Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-02-25
The Navy Victory,

The decision of the House to go
ahead with the immediate construc-
ton of three new scout cruisers is
victory for those who believe In the
maintenance Of an adequate American
Navy. In some quarters there VIII
be a disposition to see in the cruiser
victory Yesterday merely a political
move, slap At President Coolidge.
who has opposed an appropriation for
the construction Of cruisers at this
time. But the issue goes far deeper.
Speaker Longworth, who took the
floor in support of the cruiser appro-
priation. epitomized the situation. SO
far as the United States and the Navy
are concerned. when he said:
I'VE have been eminently just; we
have been more than just 10 all the
other nations of the world; let us he
tust with ourselves"
At the close of the World War the
United States had begun building
program that in a few years would
have placed the United States far
ahead of any other power in naval
strength With a gesture which was
magnificent in its generosity. even
though IL may have been unwise, the
United States al the Washington con
ference announced it would forego this
advantage: that II would scrap millions
Of dollars worth of superb ships which
1t was already constructing: that il
would limit its Navy in strength to
that of Great Britain and to A 5--3
ratio with that of Japan. Because
Of the unwillingness of France at that
time TO enter into any agreement
relative to auxiliary craft-the
cruisers, destroyers and subma rnes--
the Washington treaty deals only with
capital ships.
While the United States has cur
tailed it's Navy building to minimum
since the negotiation of the Washing
ton treaty, this has not been true Of
the other four powers signatory to
that agreement. Since the signing of
the treaty the United States has laid
down or appropria ted for sixteen ships
for the Navy with total tonnage of
10000. What have the others done?
Great Britain has laid down or ap-
propriated for thirty.seven ships with
a total tonnage of 1885, 95: Japan. one
hundred and one ships with a total
tonnage Of 339. 201: France, ninety five
ships with total tonnage of 221 ,s2S.
and Italy, forty-six, with a total ton
mage of 1O2,207.
In the case of the sixteen ships of
the United States six are small river
boats designed for river use and FIVE
are light cruisers. In the case of
Great Britain fourteen of the new
ships are light cruisers and nine more
cruisers are to be built under the
present five-year program that ex-
tends through 1929. Japan has un-
dertaken the construction of thirty
five destroyers, thirty submarines,
many Of which are of the cruising
type, and twelve light cruisers
With such building programs under
way 1t requires no searchlight to show
that the United States is rapidly drop.
ping behind in naval strength, al
though ii was the understa nding of
the country when the Washington
treaty was entered into this country
should he second to none.
The argument is put forward that
the United States does not require as
large or as strong navy as Great
Britain: that war with Great Britain
is unthinksble. No one wants war
with Great Britain. The friendship
between the two great English.sp
Ing nations is a boon to the world
generally. But when the United States
seeks tn elevate the guns on some of
Its battieships SO that they shall be
equal in strength to those of Great
Britain, there comes a snarl from
across the ocean II the navy of Great
Britain is no threat TO the United
States, why should the Navy of the
United States be a threat TO Great
Britain?
The Presidents opposition 10 the
construction of additional cruisers at
this time has been based on the fact
that this Government is seeking a
further naval limitation agreement a.
GENEVA. But this argument falls
largely 10 the ground when ii is OK
pla1ned that the construction of the
three new cruisers-aye, and many
mere cruisers-would not bring the
United States Navy up to the proper
ratio with Great Britain and japan.
As Speaker Longworth has said, Let
US be just with ourselves"