured
1t he would hang its crew from the
yardarm as pirates. And every man
and woman Of red blood felt instinc-
lively that FISHER was right. Un-
fortunatai,, tbara r,o. no e,,,t, booo
ing; instead, the Allies undertook
to match submarines with subma-
rines as they had to meet gas with
gas; as they were compelled to parry
every damnable weapon with its
like. Yet the submarine was de
feated by ships which rode honestly
on the waves. for between SIMS and
the clever minds of the British navy
1t was bafled and put out Of
business.
More than any other tool of war
except gas, the submarine Is remem
bered for the disreputable things i
did. You cannot think of a subma
rine without recalling the fate of tn,
Lusitania, of KITCHENER and OF hos
pital ships.
Men admire fighters. but the,
despise assassins. They cheer foi
battleships, but not for submarines
There has never been, never will be
enthusiasm for anybody or anything
that strikes in the dark.
II It could be possible so to limi
the size Of submarines as to max
them available only In warding OF
attack, then Mr.. BALFoUR's amend
ment might go far enough. But
submersible that is adequate for dt
fence is capable in its stealthy way o
sinking the Olympic and sendin
thousands OF human beings to thei
death, whether they be combatant
5r not.
It would be much better II tn
universal rule of warfare forbade tn
use OF the submarine in any siz,
With no nation using IL there coul
- no disadvantage to any.
Five great nations have alread
promised their people that they vii
tighten the tax load by putting asld
heavy and unnecessary naval arms
ment. They have set afame, all owe
the earth. the minds Of men. The
have renewed the eagerness and tn