Evening star., 1922-04-09
Secretary DENLY Protests
Cut in Navy Personnel
CONTINUED from First Page)

the men who represented us during
the conference and made the agree
ments. and the advice of the trained
officers of the service.
The Navy does not belong to the
Navy Department. 1t does not belong
to Congress. 1t belongs to the Amer
lean people. My duty to warn against
undue reduction in our defensive
armament is as sacred a trust as any
man can hold. If the people had
wanted this Navy so far below the
standard agreed upon in the treaty.
they should have said SO long ago:
There would then have been no need
for the conference. and we would then
have been better off without one.
What would the people and Congress
have said if the conference had pro-
posed by treaty to reduce the num-
ber of men in the American Navy
to approximately two-thirds of the
number in the British navy and less
than the number in the navy OF
Japan?
This bill is a challenge to the
common sense of our people. I do
not believe it meets the approval of
our people. l do not believe such
ill-advised economy can have the sup
port of the majority of Americans
Whatever arms may have cost, they
have made and kept US nation. If
the bill passes. and we slip from the
position of equality in sea power. we
shall not again be able to secure sup
port at home or abroad for another
conference for world adjustments. II
we would sit at the first table in the
councils of the nations we must have
sea power
Two-Thirds of Treaty Navy.
With the secretary's statement was
made public for the first time testi-
mony before the House naval affairs
cor, mittaa at the time the bill was
under it's consideration.
The naval affairs committee In
fromed by Secretary DENLY and naval
officers that all of the ships of the
navy provided for it the naval treaty
could not be manned with $1,000 men.
At the suggestion of the committee.
Secretary DENLY showed how he would
distribute that number of men. and 1t
provided only for about two-thirds Of
the so-called treaty navy. =.
He told the committee that 1t would
necessitate leaving ships of vital i'm
portance out of the battle line. 1t would
make the American personnel one-half
of that of Great Britain and consider
ably less than that of Japan.
Plan Not Possible.
"I need not comment upon the ex-
traordinary spectacle thus present" he
told the committee. In other words,
If the committee will take the Navy
Department distribution, the treaty
navy will not be manned, and Therefore
the table of ships submitted by them in
the report accompanying the bill must
be disregarded as being absolutely
misleading and erroneous"
When Secretary DENLY was asked
of $4,000 men at sea and the re-
not possible" When pressed further
for a distribution plan on his basis.
he frankly told the committee, in de-
murring: This would be held up as a
saying that with $4,000 men we can
man those ships of the treaty navy
and have a competent Navy. This dis
tribution is simply the answer to a
purely hypothetical question, and 1t is
not what the department says It needs
and it is not what the Navy Depart
ment says 1t would be If forced to
distribute only $1,000 men,"
Submitted List OF Ships.
1t was pointed out by those in close
touch with the situation that in the
statement accompanying the bill the
inference is drawn that on January L.
1922, there were only about 1900
men who were not at sea with the
feet. 1t is apparent that this is con-
trary to the statement given the COM
mittee, for the hearings show that the
officials of the Navy Department had
stated that on January /. 1922, there
were 32,s61 men in the shore establish
ment
The committee had submitted to it
by Secretary DENLY list of ships
which in the 1atter's opinion would
form the minimum treaty navy.
These ships call for a personnel Of
$4,000 men and is considered abso-
luteiy necessary If the United states
Is to maintain its sea prestige and
maintain the ratio approved at the
conference on Limitation of arma-