The Washington herald., 1921-01-21
Borah's Negotiation Fea.
ture Lost-Treaty Plan
Substituted.
INCLUDES ONLY
ENGLAND, JAPAN
Pact With Two Powers
Authorized by Party
Vote.
by FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.

By ma aJOGlty vote IN executive
session the Foreign Relations COM
mittee of the Senate yesterday au-
thorized the President to negotiate
a five-year naval holiday" treaty
with Great Britain and Japan.
There is no reason as yet for ad-
vocates of naval retrenchment to
rejoice.
On its face the committees sc-
ton appears to endorse the reso-
luton introduced by Senator Borsh
on December VA. 1920. with a view
to bringing about a speedy cessa
tion of the ruinous Anglo-Amcri-
CanJspanese competition in naval
armamcnts.
Actually. the form in which the
original borah resolution emerges-
the proposal of a "treaty"-forc-
shadows interminablc delay in
achieving the desired result
Friends of a prompt and sane un-
dcrstanding are in corresponding
gloom. At the best, they see no
prospect of real action of any
kind until the advent of the Hard
ing administration.
Wilson's shutters Are Up.
Congress is in jam of more or
less urgent legislation like the
emergency tariff bill and the van
ishing Wilson administration. IN
the realm of fresh international sC-
tivities, has put up its shutters. At
the worst. supporters Of a naval
retrenchment contemplate a long
drawn-out period of those diplo-
matte exchanges inseparable from
negotiation Of a treaty" Senator
Borshs resolution called for ap-
rroaches to Great Britain and ia
pan with a view of quickly COM
ing TO an understanding"
The difference in International m
terCourse between an understand
ing" and a treaty" approXimates
the distance between the earth and
the moon. Those who hoped for
clean-cpt action along the lines of
the Borah proposal profess to see
interests of various kinds at work,
bent upon retarding or smothering
altogether a movement for which,
it is asserted. the countr yhas re-
vealed a unanimity OF support sell
dom known in American politics.
Ffft Per Cent Cut Omitted.
In addition to striking out Sena-
tor Borahs proposal for an under
standing" the Foreign Relations
Committee deleted his suggestion Of
so per cent scale of reduction in
the present building program Of the
three foremost naval powers.
Senator Borah said last night:
II am interested in this project
purely as a citizen and a Senator
and not as a partisan. l cannot con-
ceive of anything partisan in 1t.
should like to see the project make
progress as rapidly as possible. In
so far as can. shall urge the mat
ter to a conclusion
The father of the naval holiday"
scheme allowed it to be inferred
that he is not hopeful Of prompt aC-
tion.
In other quarters at the Capitol
the view prevailed that the Repub-
lican high command is bent upon
holding up the projection until it
can be launched as the child of the
Harding administration.
Pomerene Amendment Lost.
The resolving portion" Of the
resolution introduced by Senator
Walsh, of Montana. requesting the
President to sendIan American rep
resentative to the general disarm-
ament (naval and military commit
tee OF the league of nations, was
offered by Senator Pomerene. 1t
was defeated by a party vote. with
the exception of Senator Shields
(Democrat), who voted with the
Republican majority.
Senator McCubzer's amendment to
the Borah resolution, designed to
include France and Italy in an
Anglo American japanese naval
holiday, also was defeated, only
Senator John Sharp williams (Dem-
ocrat) supporting it.
Secretary of the Navy Daniels,
who has been opposing the Borah
project of a tripartite naval under
standing on the ground it would
provoke Counter alliances" began
backing down from that position
yesterday. He now thinks it might
be a good thing II there was a quin-
tuple arrangement - among Amer
lea, Great Britain, Japan, France
and Italy-instead of the triple un-
derstanding originally projected by
Senator Borah.
Thinks Holiday UnSound.
Daniels maintains his hostility to
a naval holiday as AN unsound
He thinks it would
result in nothing but tangle and
troubles for the United States gov
ernment in the shape OF suits to
enforce shipbuilding contracts"
The Secretary reiterated his srgu-
ments about destruction OF our
whole scheme of naval construe-
tion, Generalization of business
policy, paralysis of shipbuilding
plants and deterioration of vessels