The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1928-05-19
KEEPING UP
With
THE NE VS.
sunk the naval building

and big navy advocates who observe
that the administration plans TO
adjourn Congress within a week, ap-
parently forgetting all about Secre-
tary Wilburs demand for seventy
one ships.
PacifistS put the question in a de-
lighted whisper, because they do not
want to remind the navy Of what is
happening.
The navy does not need remind
ing. 1t knows, moreover. it is furi-
Gus. But, strangely, there is no pub
lie outcry from Wilbur and the
admirals.
Gossip has itthat no less a per-
son than the commander in-chief,
President Coolidge, has scuttled
those seventy-one paper warships.
Otherwise, how explain the uneasy
silence of the navy department. and
1.-THE Oversight of the administra-
ton leaders in Congress?
On the surface you hear the
pacifists are responsible. 1t IS
pointed out that. just as the Wilbur
$7O0,00O000 program was steaming
through the House committee, the
peace societies and international
lists" laid down barrage of pro-
tests to Congress which damned the
mails for days
The biggest naval program in
history" was met by the biggest
protest demonstration in history
When the smoke had cleared
away, only fifteen of Wilburs tWen-
ty-f1ve paper cruisers we're left and
a few smaller ships In that form
the bill limped into the Senate
committee haven for repairs. And
there it has remained ever since.
While the world vas waiting for
the fifteen-cruiser bill to come out
and fight its way through the SEN
ate, Secretary Wilbur announced
last week he would insist on the or
iginal seventy-one ships, including
twenty-five cruisers. The logic OF
such tactics is not clear to out
siders, who say this is the surest
way Of scrapping the entire pro-
gram
Though the pacifists are proud !
of their success in cutting down the
program in the House, most of them |
admit they have not enough power
to scuttle it altogether. And the
navy would be the last to admit that
the peace advocaes had any sucn
power.
n
THOSE who think President
Il Coolidge is not iunconnected
with the apparent plan to postpone
the building plan. explain the stu
alton in this manner:
l. In campaign year a eoodlv
tax cut is more than desirable. it
Is essential. The House passed a
$3.50, 100000 reduction. The Pres
ident and Treasury department
say the cut must not exceed S2lO.-
100000, and now are trying to hold
the Senate to that limit.
The Democrats and the United
States Chamber of Commerce are
demanding 1926, 100000 or more.
With the flood control bill, the in
crease in Federal workers salaries.
and other exceptional appropria-
lions, the administration is in the !
position of having to choose between
no tax cut and no ships-and ap-
parently picks the latter.
2. In peacetime the fighting value |
Of navy is less important than its |
diplomatic or trading value. The
paper plan for a big cruiser pro-
gram already has had in part the /
desired effect of forcing Great |
Britain to cut her cruiser program. |
though she is still far superior to |
the United States in such ships.
3. The whole future of naval |
planning is up in the air because
Of the possibility, some say prob
ability. that the Washington cap
ital ship limitation treaty will not
be renewed.
Therefore, some American diplo- |
mats think the course of wisdom is
to hold the British auxiliary build
ing program as low as possible,
with as little expenditure by the
United States as necessary, until |
the next naval conference fixes
new limitations or destroys all |
limitations.
1.-TWO ex-newsboys of Cleveland !
IL the Van Sweringen brothers.
owners of the Nickel Plate Railroad |
are permitted by an Interstate
Commerce Commission decision to |
merge the Pere Marquette with the
Chesapeake & Ohio, but are denied |
the right to include the Erie in the
combine.
Objection to the Erie merger "iS
found in the fact that it would con-
stitute practically an ALLEGATION of
an important New York Chicago |
trunk line in advance of the adop-
ton of any general plan for the for
nation of competitive systems in
Eastern territory
This is taken to mean that the
commission is making Roadway on
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