The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1927-06-27
It's Up to Britain

4 This week ought to mark a turning point in
world history.
week ago today, at the instance of the United
States naval arms conference was called to order
at Geneva.
At once our chief delegate, Hugh Gibson, made
perfectly simple proposal to Britain and Japan To
prevent competition in the building of vast numbers
of cruisers destroyers and submarines he suggested
that the Washington agreement Of 1921, which lin
tied capital ships, be extended to cover the smaller
ships well.
2 No fairer proposal was ever made or could be
made But some reason the British began to hem
( and haw. They seemed utterly unwilling to agree
to any arrangement which would not leave them in
control of the seas.
Finally at the end of the week. like Gods on high
Olympus they decided they might "allow" the United
States equal tonnage in certain categories of naval
craft but Britain had not yet decided whether she
could "agree to cruiser parity with us.
Instantly, it seemed chill swept across the At
antic and enveoped the United States. Every Amer
lean must have experienced something of shock
followed by perceptible stffening of the back.
t7 Britain had completely failed to grasp the sig
nificance of the Geneva conference. America was
there on a totally different and far more worthy
mission than to ask Brtains permission to build ships
And, according to dispatches from Washington, Brit
ain has just been automatically so informed. The
word has gone forth that shall insist upon parity
in every type of craft, and that the only thing we
are asking Britain now is, How big navy shall we
mutually agree to mantain2
It is not Boosting to say we could easily build
three times as many ships as Britain even were she
to crack the very backs Of her taxpayers to get the
money
Likewise it is with no intention of being nasty
that remind Britain that, in the past nations sit
uated as we are situated, have failed to set
about ruling the world by ruling the wave. Britain
herself used her vast wealth that way.
Were we to follow precedent, therefore, would
set the world on fire with our ships. But we are
not going to follow precedent We want such
navy. we don't want to rule the earth. We don't
want to rule the IA change is coming over
civilization and blazing the trail All we want
is peace and to be let alone
Our Navy, therefore is going to be large as, and
no larger, than our neighbors make necessary. 1t
must be as large as Britains 1t must be somewhat
larger than Japans How big navy will Britain
and Japan force us to build? That is the question.
is to be hoped that Britain, who has been the prin-
cpal objector at Geneva thus far, will the light
Leading nations used to fight it out to determine
whose navy should be biggest, but the worlds got
more sense than that now, particularly Britain and
America
On the outcome of Geneva much depends
sensible limitation of naval ornaments just basis
will tend to tranquilize nervous jurnpy world and
thus creating atmosphere conducive to arms lini-
tations on land The reverse of this would be true
if Britain Japan and the United States failure
SO it's up to Britain