The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1929-11-25
BY WILLIAM PHILIP sIMMs

BY WILLIAM PHILIP SIMMS
seripps-Howard Foreign Editor
Freedom Of the seas-the right Of
neutrals to carry on legitimate COM
merce In time Of war as freely as In
time Of peace-will be a tremendous
factor behind negotiations at the
London naval conference.
The British premier, Ramsay Mac
Donald. says it will not be an issue
at the parley. So does President
Hoover. Nevertheless. the President,
In his Armistice day speech, made it
perfectly plain that, so far as Amer
lea is concerned, it is an issue hav-
ing immense bearing on arms limita-
ton and as such must be faced by
the worlds leading sea powers.
Senator William e. Borah, chair
man of the senate foreign relat ons
committee and leader of the Bat
talon Of Death" which destroyed
President Wilson's dream of Ameri-
can participation in the League Of
Nations, today, oddly enough, is just
ao ardently championing the Wilson
doctrine that the paths Of the sea
must alike in law and in fact be
free"
It therefore is unlikely that the
American government will let the
matter drop.
Wants Sea Freedom
The term, command of the seas"
the doughty senator from Idaho in
sists, has become obsolete or abso-
lescent. He declares with vigor that
hereafter no nation is going to be
allowed to exercise control.
These highways of commerce, he
argues belong to all the nations in
common and to none in particular,
and that the idea that any one
power can control them in time of
war is so contrary to the modern
conception of right and justice that
the time has come for the nation
to do something about it.
The senator's idea of freedom of
the seas is the Wilsonian one that
the ships of neutral nations, in time
Of war, shall sail the seas as safely
as they do in time of peace-ex-
cept, Of course, when they carry
contraband. or actually seek to break
a blockade, as defined In interna-
tional law.
President Hoover. it seems, would
go even farther. He would make
food ships, for instance, immune,
like hospital ships. which means
that they could sail even through
blockade. For, he holds, civiliza-
ton no longer can tolerate the use
Of starvation of women and chill
dren as a weapon of war.
Root of Problem
In this question of freedom of the
seas, many see the very crux of
naval reduction and limitation. 1t
has been disputed holly for CEN
turtles. President Hoover considers
it highly important.
Protection of overseas or imported
supplies, he says. has been one OF
the most impelling causes of In
creasing naval ornaments. Until Il
is settled. therefore, approximately
along the WILSON, Hoover Borah
lines, 1t can not fail to be a STUN
bling block in the road to naval &C
cord.
Yet, there are unm;stakable
signs that Britain may be heard to
convince. though if she opposes the
Hooverian doctrine of immunity OF
fpod-ships she risks laying herself
open to the charge of insincerity.
She says she must have a huge
navy to protect food supplies from
overseas. Obviously. If food ships
are immunized by international law,
this peril will be removed and no
such preponderant navy then will be
necessary.
Must End Wrsngle
II freedom of the seas is to be left
out Of the agenda at the forthcom-
ing five-power naval conference, 1t
Is solely because that session is for
ueuIlCe purpose ana IL Is nOC Oe-
sired to confuse the issue.
The immediate need is to end the
Anglo-American naval wrangle. and
put some sort of limit on building
auxiliary craft. This done, the con-
ference can be taken up afterwards
The United States likely will take
the initiative in seeing that this is