Omaha daily bee., 1921-06-01
No Naval HOLIDAYS
For i. S. Without
OF her Countries
Senate Rejects Lenroot Amend.
ment to Cut $25,0OO,0OO
From 1922 Building
Program.
Chicago Tribune Omaha Bee Leased Wire.

Chicago Tribune Omaha Bee Leased Wire.
Washington, May 81 -Notwitll-
standing its unanimously expressed
desire for an international naval
holiday, the senate made it en-
phatically plain that the United
States is determined to go the limit
in naval building unless Great Britain
and Japan agree to join in a pro-
portionate reduction program.
By vote of s. to 20 it rejected
an amendment offered by Senator
Lenroot of Wisconsin, republican, to
cut $25,000,000 from the appropria-
ton in the naval bill for carrying
out the program to make the United
States the foremost sea power in the
world by 1924. The Lenroot amend
ment would have reduced the ap-
preparation Of $63,000,000 for battle
ship construction during the fiscal
year of 1922 to $38,000,000. The
total amount carried in the bill for
naval construction is approximately
$105,000,0o0.
Poindexter Defines Stand.
In the debate preceding the vote
on the Lenroot amendment, Senator
Poindexter of Washington, acting
chairman of the naval committee,
served notice that "the big navy"
faction which he represented would
insist that any international naval
reduction agreement entered by the
United States must be based on an
American navy equal to that OF
Great Britain. The senator init
mated that the disarmament advo-
Gates were, on the whole, carrying
on the tradition of pacihsm which
opposed the war with Germany when
Germany attempted to run amuck on
the high seas.
Senator Lenroot argued that there
was no necessity for the United
States having the largest navy in
the world and said he saw no rea-
son for trying to outstrip Great
Britain.
"Does the senator think we ought
to take off our hats every time we
meet Great Britain and bow" asked
Senator Poindexter.
II am very glad to get the sena-
tors real views gradually into this
debate" replied Senator Lenroot.
"Do I understand the position OF
the senator from Washington to be
that he will not be willing to enter
into any agreement for limitation
of arn1aments unless in that agree
ment it is stipulated that the United
States shall be the first naval power
in fhe world?"
u. S. Must Be Equal.
"On the contrary, | do not want
the United States to be the first, but
/ do want it to be the equal of any
other" answered Senator Poindexter.
Il, myself, will not agree to enter
into any agreement of limitation
of armament except upon the basis
that we shall be assured that the
United States will be substantially
and practically equal to any other
power in the world upon the seas"
While the senate was making clear
its stand, President Harding let it
be known that he had had "feelers"
out abroad regarding naval eurtail-
ment before the senate adopted the
Borah amendment requesting the
president to negotiate with Great
Britain and Japan i'll the matter. The
president did not give any details re-
garding these "feelers," but it is
presumed here that he referred to in
formal conversations on the subject
by Ambassador Harvey with British
officials and the American charge at
Toxic with leaders OF the japanese
government.