Evening star., 1922-04-15
PRESIDENT URGES HOUSE
TO VOTE NAVY OF 80, 900
Declares Trend Toward Peace Should Be
Firmer Before Sea Force Be Cut Below
Strength Farley Provides.>

President Harding. in his first pub
lie utterance on the 1923 naval bill.
declared in a letter presented to the
House yesterday by Representative
Longworth of Ohio. that. while the
decision must lie with Congress, he
would be greatly disappointed. as he
believed the country would be, II the
enlisted force were cut below $4,000
/ The opinion was given in response
to a request for the Presidents view
by Representative Longworth, one OF
the leaders in the fight to defeat the
proposal in the bill limiting tne aorce
to $1,000. There had been unofhciai
statements to the effect that the
President opposed a drastic reduc,
ton in personnel. and that ae stooo
for the figure proposed in the NC
Arthur amendment.
In presenting the letter toward the
close of an all-day debate Mr.. Long
worth said he was glad to accept the
challenge from friends of the meas
ure as framed to find out what the
President wanted and to let the
House know.
President Harding's Letter.
The Presidents letter follows:
MY Dear Congressman Longwofth:
Il have to acknowledge your letter
of inquiry addressed to me on the
10th instant If were to address
the Congress formally / could say
only what l have already said IN
formally because l am well per-
suaded that it is not wise to make
so drastic a cut in the naSal appTo-
priations as has been proposed In the
mea sure now pending in the House.
|. II do not doubt the good faith of the
committee majority in believing a SUIT
able Navy can be maintained under the
limitations fixed in the pending oiii, ana
| am heartily in accord with every con-
sistent effort to deepen the CUT IN gov
ernmental expenditures. At the same
time | must believe in the good faitn OF
ne Navy Department and our naval ad-
visors, who say very emphatcaiiv that
it is impossible to maintain. witnin the
proposed appropriations, the standaru
set for our Navy which was made the
base of the international conference;
and which standard we have proclaimed
TO the world.
"Of course, the decision must lie with
the Congress. But l should not be frank
in replying to your inquiry If ! did not
saw that i shall be greatly disappointed.
and believe the country will De Srea'iE
disappointed. if the appropriation, to
which the Navy must and will adhere. IS
reduced to the point where the lim!ta :
ton Of enlisted men and apprentices Is
below Sc, 600. No presentation of the
situation which has come to my notice
has served to alter that opinion
Later Cut Possible.
ultimately, perhaps, the lower fig
ures proposed may be reached. and j
hope it will be possible, through later
international concert. But the trend
toward peace and security ought 10
he more firmly established before go
ing beyond the limitation to which
we were gladly committed at the IN
ternational conference.
Very truly yours.
Friends of the big navy" had plan
ned early yesterday to force the hght
over until next week, but Chairman
Kelley resisted all attempts to delay.
When the measure was called UP 10
be read. item by item, the clerk had
barely turned a page when the night
started on the enlisted question and
II ragged increasingly until night. In
the end the House. worn out by hours
Of talk. quit nine pages ahead OF the
disputed provision.
One amendment was accepted and
one was voted down. There was no
objection to the first, by Representa-
tive Tewner, republican, Iowa, for an
increase from s250,000 to $343.000 for
the Government Of the Virgin Islands,
hut the other, for increasing the ap-
nropriation for the Great Lakes Naval
station from 100000 to $3.50. 600, Of
fe1.ed by Representative Chindbiom
rennhlican. Illinois, the home state OF
tha station. was rejected. Sc to 80. But
the figures did not represent the full
voting strength on the floor.
Reads Letter From MacNfder.
E;tter at times the debate often
took a lighter turn. A telegram from
Commander MacNider of the Ameri-
can Legion, received by Representa-
five Macarthur and read to the House,
urging a full man force for ships al
lnteti by treaty, developed that all OF
tbe representatives, members of the
legion. were not behind the bigger
Navy fight. Representatives Rankin
democrat, Mississippi, and Arentz, re-
publican, Nevada, declared the COM
mittee bill sustained the 5-5-3 ratio,