New Britain herald., 1928-01-23
BIGGER NAVY IS
 SHEER MADNESS
 SAYS SEN. BORAH
Idaho Solon Bitterly Attacks Recommendations Of Admiral
 Charles E. Hughes
"NkYAL RACE" IS BEING
 PREPARED FOR PUBLIC

PREPARED FOR PUBLIC Declares Construction Of Many Ses-
 scls Would Duplicate "lnsane
 Policy" That Marked Anglo
 German Relations Prior to World
 War-Does Not See War With
 England.
 Washington, Jan. .s R>-The pro- posals before congress for . greater navy and recent predictions of an' other war over commerce constitute sheer madness" in the opinion Of Senator Borah. republican. Idaho, and duplicate the insane policy" that marked Anglo German rela- tions prior to the World war.
 Attacking as 'mischievous to the last degree" the recent recommends tion of Admiral Charles F. Hughes, chief of naval operations for vir- tually a billion dollar navy and the statement Saturday of Rear Ad- miral Charles P. Plunkett, con- mandant of the Brooklyn navy yard, that war with Great Britain over commerce is inevitable. the chair man of the senate foreign relations committee in a statement last night, said
 "All this is a part of & we'll organ ized plan to prepare the public mind for naval race. A limited number of cruisers to help police our com- merce can be justified. But this program together with the wild and excited statement about war is sheer madness"
 Raps Pl.lnkett
 "Those who must pay the taxes and do the fighting and dying in case these people succeed ih bring ing on war" he said, fought not to delay in taking part in this program. They are entitled to be heard be- fore this mad policy becomes fixed"
 Admiral Plunkett," he continued, repeats the old worn out fable that the way to have peace is to pre- pare for war. When the great World war broke out. the nations tI, ,aA to the teeth. They had bled their people white in the name of the hoary lie that arms means peace.
 Would Reduce Taxes
 'If one single nation could arm to the limit and all other nations would refuge to arm. it might mean peace for that particularly armed nation. But the minute one nation begins to arm, all other nations be- gin to do so and then @ few threats arc out and war is easy and indeed inevitable"
 Whether another war comes or rot the senator believed the new naval program would not only elim-
  crease taxes. Observing that the remaining war debt is about eighteen billion dollars and that the hospi- 1als still hold victims of the last war. Senator Borah said 'someone had better have voice in this matter besides those whose business is not to declare policies"
 New York, Jan. 23 P-The New York Times today quotes Rear Ad- miral Charles P. Plunkett, com- mandant of the Brooklyn navy yard, as denying that he predicted war with Great Britain.
 'I don't remember what I did say" the Times quotes the admiral as saying. You go get the record; you will see what I said and you will get something worth while. My remarks were taken down steno- graphically.
 T am not in the habit of predict ing war Preparedness in my mind and in the mind of all other navy and army men, leads to peace and not to war"
 The stenographic record of the admiral's address was not availa- ble.
 Sees English War
 The Sunday Herald-Tribune's &C., count of public speech by the ad- miral on Saturday said he was ask ed later If he anticipated war with Great Britain"
 'The answer was instant and un- equivocal," said the Herald Tribune. "'Ycs, I mean Great Britain or some other nation whose interests are affected. Great Britain may not at the outset declare war, but she will let some smaller nation do that and then get behind her."
 Admiral Plunkett spoke at non- partisan luncheon at the National Republican club and quoted in the Sunday Times as having made an appeal for preparedness. saying that unpreparcdness had cost the United States s26. 100000 in the World War. And that future war was sure if control of the seas was con- tested with goods and not with guns. Hxs.L D.-1. Gaze