New Mexico state record. (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1914-19??, 1921-06-24
STEPS TOWARD A
NAVAL HOLIDAY
UNITED STATES is FEELING OUT
THE SENTIMENT OF THE
BRITISH AND JAPANESE.
B0RAH PLAN BEFORE HOUSE
Suggestion There That Proposed Con-
ference Consider Also Army Dlsarm-
ament Causes Trouble-Europe Is
Not Yet Ready for That.
BY EDWARD B. CLARK.

BY EDWARD B.. CLARK.
NashIngton.-Directly from admins
tration circles has come admission
that the authorities of Great Britain
and japan are being felt out TO deter
mine their attitude toward the pro
posed conference on naval disarua
ment.
The admission OF this subject Is OF
interest BECAUSE 1t proves the admins,
sratlOn has believed for some time that
.he disarmament conference resolution
certainly would be passed by the sen
ATE In Its original form, and by both
houses finally in some form or other
II is not customary for an udministra.
non 10 attempt to find out how for
eleh governments will feel about a
matter unless 1t is pretty definitely
known that the matter is to be put
up to them for consideration.
The BOrah resolution for disarma.
meht, or rather the BOrah amendment
10 the naval appropriation bill, wus
passed without opposition by the sen
ate. o the house, when ii took the
matter up, was favorable TO the prOpo-
sltlon, but some elements In the mem
bership tried to force a provision into
the amendment which would make the
disarmament conference take cogni-
zance not only of navy disarmament
but of army disarmament.
This suggestion on the part of the
house Instantly brought trouble. and
the reason Is not hard to understand.
Hundreds of letters have come into
Washington from all over the coun-
try asking why. If congress intended
to indorse the proposition for a con
ference looking to naval disarmament,
Ii did not take army disarmament into
consideration.
Can't Oisarm Their Armies Yet.
AS things are In Europe today,
neither France nor Great Britain nor
Italy would consent for a moment to
disarm its armies. Europe Is still Il
boiling pot of war, here, there and
elsewhere; or If not n boiling pot Of
actual war, a pot boiling with war pos
sibilities. 1t has been limited by some
persons that the reason some members
of the house desire that army dis
armament should be given consider
alton by the conference is that, be-
cause Great Britain and Japan would
not consent 10 give 1t consideration,
the whole disarmament proposition
would be thrown into the discard.
Washington already is beginning to
speculate on what the outcome will
be If a conference on naval disarm-
ament is held with representatives Of
Great Britain, Japan and the United
States taking part therein. There will
be a thousand aud one things TO be
considered. The representatives, of
nation will feel their way and
will be constantly on their guard lest
the representatives OF another nation
are %quibbllng, hedging or keeping back
Any agreement that IL
reached must be iron clad.
There is n thing, however, which
tend to make binding q naval
proposition. The fulfill
Of the terms of such an agree.
ment, or the lack OF fulfllment, In.
would be detected. No nation
can cover up its ship building oper-
atoms. If, for instance, Japan should
go on constructing dreadnoughts after
Il had agreed to refrain from so doing.
the United States and Great Britain
would know 1t at once.
Lesson Of Recent Air Tragedy.
The recent appalling accident,
is better, that brought death
the pilot and six passenger aviators
n an airplane which crashed To earth
near Indian Head, Md, may have one
,eneficent result. 1t nay induce
congress to establish altitude OBSERVE
ion posts along the air highways 50
hat travelling plane men instantly may
,e Informed of suddenly generated
curse.
From time to time | have written
oncerning the ayiators' urgent belief
hat such altitude stations should be
established. Accidents of the nd
which just has occurred have been
.redicted because of the absence of
he danger signal posts of the kind
Is one justified In saying that the
even dead would be alive today If the
overnment had proper regard for the
YES Of Its own? Probably one is So ,
justified, because ever since the day ,
f the armlstice the authorities have {
cen urged TO provide the means to I
lake safe the paths Of the flying men. |
rmy, navy. postal and commercial. =
.uropean countries acted long ago to
Jacquard their fliers.
The dead are dead. and now per |
apps the United States government O
i'll act and will make provision for
observation stations through d
ut the land so that the long-distance 1
Iers may learn of danger, quick =
bringing, that may lie ahead. AL 1
,ady, however, one or two Of the Off 5
ais who may feel responsibility for L
le past neglect of advice and plead n
rs, are saying that the storm was {
70 sudden to be reported. Wireless Il