Evening star., 1922-01-02
The French Naval Demand.


The French demand for a naval
strength far in excess Of that grant,
ed under the Hughes plan raised a
storm in conference circles and in
the press that grew to a tornado be-
fore it was checked. Modification
that amounted substantially to with
drawal, SO far as capital ships were
concerned, served to quiet the
tempest, but, in American opinion, 1T
worked havoc while it lasted and
left an aftermath of submarine con-
troversy. Representatives OF France
at the armament conference brought
forth a program which. if carried
out, would have given France one OF
the most powerful navles IN the
world and made it appear. the Phllae
delphia Public Ledger dndependentl
says, that she had thrown herseiI M "
the goal of the conference, when the
conference was in the very shadow OF
that great goal"
The "ten-ship proposal was a
bombshell." the Bahaio Times tdems
ecraticl asserts. and the enec. sood OF
deal tn.t is unexplained still looms
in the background. Confusion exists
in the public mind as to exactiy
what France wants and wnat she
proposes to do" AS the Fort Huron
Times-Herald Gndependenl puts IL,
France is in wrong 10 use pialh
Anaiyzing the probable motives be-
hind the French "bombshell." Ameri-
can writer's generally agree that
what the delegates had UP tneis s
stand for powerful navy, but q
threat which, to quote the Hartford
times {demoeratic), could be used
"as a club to get something else.
That "it was not done aimlessiy, the
Adrian tMich.3 Telegram nndepsnd. sgs
ent something, or both" To the
Springfield Republican GndependenD
the French attitude appears as q
"pIea for special favors," and wniie
this is the opinion generaliy hsid' iast
there there Erancs are sar,ods IS plsying ssf for. r.
The Now York Glebe Independently
for instance, interprets "the naval per-
sistence of the French" as simply a
shrewd move to strengthen FRANCE
position with regard to the military
establishment, She must yield some-
the land" Moreover. France is deter
mined that the British stand for aboll-
ton of the submarine shall not achieve
complete success, q number or writer's
noint out. and they agree with the
Reno {Nev.) Gazette (republicanl that
French delegates probably made the
|ten-warship proposal SO that tney couid
eracefuily withdraw it as a compra.
mise when the continuance of the EN-.
pioy Of submarine fighters should
be agreed to-
But the proposal, as the New York
Tribune (republican) translates 1t, is
"more Of q. political gesture than an
expression of military policy" having
to do, many editors think, with the old
ed Great Britain and the United States
to join in q pact to protect her against
unwarranted outside aggression. to
facilitate disarmament and stabilize
the peace of Europe" the Omaha
world Herald tindenendenD recalls.
The plan failed, but, the paper contt9-
ues:
"New both countries have Joined
with FRANCE in entering into a some-
what similar agreement with japan in
ordef to insure against Pacific prob
lems eliminating In another eutburst
of world war, France may be asking:
If Japan, why not France! II 1t is
United States to preserve peace and
the status quo in Asia, is it not equally
important in Eurapeg"
Even though such a "geste mag,
nifique" was several degrees too
bold" as a demenstration of f1nesse. the
Norfolk VirgiRiag Pilot independent
democratic) agrees that 'ft is best un-
derstoed % aaetAsF phase of the CAM
paign to wiring from the conference
some OF the 'eanctions' that have 90
far bean denied her,"
The KAexyille aeptinel Independent
democratic) crosses to Europe fer
light In which to interpret FRANCES
state of mind, and concludes that ut
is presumably as a lever with which
to counter and negotiate with LLOYD
George that NJ. BRAND holds out hts
potential menace to the success of the
program of the Washington ceAfer-
epce," But In jeepaFdiSiRg thai. sues
0aSs the FFencA "have made Q hiun-