Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-07-05
FUTILE FIGHT SEEN
ON NAVAL TREATY
Determined But Hopeless
Battle Expected During
Special Session.
BY the Associated Press.

A grim. determined and all but hope
less battle against the ratification Of
the London naval treaty will begin on
Monday in the Senate.
At the bidding of President Hoover
the members of that branch of Congress
will assemble in special session and
come to grips in their last bitter dis
pute before adjourning for the Summer.
The contest against the pact will be
waged by small group drawn from
nearly every faction of the Senate. It's
leaders will be johnson of California
and Moses of New Hampshire, vigorous
debaters both.
BY a strange twist of circumstance,
the brunt of the battle for ratification
will be borne by q Democrat. Swanson
of Virginia, the ranking minority men,
Der of the Foreign Relations and Naval
Committees.
Will Be Given Aid.
He will receive the active support of
the regular Republican leadership, and
of Senator Reed, Republican, Pennsyl-
vania. and Robinson of Arkansas, the
Democratic leader both of whom were
delegates to the London Conference.
In advance of the struggle, the issues
are clearly defined and the voting align
ment fairly definite. The one uncertain
factor Is how soon the question of
ratification can be brought to a vote.
Sponsors of the treaty predict the
roll call will be taken after 10 days
or two weeks of debate. The opposition
is hopeful it will be longer-much
longer.
The primary objective of the latter's
strategy is to be delay. They hope to
force the issue over until Fall. They
conceded that their numerical strength
is insufficient to reject the pact at
present, and they are counting upon
several pertinent factors to aid them in
their efforts at postponement.
Anxious for Campaigns.
Important among these is the dizzy
height to which the mercury climbs
here these July days. Added to that,
the Senate is in an impatient. short
tempered humor, anxious to be away
for the Summer and into the coming
campaigns.
They expect the administration will
have great difficulty in keeping a
quorum present and the first time a
roll call fails to produce the necessary
40 Senators they plan a motion for
adjournment or recess until next De-
cember
They are ready, too, to fill many.
many pages of the Congressional Record
with arguments against ratification, as
saults upon the various articles of the
that dealing with
cruisers-and attacks upon the admin
istration for refusing to produce the
confidential documents exchanged be-
tween this and other nations in the
process of negotiating the pact.
To meet these tactics the sponsors of
the treaty have drawn up a definite
plan of campaign. 1t consists primarily
in leaving to the opposition the burden
of carrying on the debate.
will Yield Floor.
Only one or two, or possibly three
set speeches are in contemplation by
the supporters of the pact Senator
Swanson will speak, and perhaps Reed
and Robinson. After that they plan
to yield the floor as definitely and per-
manently as possible to the opposition.
The primary issue in the coming
struggle lies in the cruiser clauses Of
the treaty The opponents contend
they represent an abandonment of ac-
cepted American policies of naval build
ing by the limitation they impose upon
cruisers armed with eight-inch guns.
Congress has authorized the construc-
ton of 20 vessels of this tvpe. The
treaty limits the United States to 1S.
with is for Great Britain. The latter
In return is given tonnage superiority
in six-inch cruisers.
In contrast with the assertions of the
administration that this arrangement
provides for parity between the two
nations, the opposition contends that
such Is not the case; that, in fact. ii
means inferiority for America.
Navy Officers Disagree.
Behind this question lies dispute over
now well suited to American needs. com
paratively, are the and 6 inch-pun
ships. On this point a difference of
opinion has been expressed by the high
est ranking officers of the Navy.
The opponents OF the treaty claim
TOO, that 1t gives Japan a higher ratio
than the 5-5-3 arrangement adopted
at the Washington Conference. In addi-
ton, they are vigorously opposed to the
escape clause" under which the
signatory nations may build bevond
treaty figures If they consider their
security menaCed by the naval constr,lc.
ton OF nations outside the agreement,
The sponsors Of the pact are conf
dent OF their voting strength They
have counted prospective votes many
times and feel certain they have the
ballots TO ratify the treaty without
either amendment or reservation.
.