The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-05-01
Frederick Haskin's Letter
corrsapo Arxus)
WINNING THE $4,000 NAVY

Ia
personnel for the American ma,
! was provided. The defeat OF NJ
treaty would have been q far MOS
serious question for the countrv
and the whole world than wonid
the addition or subtraction of Ia
| 600 men from the personnel of tba
| American navy. 1t would hsvo
upset all of the international agreae
| ments reached here in Washippton
by the world powers. It womb
| have meant going on with the in
terminable race of naval argumenfs
and in the end would have meant
the administration felt, very mnrb
greater tax burdens than the 10 1aa
increase of the navy personnel
could possibly mean.
1t is generally believed here that
many of the people of the countrv
will disapprove of the ENLARGED
personnel voted for the navy he
cause of the fact that government
funds, raised by taxes on the neo-
pie, are required to support ther,
By proponents of the $4,000 nav
this is regarded as an inevitabis
but somewhat peculiar state Of
mind.
One of the senators who decIar-
ed he would fight the naval Iimits-
ton treaty if the $4,000 personnel
was not made an issue by the
White house, points out this situ-
alton:
Would Weaken Navy.
If, in the negotiations between
the powers of the world which led
to the treaty, the United States had
agreed to write into the covenants
an agreement that it would scran
one more battleship than England
there would have been a veritable
roar of protest from the people Of
the country. Then, he said, Messrs
Hughes, Lodge, Root and Under
wood might as well have voluntar-
lily retired to private life. They
would have beeen looked upon. he
contended, as having betrayed their
country by permitting it to be
weaker specifically in naval power
han any other great power Of the
earth, and as having invited trou-
Die by that action. The interest
Ind excitement aroused by the
agreement all through the country
S guarantee of this fact, he said.
AS a matter Of fact, this senator
aid. cutting down the personnel
# the navy so that all OF the ships
.llowed the United States could not
lie kept in commission and the men
rained to their duties, amounts to
xactly the same thing. The ships
nd guns alone are nothing. with
ut trained crews to operate them.
assistant Secretary OF the Navy
roosevelt is authority for the state
lent that with 81 900 personnel the
aVy could keep in commission
My IS Of the IS capital fighting
hips allowed it under the treaty.
he other vessels would have skel-
ton crews on them only, to keep
hem from going completely to pot
lille lying idle for periods of
ears
This senator, who comes from a
ate where the question of Japan
ever in the minds of the people,
lid that the people of his part OF
lie country were alive to this fact
hey felt that the United States
light just as well scrap five of its
g fighting ships as have that
any out of commission and IN
Die to render service when that
,rvice was needed.
All of this, it is understood. was
to the White house.
resident Harding saw the justice
the situation. The administra-
on was torn between going coun-
r to its own leadership in the
'use of representatives and the
of failing to have the
nate ratify the naval treaty. Even
the opposition which would have 3
rung up in the senate had not
en- strong enough to defeat the
eaty, it would have caused a big
eak in the ranks of the Republi-
n majority there. thing which
turally the president was anI-
is to avoid.
In this dilemma. President Hard
g, whose own views were OppOs-
to having idle and undermined
ssels, went before the members
the house of representatives. and
his influence secured adoption Z
the larger personnel for the lin
d American navy.