The Washington herald., 1921-03-23
An Adequate Navy.

THE arguments in the house of commons in
i support of an amendment to enlarge the Brit
ish naval program have a strangely familiar
ring. Col. Archer-Shea, who offered the amendment,
declared that the provisions of the admiralty were
inadequate to give even a one-power standard. Sir
Frederick Banbury supported the proposal to in
crease the naval program on the ground that what
ever conditions might appear to be- it necessary
to take every precaution against all risks.
In Congress and elsewhere in the discussions of
naval matters we have frequently been told we must
have an adequate navy-a navy which will not only
be adequate a first line of defense but big
enough to protect our commerce. The disconcert-
in thing about such arguments is that the standard
by which adequacy is to be determined is not re-
vealed.
In order to know what is meant by an ADEQUATE
defense, it is necessary to know against whom or
what the defense is being constituted An adequate
defense against Japan is thing; against England
is another; while adequate defense against any
possible combination of powers is still another While
this third possibility appears to be fantastic it is by
no means improbable or impossible if these argu-
ments are followed to their logical conclusion If
the nations of the world convinced that by vir-
tue OF our wealth and resources able and de-
termined to build navy greater than that which
any other nation afford to build there is only
one way by which these other nations can be as
sured of adequate defense against u.s. and that is
by such alliances among themselves as will give
them, with their combined fleets, equality with or
superiority over US.
o.. No matter how vehement and sincere are our
declarations of peaceful intentions, it is ira
dition of diplomacy to view with alarm extrava-
CANT increase of armament by any nation and to
prepare against the menace it involves. Applying
our arguments to their they would be
unwise and foolhardy to do otherwise
The action of the house of commons in defeat
ing the amendment to increase the British naval
program, taken in connection with the speech of
Lord Lee of Fareham in which he said that if
America invited Great Britain to conference to
make agreement the naval question, he was
prepared to drop all other business in order help
that matter forward, puts it up to us to make the
next move.
We can either decline to enter into such dis
cussion as Lord Lee suggests, go forward with our
preparations for an adequate' defense leaving the
British the alternative of making defensive alliances
with nations whose navies combined with theirs will
give them equality with ours, we may take steps
toward an agreement with Great Britain and with
other naval powers which will be well within the
meaning of President Harding's approximate dis
armament" and will relieve and the rest of the
world of the burden and menace of competitive arm
-ament.
The issue which IS before us is distinct from
any question: of our participation in league or as
sociation of nations. 1t is an issue which for the
moment transcends all questions of international re-
lations. 1t is issue which provides an opportu-
nifty for the leaders of our government to perform
an act of practical and constructive craftsmanship.
An understanding agreement with the naval
powers of the world would give the phrase "an ade-
quate navy definite significance, whereas it is
now nebulous in meaning and dangerous in its i'm
plfcations.