Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1922-01-16


Chicago Tribune and other newspapers
all over the United States will give
mage of capital ships (ten $4,000 ton
ships to begin construction in 1925, as
shown in the Freeman-JOurnal article
of Jan. 6th.) This meant large i'll
crease over the 175,OOO tons suggested
by Mr.. Hughes. Was the incalculable
work done to accomplish and put in
effect the 5-53 ratio to be lost and
the capital-ship understanding come to
nothing? The press of America and
Britain was aroused with some eX.
ceedingly plain statements. France
finally accepted the 175.000 tonnage
(shown above), but. with the proviso
which amounted to the third destroyer
of patience, whereby NJ. Sarraut, head
of the French delegation. demanded
$50, 600 tons of auxiliary ships and 90
600 tons of submarines as shown above.
America, Japan and Italy regretted
that no agreement was possible. Mr..
BalfOur, in one Of the strongest state
ments of the conference. urged the
abolition of submarines because of their
not being useful against warships, and
on account Of their being. instead.
weapons of brutality directed against
merchant ships with non-cOmbatant or
neutral men, women and children-the
horrifying crime against the Lusitania.
"the most inglorious act of the war.
being held up, with other facts. as IA
vivid picture before the conference. He
declared Frances submarine plan was a
every great menace" to England. Quite
sharp remarks passed between the two.
and, of course. headlines showed the
conference was likely to fail.
France and England.
France declared submarines and aux
Hilary ships were defensive craft: that
each nation should decide for itself
the defensive craft needed could the
world accept that?), and that they
were required on account OF Frances
extended colonies. Her program was
necessary. England, more of a colonial
empire than France, scattered TO the
corners of the earth. declared in her
plea for abolition, her very existence
depended on merchant ships, that sub
marines are offensive ships as well.
and that merchant ships are the spe-
cial prey of submarines. If tais Is
selfishness on the part OF England, we
can easily make the best of it--a laud-
able selfishness that the world would
quickly welcome, it would seem. How
ever. the other nations, including the
American advisory committee, were
against abolishing submarines. Mr..
Balfour showed that France never in
history had to fear England striking at
her heart: no inferior military power
had ever invaded or Imperfect super
ior military power because of super
iority of ships; though the two were
friends now. they had been enemies
at times, and that if they might be
again England's SHIPS would not I'M
peril France as such submarine pro-
gram of France would imperil England.
As the submarines principal value is
to destroy merchant ships and as they
built of such size as twice TO cross
an ocean, what could France want
with 10000 tons of submarines Eng
land could not look with Indifference on
such a threat" France. however. ac-
ceptcd the capitalship tonnage "at II
sacrifice as she stated. (althOugh she
will have to build to reach the total
Mr.. Hughes suggestion of 10000 tons.
To Make Subs Useless.
Mr.. Hughes then stated that if sub
marines were defensive weapons
they should be in "some definite pro-
portion to the fighting fleets His
ratio of 10000 tons for each Britain
and the United States, and the status
quo. 1880. 1880 and $1,000 re-
spoctively for France, Japan and Italy
was then submitted. However. VI
Sarraut declared Frances demand for
the 10000 tons was final. The next
move then was to make submarines use.
less (Now here is where the public
of the world comes into this contest
If England could not bring about the
abolition of submarines. then the two :
nations who were fighting each other I