Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-04-13
NAVAL PACT FACES
FIGHT BOTH WAYS
Pacifists and Stronger Fleet
Advocates Await Debate
on Ratification
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.


/ When the Hoover administration
seeks ratification of the three-power
naval treaty in the Senate it will find
itself under fire from two totally differ
ent directions. The big Navy group will
assail the pact because it goes too far
in limitation and reduction. The
pacifist group will represent that the
treaty does not 80 far enough In those
directions.
The apostles Of maximum of Arneri-
can naval strength will concentrate
their attack on the cruiser provisions of
the Anglo American Japanese agree
ment They will fight ON three specific
counts. First, that the general Navy
Boards recommendation Of % cruisers
and parity with Great Britain arranged
on an 18-cruiser basis; secondly, that
the treaty means tbs United States will
build only 10, instead Of the Is, 10000
ton cruisers authorized by Congress last
year, and thirdly, that in contrasting to
put 143 500 tons into cruisers carrying
6-inch guns the United States builds
ships which the British want us to lay
down, but which are class of cruisers
the American Navy actually has no use
for. Some Senate objection Is bound to
be raised to the contingent clause of the
treaty, giving Britain, If necessary, the
right to match French tonnage.
Eleventh Hour Campaign.
The paciflst element, represented by
the National Council for Prevention Of
Wharf.-The spearhead OF the tremendous
drive in Congress against naval legis-
lation during the past three yearS-is
engaged in an eleVenth-hour campaign
n 70 fYoafu rd
To that end it made fervent appeal
to peace society adhereftS throughout
the country to bring pressure to bear
on President Hoover not later than yes
terday. The confidential whip put
out for that purpose fell into the hands
Of Representative Britten, Republican,
Of Illinois. Friday. and he made it the
basis of demand for an investigation
of the war-prevention council and its
executive secretary, Frederick ]. Libby,
by the Senate lobby committee
The Libbvites want the treaty ueets"
of the United States and Great Britain
slashed from is to 10 battleships, and
Japan's quota OF 8 reduced to 6. The
paciflst program also calls for accep-
lance of the British proposal to de-
crease aircraft-carrier tonnage from
$4,000 to 100000 The United States
stood out at London for the larger car
rier figure. and it is the one about TO
be written into the tripartite treaty.
vention Of War can prevail. postpone
ment or requirements would not be
confined to a flve-year battleship holi.
day (aS the treaty provides), but would
be extended to every category of ships.
In other words, instead of stopping the
building of merely capital ships between
now and 1886, America, Great Britain
and Japan would stop laying down new
cruisers, destroyers and submarines to
take the place Of any such ships which.
because Of age, become useless and are
subject to replacement.
Prospect Not ReIished.
It thus becomes apparent that before
the London pact reaches the ratification
stage, it will be bombarded from a
variety Of angles. Members Of Congress.
and Senators in particular, do not relish
the prospect. It means a resumption
Of the rival big navy and little navy
propaganda campaign, like the one
that ragged on Capitol Hill from the
time Of the abortive Geneva Conference
In 1927 to the enactment Of the Is
cruiser bill in 1929. No such drive
was ever experienced by the oldest con-
gressional hands as was organized
against the famous Coolidge-Wi IL
was wrecked by the paciflstS. cut down
to a 15-cruiser bill, and was bitterly
fought even in that ernasculated form.
Evidently the pacifists are now deter
mined to crusade against the London
treaty program, with Its entailed ex-
penditure of between $3.50 600, 900 and
$3.50 100000. The Libby group is not
impressed by the round $l,o00,000 900
Of saving in naval costs, which President
Hoover foreshadows, measured by the
yardstick of what would have had to
be spent on 1.-THE Geneva basis" The
war-prevention zealots call for an anti
treaty program which might account for
a saving of S1,500,000,000 during the
six years in question. In other words,
the Libbyites, taking their cue from the
emphasis President Hover lays on the
economies effected at London, will agi-
tate for still greater economies.
The letter of the National Council
for Prevention of War, over the sigma
ture of Executive Secretary Libby, which
Representative Britten has made public,
appears to have been the one addressed
to college presidents. 1t reads, in part,
as follows:
Dear Friend: The following state
ment has been prepared by vote Of a
group of peace organizations for Nation
wide signature, to be sent to the PreSi-
dent on April IL and released to the
press probably on April Ia. Please keep
this confidential, as regards publication,
until April IA. If you approve the
statement, will you arrange to secure
other signatures from among your
faculty and students, and write or wire
the names, with your own, to this Office
They should reach here not later than
Friday, April II.
1--WE regard Ambassador GibsonS
radio speech on April as Offering us
last opportunity to express to our
delegation our hope of securing more
substantial reduction than is now con-
templated, and to lay the basis for
continued action following the London
Conference, in support of its ideals and
In harmony with the Kellogg pact.
I'VE urge the United States to take
the initiative in seeking adoption Of
these measures (for bringing about
further reduction in battleshipS ana
aircraft carriers and extending the life
Of other classes of ships, so as to post
pone replacementS), so that even though
all of the original aims Of the con-
ference may not be achieved, the high
confidence Of the American people that
the Government of the United States
will do everything in its power to
achieve reduction of ornaments at this
conference may not be disappointed"
Copyright. 1901
NAVAL PACT DRAFT