The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-05-27
IN
DEMAND FOR
EQUAL NAVY
Answer to Roosevelt
Attack on Japan
In His Message
CONTINUED FROM PAGE ONE

government nevertheless signed only
two and half years ago, let the cat
out OF the bag by saying that if the
s1gnatories to the Washington and
London treaties had built up to the
limits allowed by those treaties, the
result would have been an increase in
naval ornaments, both qualitatively
and quantitatively. Now the Admiral
is asking that the ratios be increased.
and threatening new building pro-
gram by the Japanese.
The discussion at the Conference
yesterday ran in the following order.
First Admiral Sato explodes his bomb
shell. Then Captain Eden makes a
speech in which he does not utter a
word on the subject of the Japanese
threat to boycott the Conference, but
instead attacks the French argument
for "global" disarmament. Rene Mas
Slgu, the French delegate, begins BY
weeping crocodile tears over the En-
gliSh abandonment" of a position
which the English never held, namely
the French position; and then, re-
ferring to Roosevelt's description of
tanks as land battleships," hints to
the Conference, with his eyes turned
IN the direction of the English dele
cation, that there are "ocean-going
battleships, too" Daviss contribution
to the discussion is the optimistic re-
mark that eff we tie up the naval
problem with the land and air prob
lens, we shall help to solve them all"
Davis, as the spokesman for anti
Japanese American imperialism, ad-
vocates the keeping of the London
treaty ratios Q0-1O-6) within the
framework of the disarmament con-
Vention's naval chapter. The pro-
ceedings are brought to a fitting close
with Senior Madariaga's attack on
navieS which he said were essentially
offensive weapons.
Madariaga, author of several books
on disarmament, recently advised the
Spanish government to increase its
army and further strengthen its land
fronHers. Spain, of course, has no
navy to speak of.
At the original London Conference,
France and Italy, after taking part
in the negotiations, left the confer
ence and refused to sign their names
to any agreement for the limitation
of tonnage.
Yesterday, Davis for America, and
Captain Eden for Great Britain, join
ed forces in an appeal to France and
Italy to sign, even at this late hour,
the London treaty. AT the same time,
England made it quite clear that she
is still opposed to the French plan
of "globar' disarmament, which adj
mits Of the possibility of transferring
tonnage as between categories. En-
gland favors definite reduction by
categories. The "globa" method linn
its the total tonnage of a navy, but
does not limit the way in which this
tonnage can be distributed between
different classes of ships. France IA
vors this method, because she wants
to construct large number Of sub
marines, and Is not so interested in
maintaining a huge battle fleet. En-
gland favorS the reverse method, since
she wants to limit French submarines
especially, because of the extensive
Empire trade routes that have to be
protected in case of war by the En-
glish navy.
Eden Wants Elastic Definition of
AggreSSOr Nation
The second snag hit by the Confer
ence developed in the afternoon when
the definition Of an aggressor nation,
presented by the Soviet government,
was up for discussion. England was
now the recalcitrant power, giving
France an opportunity to tear its hair
and complain furiously of English
intransigeance." Captain Eden said
that "any hard and fast definition
of an aggressor would only be trap
for the innocent and a protection for
the guilty" Greater elasticity" was
asked for by the English representa-
tive.
The definition presented by Valer-
ian Dovgalesky leaves no loophole for
imperialist bridandage to wriggle thru.
Captain Eden was correct in referring
to it as trap" but it is precisely
the U.S.A., English, Japanese, and the
other capitalist "aggressor" countries
that are caught.