Evening star., 1921-02-22
Editorial Digest
The Navy Issue.

~~S As~'J ~SS
While the Senate committees re-
port in favor of big Navy" has
| turned the thoughts of some of the
editorial writer's away from imme-
| diate plans for disarmament. the ma
| jority of newspapers seem to feel
that there is more merit in support
| ing the Borah plan for holiday"
| than accepting the logic of the COM
, mittee report
The New York World (democratic)
| maintains the attitude which it has
| consistently taken: There is not a
word of generous or enlightened i'm
| pulse in the committees report. 1t
has seized upon the jargon of a Ger
man Imperialism that has been blown
| into fragments and has endeavored
| to fashion that jargon into an Amer
| lean policy. For Deutschland uber
allies it has substituted America uber
allies and presented this pinchbeck
kaiserism as a definition of American
doctrine at a time when the eco
| nomic back of the world is breaking
! under the burden of needless mill
, tary expenditure.
Not only the spirit of the naval
affairs committee is attacked by the
New York Globe Gndependent. but
! it's logic as we'll. They were asked.
the Globe declares, Are airplanes
vi more eHeCIlNe, ana
they replied, IF airplanes are held
| or by other airplanes the battleships
will be very effective" This lex
pensive. provocative and unnecessary
policy" it concludes, could never
get the sanction of a popular vote"
Brooklyn Eagle independent democrat)
which remarks that "if economy is con-
sidered" the logic of the Borah resolu-
ton lis distinctly superior to the logic
of the report"
Of all the proposals, the Borah plan
''alone is practicable and sensible" the
Reno Gazette (republican) believes. al
! though its supporters have been Skill
fully divided by "the naval clique. back
ed by interests that desire America to
be bullying. belligerent nation" The
Cleveland Plain Dealer Independent
democrat) feels that there should be
| no question as to Americas readiness to
agree to any reasonable terms looking
to naval holiday"
The New York Post independently
considers the Senate committees utter
ance a lingo policy" which fortunate
ly" does mot represent the sentiment
of the country" and the Philadelphia
Record independent democrat) calls it
"a population of the nations profession
Of a peaceful policy" and scores the
inconsistency of a Congress that would
''avow militarism on the sea and re-
With this sentiment the Petersburg
(Va.) Index Appeal independently is in
perfect accord.
The best way, in the opinion of the
Chicago Tribune independent republic
CAM ito proceed in naval construction
just now. is to stop it, and while the
st. Louis Globe Democrat Republican,
suggests that "it would probably be poor
policy to suspend naval construction al
ready inaugurated." it sees mo necessi-
ty for starting new work until condi-
tions,' under which future building is to
continue "are made clear"
The New York Times independent
democrat) says: IF the people do not
protest against the general board policy
of more, more and more construction
and the tendency in Congress to neglect
development Of the new auxillar1eS 1t
will be idle to expect a movement to
reduce ornaments or have faith in the
calling of conference for that pur-
pose"
However, there are those who find
only praise for the policy enunciated
by the Senate committee. The COM
mittee is right" fatty announces the
Spokane Spokesman Review inde-
pendent republican,, quoting Admiral
Sims to the effect that you never can
tell what will come out of Europe. NO.
body is taking his hand off his gun"
If this nation expects Ito survive" We
must pay the cost.
Another Pacific coast paper, the
,Seattle Times (independenD comes out
in strong support of the committees
challenge to Congress" which it con-
siders sound, patriotic admonition.
which, it regrets will fall upon deaf
ears" for "congress learned little
from the war with Germany. Self
protection, the Kansas City Journal
(republican) urges. sis a national
duty"
There is no doubt in the mind of the
Boston Transcript independent re-
publican) that the senators have, in
their report, established "the true
American doctrine in sea power, uni
versaI disarmament and the peace of
the world" conforming to the theories
of both Grover Cleveland and Theo-
dore Roosevelt"
If we are to talk disarmament, I'VE
are in better position" to do it. the
Birmingham Age Herald independent
democratic) believes, when our Navy
is equal to the navy of any other
ipower," and until some concrete plan"
is adopted it would be folly" for the
United States ito quit building battle
ships"