Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-01-25
CRUISER BILL VOTE.
IS BELIEVED NEAR
Senator Hale Sees Way Clear
for Final Ballot on Measure
by Tomorrow Night.
BY the Associated Press.

After having had the proposed meas
ure before it for nearly year, the Sem
ate has taken up the cruiser bill in
spirit that makes its supporters hopeful
that final vote is nearing.
Chairman Hale of the Senate naval
affairs committee, who is in charge of
the bill, was so optimistic today as to
believe that a final vote would be
reached by tomorrow night, but other
Senate leaders felt that another week
will be necessary to end the debate.
Those advocating passag, of the
measure have taken heart at the alb
sence of any indications of a filbuster,
but they were mindful of the admoni-
ton of some opponents of the bill that
any attempt to rush the legislation
through would not be tolerated.
BrOOkhart Balks Hale Request.
Senator Brookhart, Republican, Iowa,
one of the Middle Western group of
Senators opposed to the bill, objected
successfully yesterday to the request of
Senator Hale for an opening of The dis
cussion at IL o'clock, rather than the
usual noon hour
Brookhart advised Senator Hale that
II would be better to take ample time i'll
considering the measure, and the COM
mlttee chairman said he had no OPP
position To a full discussion of the bill
For the first time since the bill be-
came the regular business before the
Senate, full discussion was heard yes
terday of the place the cruiser bill would
take IN any efforts of the United States
to advocate further reduction of naval
armament. The discussion conferred
around the speech of Senator Borah of
Idaho, who proposed that there be writ
ten into the bill provision for the
calling of an international conference
to restate the law governing the rights
of neutrals on the seas during war.
During the discussion yesterday, Sen
ator Borah laid emphasis upon the posi-
ton attributed to Great Britain that she
would never be endangered so long as
she controlled the seas. If this was the
position OF the government of the
British Empire, the Senator declared
the United States could do nothing but
increase its Navy to an equality with
Great Britain as soon as possible
THE sea belongs to all the nations. "
Borah continued. THE idea that any
particular power can control the sea
and command it in time of war is SO
utterly at war with justice that the time
has come to put aside this theory for
all days.
Great Britain will see that the old
doctrine of command of the sea will be
worked to her detriment. Conditions
of warfare have so changed that neutral
rights will be as essential to England
as her supposed command of the sea.
IF the submarine warfare of the last
war would have been carried a little
farther. England's only salvation would
have been the neutral ships to carry
supplies to her"
Robinson Sites Disarmament Farley.
The Washington Armament Confer
ence was declared by Senator Robinson
of Arkansas, Democratic leader, to have
been an instrument contributing to a
naval building race because it did not
limit the tonnage OF cruisers.
Il cannot understand" he said, "how
any one thinks the Washington confer
ence established any great benefit to
the United States by virtue of the fact
that We destroyed number of firSt-claSs
ships when the conference left the
cheaper and more destructive forms OF
battleships wholly unlimited Any one
could anticipate just what did happen
We entered the conference as the great
est naval power of the world. We
emerged as an inferior"
Robinson took exception to a state
ment of Senator Watson. Republican
Indiana, that Great Britain had not
acted IN good faith either in letter or
IF Iaa t@x,
her recent building of cruisers. Senator
Robinson declared that cruisers and
submarines had been specifically ex-
cepted from the pact and that England
was wise enough to know that by ex-
cepting them she could easily make
herself a superior naval power to the
United States.
Senator Borah asserted that no one
should be misled by superficial discus
sion" that the United States and Great
Britain are not engaging in naval
building program. Every argument in
favor of the cruiser bill, he said, was
underlain with a fear Of the naval
strength of the British for defense
rather than in the spirit of competition.
This argument, he added, ran through
the speeches in the Parliament of Great
Britain and the Reichstag of Germany
between 1SU0 ana 1914.
This theory of the need for the COM
mand of the sea by Great Britain, b.
rah went on, is threat to American
commerce and thus to the safety of the
United States because the demand for
protection of commerce by force would
determine this country's course during
international difficulties.
Senator Metcalf, Republican, Rhode
Island. contended that the need for pro-
tecting American commerce was Just
the contingency which demanded prompt
construction of the cruisers.
I'VE all know" he said, that
peace between nations is to a great
extent dependent upon conditions with
in nations. There is not a man, wom-
an nor child in the United States
who would not be directly affected by
any serious interruption of our for
eign commerce"
Senator Borah also asked II it was
not incumbent upon the United States
to inquire If Great Britain. intends to
recognize the rights of neutrals?"
Unless some agreement is reached
regarding the rights of neutrals on the
seas, venture to predict" he added,
that in 1881 the last vestige of the
disarmament conference of 1921 will
be wiped out and unless we reach an
understanding a superhuman burden
of taxation will be imposed on our
people in new race of ornaments"