Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-04-13
STIMSON HAD TO FORGET
REDUCTION FOR PARITY
Naval Figures for 1896 Reveal $4,000
Increase i'm Cruiser
Tonnage.

&ritish, who will have $4,000 tons, nor
will she have parity in numbers, for
the British total will be so and the
American but So. This considerable
gap is to be hridged by American pos.
session of three more 10,000-ton eight.
inch-gunned boats than the British.
Well Rounded Fleet.
Assuming that there is treaty at
London and that it is ratified by the
Senate, the United States will have in
1886 a we'll rounded fighting feet, a
modern. efficient instrument Of war.
She will get it by an enormous scrap
ping of the obsolete and an equal con-
struction Of the effective. The process
will cost not less than $4,000 100000.
The point is not that the London
Conference has imposed this program
such a conclusion would be absurd.
The significant fact is that, conference
or no conference, if the United States
wanted an efficient navy, navy equal
to the British. this is what she would
have had to do in any case, and the
conference has left the situation I'M
changed.
What has been absurd at all times
has been the idea that the London
Conference could bring about any re-
duction as long as the American people
demanded parity with Britain and the
British people demanded two-power
standard vis-a-vis France and Italy.
And the same reasoning applies to the
Italian demand for parity with France
and the French demand for two-pow-
er standard vis-a-vis Germany and
Italy.
The London Conference Is going to
result in the adjustment Of the fleets
of the five great sea powers in accord.
ance with the necessities of the next
war, as the experts in all countries see
the technical nature of that conflict.
BY 1886. when the treaty Of London
will expire. all the fleets will be re-
organized and reconstructed on this
basis. Reduction will not occur in any
case; limitation will come only on the
basis of the financial conditions and
immediate political and strategic posi-
tons of the various countries.
Vast Expenditures by U. s.
Britain will arrive, but at the cost Of
vast expenditure by the United States.
This always was inevitable.
But If a three-power instead Of a
f1ve-power pact is made, then at once,
or shortly, it will be necessary to add
$4,000 tons to both the British and
American totals and 10000 tons to the
Japanese. This increase will result
from the British determination to main
tain a two-power standard vis-a-viS
France and italy and the French de-
| termination to carry out their present
building program. And it is the uni
versal recognition Of the political perils
OF such an expansion, fatal to the
Rapidan agreement, that explains the
last-ditch fight in London for a FIVE
| power treaty. Returning from London,
find widespread tendency in the
| United States to blame the European
nations for the utter failure to arrive
at any reduction in fleets. But such a
! charge Is totally unjust. There Is no
better reason why the United States
should have parity with Great Britain
than why Britain should have a two
power standard in Europe, France a
| two-power standard on the continent
and Italy parity with France.
Would Have to Build 100000 Tons.
All of these respective national de-
mands involve naval construction and
preclude reduction. And the American
demand for parity with Britain involves
! the largest and most expensive con-
Struction of all. To get immediate
parity the United States will have to
build a vast new fleet Of cruisers, and
to maintain it, If a three-power treaty
is maze at London, she will have to
add nearly 100000 tons to the Rapidan
| figures.
To ask the British to reduce their
navy beyond the two-power standard in
Europe, which is the basis of British
security; to ask France to modify her
naval construction program, which is
the French estimate of national safety;
to ask Italy to resign her demand for
parity with France, which is a question
| OF national honor, simply that the
| United States may have cheap parity
with Brttain-may have equality with
out expense-waS always unreasonable.
If anybody believed that the Kellogg
pact had opened a new phase in post
war history, that, thanks to 1t, a naval
conference could bring about reduction
or even real limitation in naval arna-
ments, the answer is written in the
| figures each nation has laid on the
table and subsequently maintained to
the bitter end. London has not so
far provided for bigger navies, but it
certainly has made certain better navieS.
If the 'unthinkable" war should come in
1885 the naval officers Of all countries
would have every reason to be CRATE
| ful for what was done at st. James
Palace in the name Of peace, parity
and reduction.
Copyright, 1900