The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1928-09-14
KEEPING UP
With
THE NE WIS
BY LUDWELL DENNY

XXTAsHINGTON, Sept. IA. -
w NIaneuvers for the great
naval battle in Congress have be-
gun.
Secretary of the Navy Wilbur is
out drumming up support for the
big cruiser program" blocked by
the last session Of Congress. Peace
organizations are starting their
counter-fire to sink the construction
project.
President Coolidge and, it is be-
lieved, Herbert Hoover are backing
the Navy. This at any rate is the
general interpre ltion put on Hoov-
er's reference IN his acceptance
speech to the necessity of adequate
naval defense.
Both sides realize that the fig. It
this year will turn around the KEEL
logg multilateral pact, by which
most of the nations Of the world are
"renouncing war as an instrument
of national policy"
Peace organizations see in the
anti-War treaty the most effective
propaganda weapon for arms linz
itation which has come to them
since the world war. They point to
all the inadequacies and reservations
of the Kellogg treaty which it's
enemies say make it an instruments
Of war instead Of peace 49, and con-
| clude that its supreme and almost
sole value is as a stimulant to dis
armament.
Standing alone this solemn and
almost universal treaty Of the ma
tons renouncing war as a policy is
merely a non-binding gesture, it is
said. If it is followed through by
definite steps Of sacrifice for peace.
such as arms reduction, it will full
fill the hopes which the common
peoples Of the world have bestowed
upon it. But if the same govern
ments that signed this remuneration
Of war go on increasing their navies,
the treaty becomes nothing more
than an empty gesture or worse, ac~
cording to the disarmament advo@
Gates.
TINE Navy Department and the
Il admirals are quite frankly
afraid of this new argument Of
larger navy opponents. From the
day it was apparent that Kellogg
would get through his pact-though
with sweeping reservations-they
have been trying to devise means of
thwarting the so-called pacifst
propaganda they knew would result
from such a treaty.
Therefore, when the ink Of sigma
lures was hardly dry upon this pact
Of Paris, American officials began
issuing statements that this treaty
could not and must not in any wav
| affect the proposed navy building
program.
These statements, preparing the
mind Of the American electorate for
demands for larger naval appropria-
tons, have been repeated regularly
week by week.
First, Secretary Wilbur, then
President Coolidge, then Senator
Hale, chairman of the Senate Ma
val Committee, and Representative
Britten, chairman Of the House Ma
val Committee. Now Wilbur again
repeats that his department has not
modified its construction proposals
presented to the last session of
Congress.
The navy, with tremendous appar4
ent sincerity, is convinced it would
be failing in its duty to provide ma
tional defense if it permitted nom
binding" treaty to interfere with
building plans which it conceives as
absolutely essential to national
safety.
More important than any treaty
or talk Of war remuneration In the
minds of naval men is the sheer and
indisputable fact that American
cruiser strength is far below Great
Britain's, and that the British at
the Coolidge Geneva naval confer.
ence, refused to accept the American
proposal for limitation on The basis
OF equal strength in cruisers.
n
a ND in the back of the minds OF
L n these admirals is somethine
about which they feel strongly but
are allowed to talk but little-that
is, the reported Anglo French naval
alliance.
1t is widely believed here, despite
foreign denials, that this alliance is
aimed at the United States. at least
in the sense that it provides for a
method Of so-called naval limitation
which the Americans opposed at
Geneva. That reported agreement
would limit the large type cruiser
required by the United States and
not limit the medium and small
type cruiser, which Britain finds
more effective because of her world
encirclirg chain of naval bases.
But there seems to be sharp dis
agreement within the administra-
ton here over the size of building
program needed The naval chiefs
have not given up their program for
seventy-four ships including twen-
ty-five cruisers, which was cut down
by the House last spring to only
fifteen cruisers and one aircraft
carrier.
After an unprecedented barrage
OF protests against the Navy pro-
gram, President Coolidge left the
admirals high and dry by swinging
to the sixteen ship project The
latter was finally passed by the
House and now has the status of