Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-02-01
SHIP BILL DELAY
IS URGED BY NYE
Senator Seeks Abandonment
of Plan as Example to
Other Nations.
BY the Associated Press.

| BY the Associated Press. !
Abandonment of the cruiser construc-
| ton program or at least a postpone
ment of it for a year or two to test
world sentiment on ornaments was ad-
vocated In the Senate today by Senator
Nye, Republican, North Dakota
He denied that foes of the naval pro-
gram were blind to the need of national
defense and preparedness and declared
that two years ago President Coolidge
said Americas naval strength was ahead
Of Great Britain.
| The North Dakotan, said the cruiser
program was one Of bluff and bluster"
and was both morally and economically
unSound. = ut was program wholly
lincalled for" and engineered by 'our
Admiral PlunkettS, aided by the private
shipbuilderS. he declared.
| y shall not be one to urge or aid
disarmament to that point which would
Leave US open 70 attack and defense
iesS. he continued. But there Is sore
need for some great nation, like our
own. to make 1t very clear by its actions
that il never plans to moleSt another
nation or do more than defend itself
| against attack,
abandonment of this cruiser pro-
gram, or at least postponement of it, Is
1 well worth the try Lay 1t aside for a
| year or two years with the express pur-
/ pose OF seeing what the world result
might be- If then 1t appears our example
| Is not one being followed by the force Of
| sentiment In other great nations. and,
first of all, Great Britain, will readily
join in prevailing upon my constituency
| their participation in such program
| as will convince the world that We
| mean to build to meet the most extreme
4 SORT rf military ernprppnrv -
| Senator Harrison, Democrat, of Mis-
| siSSippi. today came to the defence of
President Coolidge with an argument
against the clause in the bill providing
| Tor immediate construction of the ships.
The Senator contended the provision
was unprecedented as well as inad-
visable and declared that some persons
still believed that while seifishness
might exist in the hearts Of men, there
had been a change In the attitude of
the world toward the advance to be
made BY the use Of war.
The people are more interested In
adopting plans to make peace reign in
the world he said, than in making
large appropriations to wage war; I
would not detract one iota from the eff
forts of democratic leadership through
out the years to evolve plan that
would give peace to people in the
| future"
consistent i'm Opposition"
Senator Harrison said he was not
surprised ito find many distinguished
persons who opposed the League of
Nations now demanding immediate con-
| Struction of more cruisers.
"They have been as consistent in their
| opposition to world peace" he said, las
| they are in asking for large expendi-
| tLres to carry on war. We are told that
| islands close to us are fortified. that
England has large numbers OF cruisers.
| know of no time that our country had
| Navy equal to that of Great Britain.
| I do not know when these fortifications
| with guns pointing toward us were
/ erected, but ! do know that they have
been there for decades and no one ever
believed there was any likelihood of
war with Great Britain.''
The Mississippi Senator scored those
who spoke scornfully of the Washing
| ton armament conference.
| "They say the Washington confer
! ence was failure" he said, "but
have no doubt whatever that the
Americans who took part In that con-
ference attempted to accomplish much
more than they were able"
Cloakroom Conferences.
! Since the Senate entered the agree
ment earlier in the week to limit de-
bate, beginning Monday, on the bill,
there',y assuring final vote early next
week, the contest has settled down
mainly to cloakroom conferences look
| ing to the lineup on the time clause
contest. Mr.. Coolidge lost on this issue
| in the House, and If the bill goes
| through the Senate in its present form
the House Is expected to accept the
minor amendments already voted by the
Senate and send it directly to the Pres
ident without conference.
Debate yesterday brought another
urgent plea for the cruiser bill, Senator
johnson, Republican, California, declar-
| ing it constituted measure necessary
ror the protection of the Nation. There
was another rumble of war talk as he
looked into the future and warned that
4 some day world drama Is to be
played upon the Pacific Ocean,"