Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-09-29
Naval Relatively.

At Geneva last night the League
Of Nations Disarmament Committee
adopted a resolution designed to prepare
for Q possible one-year truce IN the
construction of ornaments, beginning
November /, 1891. The purpose, which
apparently has the support Of the
United States Government, is to create
the right kind Of psychological
atmosphere" as our spokesman at the
League puts it, for the 1882 general
disarmament conference. AS American
interest in that commendable attempt
to beat swords into pruning-hooks con-
Germs naval ornaments, public opinion
in this country should bestir itself as
to the effect upon this country's sea
defense of the proposed cessation IN
feet building.
The Navy League of the United
states. which renders useful service In
combating unreasonable pacifism, taxes
a logical position on the subject. The
NAVY League" 1t says, lis most heartily
in favor of a naval holiday along any
rational lines that will definitely help
the American feet to approach nearer
70 parity with the British feet and to
the ratios Of the London Treaty with
respect to the Japanese feet" In otner
words, the question Of naval holiday
resolves itself into terms of relatively.
The United States Navy for ten years
has Systematically Jagged behind the
nayies of Great Britain and Japan,
though we ourselves initiated two sep
arate limitation treaties designed to
bestow upon the American fleet fixed
parity with the British and an equally
DEFINITE margin of superiority over the
Japanese. CongresS, under the lash OF
economy programs and pacific propa-
Eanda, has supinely refrained from APP
propFiating funds to effectuate that
parity and superiority, for which our
delegations, respectively, at washing
ton, and London, so valiantly and tri-
urnphantly commended. Nearly two
years of moss have grown over the
three-power treaty of 1880, guarantee
ing us proper ratios in auxiliary craft,
Just &c the five-power. treaty Of 1922
guaranteed us battleship ratios. To
this hour Congress has not moved an
inch toward action designed to carry
out the provisions of the London pact.
Now comes the holiday scheme for
pushing us still farther back.
American popular sentiment Is vir-
tually unanimous in support Of Presi-
dent Hoover's desire to bring about q
cessation Of costly ornaments. The
necessity Of the United States for econ
ony In that and other realms has be-
come second to that Of no other power,
though happily the state Of our ex-
chequer u ineomparably more satisfac-
tory. But, as the Navy League points
out, a naval holiday that would tend
to set the United States back from at
tanning treaty ratios with the British
and Japanese would be counter to the
interests Of the country and unaccept-
able to the American people, II they be
inforfEed rather than deceived"
Cruisers carrying s-inch guns and
DISPLAYING 10000 tons are now the types
of war craft In which the United States,
in common with other countries, is spe-
ciaIizing. We have seven Of these effec-
tive sAips under construction. They
were authorized long bs.ore the London
cruiser limitation treaty. If the League
Of nations one-year holiday goes into
effect, It will mean that during the next
year work will be stopped on these
10000 tons OF cruisers. 1t will mean
an Immediate and material increase in
unemployment. That is one phase OF
. naval holiday project worthy Of spe-
clal confederation At this time. 1t is
not Is fundamental a. the incidental
scrapbifg OF our parity" policy would
be, but ii IL another and cogent rea-
son Why Uncle sam should look before
lsapin6 into psychological atmos-
pherS" for the Geneva conference.
The American people are ready TO
sacrifice much on the affairs of world
peace and economy. Our Self-abnega-
ton must not override the requirements
OF legitimate national defense.
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