The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1928-11-30
KEEPING UP
With
THE NE WIS
BY LUDWELL DENNY

| GGilDDh-hQWATu NeWCnanHTE
1929
WTASHINGTON, Nov. 3O.-Vis-
" count Cecil's declaration that
Great Britain should agree to COM
plete naval equality with the United
States is expected to lessen the
strain in Anglo-American relations.
This evidence that some English
conservatives, as well as the liberal
and labor parties, are in sympathy
With the American proposal for
cruiser parity" revives hope that
the disarmament deadlock is not
complete, as feared here since the
Anglo-French agreement disclosures.
Cecils plea, made before the
League OF Nations union In London.
follows a similar statement in
/ support OF the American position
by Lord Lee, a delegate to the
Washington naval conference of
1921.
Cecil was chiefly responsible with
woodrow Wilson for organizing the
league. He resigned from the British
tory cabinet year ago, following
collapse of the Coolidge Gensva
naval conference. AT that time ne
explained that he was out "of SYM
pathy with the instructions I re-
ceived" as delegate to the Geneva
conference.
The liberal and labor parties have
| If I.o
parliament opened in attacking the
Baldwin government for its Secret"
revival of the entente" with France
in violation Of the spirit Of the
Locarno pactS for European security,
and in disregard Of United States
naval limitation policy.
Both parties have indicated they
will make the necessity Of a naval
agreement with the United States
and General improvement of Anglo
American relations a major issue in
the spring campaign preceding the
,iune elections.
DRESSURE from Cecil and Lee,
- in addition to almost unanimous
press demands and effective at
tacks Of the two opposition parties,
is expected to be reflected in Brit
ish government policy, regardless
Of whether the present tory party is
unseated by the elections, as some
predict.
1t is considered significant that
Cecil went farther than advocacy
Of theoretic equality of the British
and American navies, which is open
to many different interpretations. He
specified mathematical equality in
tonnage and guns. That is, of
course, precisely what the United
States has been urging all along.
Great Britain accepted such
mathematical parity in capital ships
at the Washington conference of
1921, but then refused to limit cruis-
ers and other auxiliary craft on the
same basis. She has refused ever
since.
Her refusal has contributed to the
annual failure Of the League of Ma
,tions' disarmament commission. Her
refusal broke up the Coolidge three
power conference at Geneva a year
and a half ago.
The argument of the British gov
eminent is that mathematical
equality means in fact American
superiority, because Britain has
longer trade routes to protect and
because she needs mpny small-type
cruisers in contrast TO Americas
need for a few large cruisers.
u n
TINE recent Anglo French naval
Il agreement, which the Washing
ton government rejected with such
vigor, proposed to limit the large
type cruisers needed by the United
States and to leave entirely I'M
limited the British type cruisers,
and submarines, in which France is
especially interested.
That Anglo-French move resulted
in debating much of the European
and American hope rising from the
Kellogg "anti-war" pact. More
specifically it resulted in President
Coolidge's unusually sharp warning
to Europe in his Armistice day adj
dress, and in the administration de-
cision to enact the flfteen-cruiser
bill before ratifying the Kellog pact.
The action of Representative
Britten of Chicago last Monday, in
cabling a proposal to Premier Bald
win for a naval conference in Can
ada of committees from congress
and parliament, has increased
rather than diminished the already
great confusion in Anglo American
relations.
But the Cecil declaration has had
the opposite effect. An added rea-
son for the satisfaction here over
Cecil is his statement that the Brit
ish government should be able to
meet the United States traditional
demand for freedom of the seas, or
the rights of neutral shipping in
war time.
ND II AAc1nS7A%o