Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-08-04

Continued From First PageO
President authority to expend the sums
appropriated under the appropriation
as he may deem proper. All OF these
EeffortS were overwhelmingly defeated In
the Senate and the Senate decided that
| five cruisers must be begun in each one
of the three years named in the author
iZation bill. It is left to Congress to
determine whether the appropriation
shall or shall not be made under the
authorization and to what amount.
q dwot2beenBRcThSia -pethaoinunpjn
when Congress acts, as it has done
in this matter, there Is no discretion
left in the President except as to the
| that fiscal year.
This is clearly the legal situation.
To hold otherwise would be to surren-
| der to the President the power OF APP
propriation, which, under the ConSt1tu-
| ton, belongs to Congress.
Doubts Aid to Disarm.
ct do not think the action Of the
President in this matter will aid in OBJ
,, tanning an international agreement be-
tween Great Britain and the United
Estates. 1t emphasizes the impression
held by Great Britain that the United
States has no intention of building the
cruisers and that all Great Britain has
| to do Is to delay Interchangeable
keep the present status which gives her
navy an overwhelming superiority over
ours. When Great Britain realizes that
/ America is firmly determined to have a
Navy substantially equal to the British
Navy, then and not until then will any
agreement be reached. We should not
have our antieipations OF such an
agreement too hopeful, since 1t must
be remembered that 1t was the Ramsay
Macdonald former government which
continued and approved the building of
cruisers, which made the British Navy
superior to the American Navy. 1t was
practically the present government that
aided in creating competition IN cfuis-
ers. I also note from England asSur-
ances given that Great Britain has no
intention OF scrapping or reducing hsr
cruisers provided for will still keep our
Navy inferior to Great Britain. I also
:, note the suggestion that our battleships
should not be replaced In 1891, but
/ 1885, and If Great Britain continues 10
keep her modern battleships, IL no scrap
ping Is done, she will not only be SUI
perior to us in cruisers, but also in
modern battleships.
i hlSO IlOIE blAftt IL 10 bbdbCQ tktde LAC
agreement will greatly reduce the size
of our battIeships and cruisers, which
will greatly impair their radius of oper-
alton. I cannot concede that this Is ,au-
thoritative, but if the suggested agree
ment is entered into, considering the
fact that we have no naval bases scat
tered around the world, as has Great
Britain, our fleet win be confined to
4 home waters and home bases, and
would be powerless to protect American
commerce which is as far scattered and
lust as large and important as is the
foreign commerce of the British empire
"If these suggestions are carried out
the American Navy would be pool
second to the British navy. believe
the best interests of the United State:
and Great Britain and the peace OF thu
world would be accomplished by sub
stafltial equality Of the American ane
, British navies.
Prefers Reduction.
1T would prefer this equality to be &C
|. quired by reduction instead Of increase
; OF navies.
1T feel that the best interests o.
America require substantial and fail