Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1921-11-20
Accepting ''in Principle

WHILE it must not be assumed that
w the disarmament conference has
adopted n concrete program for the limi-
tation and the reduction of naval arma-
ments and that the success of this great en-
tcrprise is now an assured fact, it is fair
To assume that progress OF Il substantial
character has been made and that the three
foremost naval powers Of the world have
accented in principle" IA plan of limita-
ton dramatically presented TO them by the
American government which means. il it
means anything at all, that a move has been
made from which there Is no retreat.
When the plenipotentiaries of Great
Britain and Japan, in open session of the
conference, asscntcd TO the principles of
naval disarmament laid down by Score
tary Hughes, they proceeded far in the di-
rection of abolishing the instrumcntalities
OF war. II is true that each nation outlined
reservations to the American program. Each
proposes notifications involving some more
or less important details. and each may
become so i~nsistent upon the, adoption OF
those notifications as to throw into dis
array the whole proposal.
This is scarcely bclievablc. When il was
publicly announced that the principles Of a
naval program. worked ont by the Ameri-
can government had been acquieSccd in,
Great Britain and Japan agreed first that
there should be a Limitation upon future
warship construction. They agreed that,
with the exception OF a ship or Two in Japan
csc shipyards, no man-of-war now under
construction should be completed. The i'm
portance Of this can scarcely be ovcrstated,
when it is rca%.zed that under the plan
nearly half billion dollars worth of war
tonnage is 10 he scrapped.
That is not all that is meant bv agree
llpnt nugu the prLnciDla LAID jnwr ''bnrn
two powers agree TO reduce existing arma-
mcnt as well as 10 limit the naval arma-
m!ent OF the future. To have asserted a
few months ago that any one OF the three
leading naval powers OF the world would
he willing, while scrappinG its future pro-
gram. to put out OF commission a par, of
its present fleets would have been incrcdi-
BILE. fct within three days OF the opening
o! the conference exactly this was assented
TO.
The third proposition which the British
and tho Japanese accept in principlc is the
parity proposed by the American govern
lnont. This means that the British are
willing. for their part, to command a navy
no stronger, in fighting power. than that
OF the United states, and il means that the
Japanese are willing to end all effort 10
buHd a navy more than 60 or 20 per cent
as formidable as that OF either Great
Britain or The United State.
For more than a century Great Britain
mas asserted its supremacy OF the high seas.
d supremacy winch was not seriously chal-
icnged until the United States and Ger
many became sea powers OF the first class
sGermany has been disarmed ON land and
sea and Is out OF The equation. leaving only
America TO compete with Great Britain for
domination OF the waves. Now the British
announce their Willingness TO end all CONNIE
ttion and TO invite America to become or
10 remain. its peer in naval armament.
All Of which must bring comfort TO those
peoples the world over vino have dreamed
OF me day when disarmament would begin.
ana win that beginning the prospect Of
war would diminish. Although. for tho
time being. the three powers agree onIv in
principle upon Il limitation program. care.
ful consideration of that principle canno,
fail To be comforting.