The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1921-02-09
OFFICERS TALK OF
DISARMAMENT
Ten From Navy and One of
Army
CONFERENCE TO COME
Chairman Butler of House Naval
Committee Says International
Meeting Will Be Held

Washington. Feb. 4-Sat atisfied from
testimony of "A large number of wit
nesses that calling of an interna-
tional conference TO discuss disarma-
hment would meet with general ap-
proval, the house naval committee to-
! day called before it ten high officers
of the navy and one Of the army and
heard vast amount of divergent and
confusing testimony as to whether
aircraft had made capital naval yes
sells useless.
Before the committee settled down
to listen to the officers, however,
Chairman Butler announced positive
ly that an international disarmament
conference would be called by this
country. He did not say when the
call would go out. but II was as
sumed from his line of questioning
that IL would be shortly after Presi-
dent-elect Harding, with whom Mr.
Butler recently conferred, takes Of
flee.
Rear Admiral William s. Sims.
wartime commander of all American
naval forces in European waters and
present head of the naval war col
lege. the first witness called, cCunsel-
led against immediate abandonment
OF the capital ship. He added, how
ever. that If aerial forces demon
strated the value he expected them
to i'm the near future. they would
soon make major surface craft use
less. He opposed disseminating work
on the great 1916 naval building pro-
gram and declared nobody is going
to take his hand off his gun until
conditions become settled in Europe
The superiority Of the battle
ship over the airplane or sub
marine was defended By Rear
Admiral Charles S. Badger, head Of
the general board and former COM
mander of the Atlantic feet, who de-
clarcd that battleships and battle
cruisers would remain the backbone
of the feet for years to come. He
did not believe, he said, thai any
thing very definite would come out of
the proposed disarmament confer
encc. but said it was u worth while
effort. -.
till-another view was presented by
Rear Admiral Bradley a. Fiskc, re-
tired. former member of the general
board and inventor of the torpedo
plane. who told the committee that
aerial dreadnoughts would be the
capital ships Of the future
Brig. Gen. William Mitchell, chief
of training and operations of The
army air service. called to the stand
told the committee that il was a sim
pie matter for air forces to hit and
destroy a battleship and repeated his
testimony OF last week before the APP
preparations committee to the effect
that aerial development had made
surface navies obsolete.
General Mitchell cleared up one
point that had been causing the com
mittce some wondcrment all day
when he declared that data, supposed
ny navy officials to be secret, but dis
closed by him before senate COM
mittee, had been secured by army Of
hcers who attended the bombing of
the old battleship Indiana q. the in
vitation OF Secretary Daniels.
General Mitchell was on the stand
when the session concluded and will
continue his testimony tomorrow.
All Of the naval officers who testi-
fed stressed the necessity for the
imis liate construction of high speed
.airp.anc carrying ships
While the house committee heard
u IS testimony the senate naval sub
committee drafted an adverse report
on the resolution presented by SEN
ator Borah. Republican. of Idaho
providing for a six months supen-
sion of naval building while experts
study the best stypcs of ships.