The Washington herald., 1922-04-09
Bill Reported to House
Ignores Advice of
President.
DENBY SEES BLOW
TO U. S. PRESTIGE
Feels Mockery Is Made of
Arms Conference
Plans. =

Ignoring the advice Of President
Harding and the recommendation OF
the Navy Department. the House Ap-
preparations Committee last week re-
ported its bill reducing the enlisted
strength Of the navy to $1,000 men.
or this number the bill provides
that the enlisted personnel for man.
ming the navy afioat shall be lin
tied TO approximately 10000; for
shore service. 10000; apprentice Sea-
men and unassigned men, approx
mately 1000.
The administration wants 80. 900.
The House Naval Affairs Commit
tee, after careful study OF the navy's
needs. recommended Sc, 600 men. The
fight 10 reject the Appropriation Com
mittee recommendation and sub
stitute figures which will nearly con-
form TO the Navy Departments sg-
ures will begin early next week.
Blow 20 L. =. Says DENLY.
To the navy the bill is a great
disappointment The report had no
sooner been presented than Secre-
tary DENLY denounced il in vigorous
terms.
Should the bill Just reported be-
come law, il would be a blow TO the
navy and to the prestige Of the
United States" said the Secretary
Whatever appropriations OF men anc
money are allowed. the navy will be
administered BY the department ia
earnest and cheerful endeavor tC
keep il as effective as possible
feel that ] should be recreant tC
a plain duty. however. il ! did no
soler1nly warn the American people
the proposed reduction negatives th'
/ results Of the recent conference. {:
dangerous 10 u e country's security
and in my opinion TO the welfsr
OF the word.
sMocker- Of ParIey.
III this bill becomes a law, IL vii
mean that i've battleships OF tn
! eighteen provided for in the treat.
must be put in ordinary. with care
( takers.
"It will mean that. having gath
cred the nations together, and hav
/ ing conducted 20 a successful con
| clusion negotiations intended TO es
tablish the relative defensive sea ar
ma sments OF different powers. We
from the earnestly-insisted- 20
| sition OF equality with any natioi
in the world drop to second or thirr
place. / do not believe in maxim
a mockery of the conference.
not believe in throwing away oU
ssa power.
"we called the conference W
made the proposals We shouh
abide by the conclusions. Eightee
d no
iliarIes and shore bases were adopt
ed for our defense With the pas
sage OF this bill our internationa
| plan goes by the board Il is pro
posed 10 cast to he winds the advic
/ of the men who represented US dur
bg The conference and made IN
agreements, and the advice Of IN
trCtned officers Of the service.
His Duty TO Warn u. {.
The navy does not belong to tn
| Navy Department. II does not b.
| long TO Congress. II belongs to IN
American people. My duty TO war
/ against undue reduction in our de
| fensive armament is as sacred .
| any man can hold"
The bill carries a total OF S233.
! 224.0oS fo- the navy for the hsca
year beginning July l. 1924. Thes
| figures contrast strikinEly with tn
navy expenditures for the presen
/ fiscal year for which the appro
priations were s4l3,2SSS4S or near
/ ly double the proposed outlay 70
the next fiscal yea. still NOR
striking is the contrast with N
Budget Bureaus estimates OF SAB.
100000 prepared before the arma
ment conference for the next hscs
year. The saving proposed by tn
committee is nearly 5000, 10000
| under what the nation probabi
would have paid out II the Wash
ington conference had not bee
held.
MADDEN Denies Charge.
Assertions that the Appropriation
Committee would jeopsrdize Amer
cas- standing in the 5-5-3 navs
agreement were repudiated vigor
! ously by Chairman Madden HI
nois. and Representative Kelle.
Michigan. chairman Of the nRvs
subcommittee which drafted tn
bill. They both issued statement
Insisting that the measure was de
signed TO be helpful TO the navy
carrying out the terms OF the navs
reduction agreement They fu:
nished charts showing that Goo
enlisted personnel would enable tn
navy to man fully every vessel ths
can be efficiently kept afioat unds
the b-5-3 agreement.
The committee. IN it's repof
bluntly declared IL would grant
money to keep in commission sE
vessels of a nondescript charscte
including eagle boats. subchaser
tugs, yachts. motor boats and va
Gus miscellaneous craft"
The bill carries the following sec
uonal appropriations:
For rebuilding dikes. whsrves an
quay walls. Mare Island. Cal. s75e
900; waterfront Improvement, MOI
folk. Va, $4,000; dredging Phts
Mare Island. 100000; shore pr 4
Sound navy yard. $4,000: msgazin
Mare Island. 100000: short pre- 4
lection Great Lakes naval trsinin
station. S125.o 600: Marine bar-ack
san Diego, sts2.oOO: completion uaN
al hospital San Diego. S5OO.0eo.
n