Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-01-07
DOWN GO THE SUBMARINES;
UP COMES SOMETHING WORSE
Roots Move Against Poison Gas Yester-
day Was Directed at a Whole New
system Of Scientific Atrocities


TT HAS been pretty clearly demonstrated
under actual battle conditions, and by
extensive experiments carried on since the
close of the war, that. submarines cannot
survive or exert any considerable offensive
power against other fighting ships. All
vessels of the drcadnought cruiser and de-
stroyCr types are now fitted with devices
which make their navigators aware of the
approach of U-boUt even before the under
water prowlcr is within torpedo range
Moreover, they have novel. terrible and Ger
tain means of dealing finally with the furtive
enemy.
The submarine that attempted to take an
aggressive part in n tussle of efficiently han
died warshps would have to be manned by
n suicide club.
BY formally agreeing TO view submarine
attacks on merchantmen as acts of piracy.
the five Powers have closed the one field Of
activity in which these vessels might be cx-
pcCted to work future damage or confusion.
They have gone far to make L t-boats obso-
lete. If the Conference for the Limitation
Of Armament had done nothing else, 1t would
deserve infinite credit for the example pro-
vidcd by this one act.
The moral effect of the Fivc-P Power deci-
sion will be even greater than the imme-
diatc practical value of the new rule of
warfare. For the thinking which led to the
ban on submarine atrocities must continue
inevitably until il leads to code which
will forbid the newer atrocities of air and
chemical warfare.
The submarine was never 4 fair weapon.
1t was the stilettO in the dark. the poison
in the cup, mcdicvalism and savagery trans
lated into terms of scientific action. And
yet it was, even at its worst, no more
f,t l,, .InNA .N.l NLa..
of the newer weapons which have been de-
vised for future use in the air.
The whole question of chemicals and air
planes in war remains virtually untouched.
Yet the drift of aviation science under the
direction of military experts in all countries
tends steadily to bring the non cOmbatant
populations of coast cities into the zones
Of sudden attack and destruction which
new war of nations would instantly create.
You have only to listen for five minutes to
any we'll Informed naval officer to realize
that the horrors Of the LuSitaniN may be
elaborated enormously Mt some future day
when a Cityful of people, rather than one
ships company, are made the victims of
enemy raiders striking without warning.
Commander Wright of the United States
Navy, appealing to the City of New York
for grant of lnnd to be used by the navy
as an mir station. said that with devices
already perfected it would be possible for a
naval fleet to stand hundred miles out at
sea and, by the use of radio controlled
aerial tOrpcdocS, force the evacuation of
New York City IN twenty four hours Of
bonlbardment with mustard and phosgcne
gases.
1t would be anOturr and an even more
unpleasant story, of course, if the airplancS
dropped into the city streets carried high
explosives rather than gas.
Every Government is now working toward
the further perfection Of the mechanism of
which Commander Wright spohe--a mcchan-
ism by which it is now possible to steer and
otherwise control flying airplancs from the
ground or from distant bases
1t is not surprising that Elihu Root.
speaking for the American delegation and
America at large in the Conference for the
Limitation of Armament. yesterday pro-
posed again that the ban put upon sub
marines be extended to cover all sorts of
poison gas.
Mr. Root and his colleagues are seemingly
determined to bring the whole question of
aerial warfare to the front and to give the
matter of poison gas a complete airing be-
fore the Conference is adj0urncd Indeed
it may be supposed that the submarine de-
bate, which has just been brought 70
successful conclusion, was little more than
n preliminary to this larger and more pain
ful question. For unrrgulated air warfare
could easily be more terrible and more
cruel than the submarine ever was.