The Washington herald., 1921-06-22
HOUSE CONFEREES
AGREE TO ACCEPT :
BORAHNAVALBIL!L
MAY Provide for World
Curtailment of Sea
Force Expansion.

A. aSrssment reached by tne
eonferees on the naval appropi
tion bill yesterday paves the "'
:, "a now believed. for the trump"
:, ,bs Borah amendment providins
for an international curtailmeh' u
naval expansion
Facing a spreading Republican
reyolt in the House agalnst the az
-,inistration's attitude on the ques
ton the House conferees gave UP
their fight to eliminate or mooliy
m. Borah amendment and agreed
80 acc.nt IL The Senate conferees
ysre forced to yield the elimlha-
tjon ~ nearly all the $sS'OOo'oOo
increase in the appropriations oS
the Senate.
Nav Press Disarmament idea.
TIL. surrender of the House con-
f.r.es will bring the Borah amend
ment sauarely before the House.
where IL is expected that its adop-
ton will speedily follow. although
Representative Mondell, Republican
leader, and Representative Porter
chairman of the Foreign Affairs
committee, insist they will continue
to press their disarmament pro-
posal. which has the backing OF
President Harding.
The Borah amendment, unani-
mously adopted by the Senate. re-
quests the President to enter into
negotiations with Great Britain and
Japan for the curtailment of naval
building. The substitute, drafted
by MondeII and Porter with the ad-
ministration's approval. would in
volve the curtailment of naval
building in the endless and intri-
cate controversy over general land
disarmament and would cypress the
concurrence of the House in the
Presidents efforts to effect a reduc-
tion of ornaments.
Substitute Plan Failed.
Charges have been made that the
substitute proposal was designed 20
kill the Borah amendment Re
publican leaders in the House an
nounced last week that they would
press their substitute to a vote as
an entirely separate resolution on
Monday. When they began a can
vass of the situation they discoV-
cred that there was strong SEN
timent against their plan among
the Republicans and that they
would have to combat a healthy in
surgent move allied with the solid
Democratic strength.
The Ohio delegation, composed
entirely of Republicans, held a con-
ference and decided to bolt, al
though there were differences as
to the method of bolting. Some OF
the Ohioans announced that they
Il
ment, while others wanted Repre-
sentative Burton, one Of the lead
ing international authorities in
Congress. to draft substitute.
Burton drafted a substitute. but the
Republican members OF the For
eign Affairs committee turned 1t
down. Then the Wisconsin delega-
tion went on the rampage and de-
cided. almost unanimously. to sup
port the Borah resolution.
Would Involve Naval Expenditures
With this situation behind them.
the House conferees went into the
naval conference yesterday in a
badly weakened condition. The ar
Eument was made that dragging in
the whole question OF general dis
armament on land as well as on
sea would involve the question of
cutting down naval expenditures in
hopeless ENHANCEMENT. On the
other hand. it was pointed out that
the United States. without waiting
for action OF other powers, has
cut the size of its army to 1000
men, leaving hardly enough ror po-
licing purposes.
Another influential factor in the
situation was the speech of Pre-
mier Lloyd George Monday, in
which he expressed willingness on
the part of the British government
to enter into naval building holi-
day with the United States and
Japan In this connection, Senator
Borah issued a statement in which
he declared that public sentiment in
all three countries is practically
united in favor OF cutting down
naval expenditures.
The opportunity is here for the
united States to lead the way" said
Borah. If we falter. or refuse
the situation will be. so far as the
naval race is concerned, precisely
as twas between Germany and
england after their failure to oct
a conference from 1900 to 1908 To
continue on such a course is sheer
madness"