The Washington herald., 1922-12-28

powers are building aircraft car
riers and cruisers, as they have
right to do under the existing
treaty of Washington. So far as
the United States is concerned.
we ought to build those light
cruisers. and we ought, above all,
to build the airplane carriers,
whether limitation is to be put
upon them or not. because, though
the navy of the United States was
very powerful in capital ships,
in destroyers, in submarines. it
was not well balanced.
WEAK IN CARRIERS.
We have no airplane carriers.
1t is recognized. l think. by
everyone. that the forces OF the
air will play a very great part
in future naval warfare. Airplane
carriers are necessary to acom-
pany the fleet for the purpose.
as their name implies, Of carry.
ing airplanes. l think we are
altogether too weak in regard
to airplanes themselves and al
though | most cordially supported
the limitations of the treaties, I
am not one of those who think
that the time has come when
we should have no navy. or re-
duce it to a mere handful OF
ships. The navy and the army
are necessary implements Of ma
tional protection and defense.
NEED OF PROTECTION.
No matter what treaties are
made, we must have some means
of protecting our commerce and
our citizens abroad, and our own
territory and our citizens at home.
l have had no sympathy with the
extremes to which the House has
gone, i was about to say in the
destruction of the army. but in
reducing 1t to a point which is
so low as to be positively perilous.
No man can tell when some
reckless. desperate power. per-
haps a small one. may suddenly
make an attack upon an Ameri-
can citizen in foreign lands. 1t
is necessary for every nation
citizens in every corner of the
DIS cbcIy SICdl
should, to have ships and troops.
and not be obliged to wait for
days and weeks and perhaps
months before they can raise
them. It is not a question of
war making: it is a question
of ordinary protection and safety,
and under, whatever arrangements
we may make, there is a limita-
ton which ought always to be
observed
It is not only not economy, It is
the most reckless extravaganza.
to reduce the army and the navy
to a point where we have no
means of performing the duties
which every nation is obliged to
perform.
There Is something that lie not
good like a limitation. something
that is very dangerous, and that
ia when, without regard> to ma
tional safety, we proceed in a
false spirit Of economy to enter
on the road Of abolishing or de-
stroying our army or our navy.
CAN CONVERT SHIPS.
I'VE have two great half-fin-
ished battleships. which were pro-
vided for In the treaty, which can
be made into airplane carriers at
once, and that ought to be done.
We ought to build up our air.
plane forces. /.
Now | come to the very i'm
portant proposition not at all
considered by the House. embodied
in the amendment offered by the
Senator from Idaho. This amend
ment provides for a conference
which shall be charged with the
duty of considering the economic
problems obtaining throughout the
world, with a view of arriving at
such understandings or arrange
ments as may seem essential to
the restoration Of trade and the
establishment of sound financial
and business conditions. That Is
very broadly drawn. 1t has no
boundaries. 1t extends or can be
extended from the Heavens above
to the earth beneath.
DEBT CONSIDERATION.
As it is worded, there is moth
ing to prevent such a conference
if called and assembled from con-
sidering the question of foreign
debt due to the United States.
It is true that consideration of
those debts is now provided for
by an act of Congress. but a
treaty il agreed to would over
ride the act of Congress just as
an act Of Congress can abrogate
a clause in a treaty II made
subsequently.
I do not know what the feeling
of Congress would be az to per.
mitting a general economic con-
ference to pass upon the foreign
debt due to US. but Is seems to