Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-01-09
SENATORS ABSENT
AS PAC|F|STS CALL
Most of Those interviewed in
Delegates Poll Favor Pend
ing Cruiser Bill.

Handicapped by failure to find many
Senators either in their Offices or or
the floor of the Senate, the more than
| 100 delegates TO the citizens conference
on cruisers, who yesterday afternoon
visited the Senate to report the atti-
tudeS of the legislators on the Navy
cruiser bill, made only a partial pol
Of the body.
Most of the Senators interviewed, &C.
| cording TO reports made to the confer
ence later at the Washington Hotel
were in favor of the cruiser bill, ane
one, Senator David A. Reed of Pennsyl.
vania, who received the largest delega.
ton from the conference, was quoted
as saying that he was sorry that the
bill did not call for 80 instead of Is
cruisers.
Urged to Continue Effort.
Letters and more letters to Senators
urging them to vote against the bill
was urged by Frederick j. Libby, head
Of the National Council to Prevent War
at the closing of the conference last
night at banquet in the hall of ma
tons of the Washington Hotel.
The banquet was attended by about
300 delegates and guests of the confer
1AASNs A1tN4ONAtS 4OuI dGOlS-INHS
Brookhart Frazier and Wheeler-all of
whom, in after-dinner speeches
eSpouSed the cause of the conference
From Senator James A. Reed of Mis-.
souri,, whose interview was relayed to
the conference by press representative
at the Capitol, came the statement:
Every one believes in peace, but your
method of getting it is by making the
country defenseless, which means the
| certainty of war"
The intervieWerS found the two Mary
land Senators, Bruce and Tydings:
Mcclellan of Tennessee, Overman and
Simmons of North Carolina, Gerry and
| Metcalf of Rhode Island, Copeland of
New York, Glenn of Illinois and Sackett
OF Kentucky in favor of the cruisers
Many Senators considered as against
the Navy bill, however, were not inter-
| viewed, and the principal arguments OF
| the delegates were directed toward the
| Senators who either have been non
committal on the subject or have been
openly in favor of the cruisers.
| Practically all of the Senators inter-
viewed, the poll showed, were in favor
| of the Kellogg treaty in addition to the
cruiser bill and reports of the delegates
quoted them almost unanimously in
saying they saw nothing inconsistent
in the passage of the two measures.
Devine Mentions Hypocrisy"
DR.. Edward T. Devine, who recently
resigned as dean of the graduate col
/ lege Of American University, acted as
POSTMASTER at the banquet last night
He characterized as "convicting our
selves Of national hypocrisy" the con.
sideration of the cruiser bill and the
peace pact in practically the same
breath" and announced receipt of &
flood of messages to the conference from
all over the country from person:
pledging support of the conference!
campaign against the cruiser bill.
Determination of the stand of the
present administration and of the com.
ing administration on national defense
and the building of all engines of war
particularly with respect to the con-
3truction of airplanes for war purposes
was urged by Edward C. Evans, Phila
delphia attorney, at the banquet las
night. Mr.. Evans suggested that air.
craft constitute engines of war equal!
=. as deadly as cruisers.