The Washington times., 1921-12-04

bottom Of the ocean to live with
McGinty and the fishes.
The best object-lesson tho world
coula have" said the British pre-.
mier. would he for the allied navies
to escort the whole German navy
into mid-ocean. and there ostenta.
tioasly sink them. to the accompan-
iment Of the national airs Of the vic
torious nations" \
Some Of the allied nations would
not consent to this destruction OF
the German ships. but later the Ger.
mans themselves sunk them in deep
sea. thus carrying out the policy ia
vored by tie British and American
naval authorities.
What Lloyd George and Woodrow
Wilson wanted to do to the German
fleet In 1919, this disarmament acon.
ference should adopt with reference
TO all submarines.
SHARKS" ARE MENACE
No nation can feel safe 80 long n
these sharks are permitted in the
seas. A nation, willing 20 violate
agreements, or one not bound by
agreement, could build the parts In
separate establishments, and in n
brief time assemble without the
knowledge Of other nations. So long
as these hornets are tolerated no.
body can be assured that flotillas of
them may not be plying their as
sassination without warning. Sir
Percy Scott. who says dreadnaughts
are Anticipated, also said that IL
Germany had possessed fifty more
submarines in 1914. the British Isles
could have been made a German
colony.
2. The second defect was the omis.
sion of reference to aircraft. I'm
the Judgment of many experts, the
day IL not far distant when AIRY
navies graphing in the central blue"
will be more menacins to peace
than all the dreadnaughts on the
surface of the sea. We refused to
permit Germany to build aircraft.
The allied and associated nations
should look ahead and put limit
tons upon that coming great mil!
tary agency.
One would Judge by reading 40
much about the big cost of battle.
ships and the burden Of navies and
30 little about what armies cost the
the taxpayers that the navy was
the most expensive branch of the
lighting force. The reverse is true.
Armies are not only more menacing
to the peace Of the world than
navies. but they are at this tim,
costing twice as much as naval es.
tablishments. -,
How does 1t stand now, with the
expense included OF building by the
United States of half a dozen of
the greatest capital ships in the
world! In 1921 We spent on the
navy $64s,722 900. In the same
year we spent o., the army $751;
742 900. In other words, in 1891
the maintenance Of our army had
grown so that 1t cost as much an
the navy in both 1921 and 1914.
FIGURES ARE TRUMPETs.
The figures speak trumpet
tongued for disarmament Of land
forces. I have no doubt that Pres
ident Harding ard the American
delegation I'm the disarmament con-
ference acted wisely in raising at
the beginning Of the conference
the single and simple issue Of ma
val reduction. hope destruc-
ton Of all submarines will be in
cluded. That completed, the larger
and more important question Of
The reduction of land forces will
be a necessary complement Of the
reduction Of naval fighting
strength.
What country then, II any, viii
get in the shoes occupied by Ger
many at tho Hague conference
when Germany's military represen-
tatives declared 4 would be impos-
sible because Of many complica-
tons to agree. when the military
COMMITTEES reported that It would
be difficult to fix, even for a Do
riod Of five years, the figures Of
the electives without regarding at
the same time other elements OF
the national defense" and nothing
was done. though the committee
recommended that "a more thea.
ough study Of the questions by the
governments themselves is desira.
ble."
The more thorough study" re-
suited in such increase in military
strength that Germany was able to
precipitate the awful war in 1914
And il the Washington conference
should adjourn without definite lin
itation of land, as well as sea, arm.
ament, who can predict what would
10 Tho ,oc,,Ito