Omaha daily bee., 1922-04-11
Battle on
Little Navy
Launched
Many Democrats Rally TO Sup.
port of Republicans in Eis!..
Agai"':; :;y:a 1's'%ns %nss,.s,.
,!s,s.,,u ~ "''s ''Sl'
O.P.Leaders Confident
By ARTHUR SEARS HENNING
Omaha Bsr Leased Wire.

Washington. April l0.-rhe battle
between the Harding administration
and the little navy" congressman,
who are sceking-to reduce the per-
sonnel OF the navy 10 67OO0 men,
began in the house today.
So vigorous and aggressive became
the opposition to the appropriation
bill. which proposes TO allow the
American navy fewer men than the
japanese navy, that the little navy
group found itself on the defensive
from the start and threatened with
reputation by the house.
Under a terrific bombardment oi
facts and figures showing that the
measure would wcll-nigh destroy
American sea power. the little navy
ranks began TO waver Representa-
tive Padget,. Tennessee, democrat,
former chairman OF the naval affairs
committee, rallied many democrats
to the administrators standard with
vigorous speech in which he
charged that the measure not only
would render the American navy
greatly inferior TO the British navy.
but would also reduce it to a bare
equality with that OF Japan. Repre-
sentative Tinkham, Massachusetts,,
republican, branded the bill as "a
product OF pacifistic propaganda"
Hughes Writes Letter.
The opposition has still more am
munition to fire tomorrow. Secre-
tary of State Hughes. as the chair
man Of the Washington conference
on the limitation OF armament. has
written a letter TO Representative
Rogers, Massachusetts,, republican.
appealing to the house to support the
administrators navy recommends
tions and urging it to refrain from
action which would jcopardizc Amer
ica's standing in the 5-5-3 ratio. Mr..
Rogers plans to read this letter to
the house tomorrow in answer to
the little navy leaders who con.
tend that the provisions of the bill
do not conflict with the terms of the
s-5-3 program.
Canvass of the house by admins
tration leaders led them to predict
today that they would be able to
enough votes to overthrow
the little navy" committees recon-
by a majority of about
50. They are confident they will have
strength to force the adop-
tion of an amendment providing
about $4,000 men in place of the o.
600 recommended by the appropria-
tions committee.
New England Against Plan.
The entire New England delega
ton, regardless of party, is lined
up against the measure. Most OF
the delegations from the Atlantic
scaboard states also are opposed. to
if. A large proportion OF the demo-
Gratis from the south Atlantic and
some from the gulf states have
Joined the opposition The Pacific
coast delegations are solidly against
It. Even the middle western deiega-
ton, which form the bulk OF the
little navy" strength, began to
split up.
Representative Kelley, Michigan,
chairman of the subcom-
rnittee which framed the navy bill,
led off the debate with speech in
which he insisted that the measure
allowed all the money necessary to
maintain the most adequate and eff
cient navy possible under the terms
of the 5-5-3 agreement He said he
had noticed many beautiful works
Of fiction" concerning the strength
Of the British navy. which he said,
would be about $4,000 men, or about
The same as that of the American
navy, counting all branches OF the
service, including the marines. Hc
declared that the Japanese navy,
notwithstanding the 5-5-3 ratio,
would be little more than half as
strong as the American navy was
in 1916.