Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-09-30
CRUISER PROGRAM
URGED BY M'NUTT.
Commander Tells Legion
Building Should Continue
Until Parity Is Agreed.
BY the Associated Press.

4
Until an agreement Tor real naval parity
is reached, Americas cruiser building
program should be continued, said Paul
V. McNutt, national commander of the
American Legion, in his annual report
made public at the opening session OF
| the organizations national convention
here today.
Asserting that the Legion stands for
movements to make permanent peace
more certain, Comdr. McNutt added
that until such methods are found and
accepted by all nations this Nation
must provide complete defense in any
contingency"
Under present conditions" he con-
tinued, 1.-The policy of parity with other
powers is essential to complete defense.
Such parity must be real parity rather
than apparent parity. If it is possible
to achieve such parity by agreement
rather than by competitive armament,
the policy of the American Legion is
to support such a move. Until such
an agreement lis reached the cruiser
building program should be continued"
Scope of Legion.
The American Legion, the commander
said in another part of his report.
must confine itself to those matters
| which affect veterans of the World War
! and their dependents and to broad
non-partisan questions Of national
policy" He said the Legion had been
asked to further many causes which,
although worthy, did not concern the
veterans as such, directly. He added
that the legion should present a united
front and that once decision is made
by properly authorized body lit is
the duty of every Legionnaire to sup
port that decision"
Discussing the failure of the national
hospital bill, the report pointed out
that more than $4,000 World War
veterans are receiving compensation for
-pSychiatric disability. I'VE are
| told by experts" it added. that the
peak of the neuro-psychiatric load will
not be reached until 1947.
The month-old report of the acting
medical director of the Veterans
Bureau contains the information that
| for mental illness and that of these
| 1927 have been hospitalized without
authorization of the bureau in State,
county, city and private institutions.
Our survey shows on August /, that
2.243 neuro-psychiatric veterans, aside
| from those in governmental in
situations are awaiting disqualification
today. The conclusion is obvious. The
hospital facilities of the Government
II believe it to be the duty of this
convention to take determined stand
| on these matters and prepare to carry
| the fight for adequate disqualification
to a successful conclusion"
No one is more sincere believer in
peace than the man who has known,
personally. the horrors of war, de-
clared Gen. Peyton c. March, former
chief Of staff of the Army, in an ad-
far Ialt of
ing session. I'VE all rejoice in the
signing of The Kellogg treaties renounc-
ing war as an instrument of national
| policy, but it would be foolish to i'm
aglne that wars were abolished by
those treaties"
Auxiliary Leader Speaks.
was Mrs. Boyce Ficklen, jr., national
president of the American Legion Aux
iliary, who brought greetings from the
100000 members of her organization.
Her prepared address said the Auxiliary
had been denounced as militaristic
organization because of its firm stand
for the maintenance Of the country's
defense.
Nothing could be more absurd than
this charge" it was added. I'VE have
seen our men march away to the most
terrible war in history, and we have
clearer understanding of what war
means than any other group of women
in America. We will not let our love
of peace blind us to the fact that the
possibility of war has not yet been ban
ished from the world"
Rear Admiral Hugh Rodman, a ma
tive Kentuckian, also brought to the
convention a plea for parity in naval
strength. His text, he said, was Faith"
Hope and Parity" and the greatest Of
these is Parity"
THE United States needs at all
times his address said, IAN adequate
Navy during peace and in time of war,
equal in strength and IN every other
particular, and on a parity with that
of any other nation on earth.
There is little or no use in having
an inferior Navy; one not quite strong
enough. The Germans spent hundreds
of millions of dollars in creating a feet
about 80 per cent as strong as that OF
Great Britain. When it came to a
showdown during the World War, 1t
did not give Germany even 80 per cent
protection. It gave little or practically