The New York herald., 1921-01-10
|U.S.NAVY BUILDING
WILL CONTINUE, IS
CONGRESS OPINION
Leaders Believe All Chances
of Giving Up Programme
Are Dead.
ACT ON HARDING HINT
Large Standing Army Not
Needed With a Strong
Force on Sea.
MAHAN'S STAND is CITED
Washington Doubts That Will
: son Will Call "A Disarma-
ment Conference.
ACT ON HARDING HINT
MAHAN'S STAND is CITED

Special Despatch 10 THE New York HERALD
New York Herald Bureau.
Washington, ID. c., Jan. o.
Any possibility of stopping the nava
building programme of the United States
before its completion is now dead. ac-
cording to Republican Congress leaders
Efforts like that of Senator Borah to
bring about an international understand
ing may be encouraged. but with little
hope of any other success than to show
that the nations of the world are nos
ready TO accept a naval holiday" eA-
cept on their own terms. leaving them
the right to obtain or retain supremacy.
The policy OF the Republican party In
the Harding Administration will oppose
any effort to stop carrying out the
American naval programme. The sus-
gestions contained In the dispatches
from Marion yesterday are corroborated
by more complete reports reaching
Washington to-day bearing not only on
the naval programme but on the entire
defence programme Of the Harding Adj
ministration. This attitude will have in
mind the international policy that Sena-
tor Harding will endeavor to carry out
while President.
Suggestions that President Wilson
might call an international conference to
consider naval disarmament are being
subjected to revision. II Is now consid-
cred doubtful if President Wilson will
give this matter any more thought dur
ing his present Administration. In
dealing with the United States on this
and other international subjects foreign
countries have made it plain that they
prefer to deal with the incoming Ad-
ministration.
Revival VIII he I'm New Form.
The result of the entire agitation con-
cerning naval disarmament, coupled
with the intimations coming from
Marion. is that the subject is dead. Its
revival will take an entirely new form.
The Borah resolution inviting a con-
ference of the representatives of Great
Britain, the United States and Japan
may be considered and even adopted
While the real attitude of Senator
Borah is not known many Senators are
supporting his idea because they believe
It will demonstrate the truth of the
Marion intimation that the nations of
the world are not ready to consider
naval disarmament and that discussion
OF the subject is academic.
Information coming to Washington
concerning the conference held by
Chairman Butler of the House Naval
Committee with President-elect Harding
while corroborative of the attitude of
the Presid ent- elect In favor Of the COM
pletion OF Americas naval building pro-
gramme goes further than that.
According to his information the pol
icy of the Harding Administration will
place greater stress upon the navy as
the first line of defence than has ever
been done before. The building Of the
navy will go hand in hand with the
building of the merchant marine and
will have In mind the eventual time
when it will be possible to discuss dis
armament on a basis of practical values
rather than on that of irrational ideal
ism.
Republican leaders in the Naval and
Military Affairs Committees of Congress
are veering TO the beelief that America
policy of military defence should rest
chiefly in a powerful navy. 1t is argued
that the war proved the United States
can build an army within reasonable
degree OF time.