The New York herald., 1921-12-19
London Editor Says France
Now Has No Navy Worth
Mentioning.
USELESS IN TEN YEARS
Therefore, He Contends, Ten
Capital Ships Are Not Much
. Cause for Alarm.
by wICKHAM sTEEp.
Editor Of london Times.


Editor Of london Times.
Copyright, 1921, by United Neacs.
WASHINGTON. Dec. lS.--The last
forty-eight hours have been breezy,
The inexperienced might call them
squally, and think the swell in con-
ference waters ominous of coming
storms and wrecks. Others think the
swell merely means that a storm has
passed to leeward.
Nautical metaphor seems apt, in
more ways than one. The fine old
French seaman, Admiral de Bon.
whose heart distinguished British
sailor recently won by saying that he
would be proud to serve under him as
armament committee of his presence
! on Friday in a manner worthy of Nep-
tune himself. Even Americans, who
remember that Adnirals sometimes fail
to measure their words, were taken
aback when Admiral de Bon thrust his
head above an otherwise placid sur
face, saying: "CdCe! Adsunt!" and
demanded for France ten capital ships
OF $4,000 tons each, TO be built during
| the naval holiday. Holiday tasks are
not unknown in the United States;
but the American feeling, in which
others shared. seems to have been that
this was some task"
In his best sea dog manner Admiral
de Bon---who Is really the gentlest of
souls and very decorative to boot
soundly rated the committee for havirg
as he imagined. ignored the needs of
the French navy. The idea OF suggest
ing a naval ratio for France without.
previous official consideration OF the
technical statement repaired some
weeks ago by her naval experts. he
seemed TO regard as little short OF an
iulpertinence. Lli
He Used Old Sea Tactics.
Admiral do Bon perhaps did not know
Of informal conversations that have
taken place between NM. BRAND and
Viviani and their american and British
colleagues on the French naval ratio.
Nor did It seem to occur TO him that
at the outset Mr.. Hughes had treated all
the other Powers in the same way. and
and that none of them had resented it.
But IL is not a sea logs business to look
for extenuating circumstances. His job
is TO get in his blow. IL not first, at any
rate effectively.
rffira~tr az $hr
tionable. 1T shocked the whole confer
ence, and Washington has Stree b.eL
resounding with the noise Of It. Mr..
Hughes. whom all hold very able, but
whom none has ever called meek, is
understood to have rotalisted with
something between tho retort courteous
and the countercheclx quasreisome. With
most elegant courtesy Mr.. Balfeur titr
laid bare the implications of the French
demand and left poor Neptune bemussd
but unconvinced. italy presently in IL
Gated her acceptance Of the LIS ra 10.
which. as proposed by the United Statee
for France, had aroused Admiral de
Bon's ire.
With all respect 70 the gallant Admiral
ard TO the French delegates, the method
they chose was approximately the least
adapted TO produce favorable imprea-
sion on American minds. or indeed upon
the other delegations. II played straight
into the hands of those who tirelessly in
culcate upon tho American public the
doctrine of the fundamental and incorri-
gible miitarism Of French policy. II is
pitlful that the French people. who s-e
perhaps more solidly pacific and more
dominated by the horror of war than any
other people in the civilized world, !
should constantly be exposed to the ap-
parently colorado suspicion that they or
their representatives harbor unpsaceful
designs Yet this is the case. Had the
French demands, which are by no means
devoid of some justification. been pre-
sented differently, or conceived In an
other spirit. they would undoubtedly
have met with sympathetic considera-
tion.
The Prevailing Impression.
AS 70 was the impression went forth
that France. whose spokesmen have en-
plcyed high oloauence to justify heavy
expenditure on the land forces needed
for national security actually proposes
70 epend $500. 1000. 900 at par OF ex-
change during the next ten years, and
proposes it at conference summoned
for tho diminution OF the financial
burdens which naval ornaments entail.
This cannot be and Is not the French
intention. otherwise, the French proposal
would strike the American people as so
utterly incomprehensible that they
might come TO regard the whole confer
onse as a sinister joke played upon
them by their Administration. which
had sought 60 enveigle them into COM
pncts with other nations who are obvi-
ously lunatic. Or. even II tho Ameri-
can people should discriminate between
.,I la
doubtful whether the remnant OF their
confidence would suffice 20 save any
considerable part OF tho work OF the
Washington conference.
The political and economic conse-
duences for che world al large which
50 lamentsble an eventuality might in
volvc could not be contemplated without
tho gravest misgiving. u Is therefore
probable. not TO say certain. that the
gI.ws