Evening star., 1933-05-24
ADEQUATE FLEET
IS SSWANSON'S GOAL
Proposed Building Program
Described as a Start by
Forum Speaker.

An American Navy sufficient to pro-
tect our rights and commerce, wherever
they exist was the goal set by Secre-
tary of the Navy Claude A. Swanson, in
an address delivered in the National
Radio Forum. sponsored by The Star,
over Station WRC and Nation wide
network of the National Broadcasting
Co. last night. The speech was given
from $50 to 10 o'clock ana Mr.. Swan
son was the eighth cabinet officer of
the new Democratic administration to
speak in the forum series.
There is no use having a second
class navy, or a third-class navy" as
serted the Naval Secretary. Unless
the Navy is sufficient to take care of
our rights and to defend them, it Is a
useless expense.
1T is with these general principles in
mind that the naval construction pro-
gram of today has been suggested.
While the proposed 20 destroyers, 4
submarines, cruisers, aircraft car
riers and 2 glnboats will not bring
the Navy to treaty strength, neverthe-
less it is a start"
States His Attitude.
Secretary Swansons address follows:
My friends, 1 have been asked to
talk with you tonight about the
Navy. I respond to this request with
the utmost enthusiasm. appreciating
every minute of the radio time which
has so courteously been made available
to me by the National Radio Forum
and the National Broadcasting Co.,
because it is as much my pleas
ure as it is my duty to keep the Ameri-
can public advised as to our right arm
of defense
1t is rather unfortunate that our
natural tendency is to divide every
issue into definite classiflcations, such
as wet and dry, high tariff and low
tariff internationaliSt and isolationist.
etc. So you hear of big Navy men and
little Navy men. believe I have gen.
orally been classified as a big Navy
man, which some people interpret as
meaning that am for a marine estab-
lishment the limits of which would he
only the full extent Of our capacity tc
build, or to put it a little more pre-
cisely, the utmost amounts the Navy
Department could induce Congress to
appropriate This Is not my attitude.
nor is it the attitude of the Navy
would not increase the Navy to the
extent of single rowboat beyond what
a sane appreciation of our necessities
involves.
1 know a lot of very sincere people
regard warships as not only SuperflouS
luxury, but actually consider them as
an incentive to war. An ideal world
could possibly get along without navy,
but in the present state of what We
call civilization this is quite impossible.
We do know that wars have come with
surprising uneXpectedneSS. No house
holder is looking to have his residence
or place of business burned down. New
ertheless, he feels it incumbent on him
to carry adequate insurance. That, to
a large extent is what navy is-in-
surance against invasion of our national
rights and the liberties and well-being
of our people-insurance for our great
business on the sea which is so closely
interviewer with security and economic
welfare ashore.
Need Urgent Now.
History plainly tells us the necessity
for a well balanced Navy, and the
many difficulties and disasters averted
by naval strength. The need for an
adequate Navy is more urgent now
than in the past. owing to unsettled
and chaotic conditions in the world.
We are no longer an isolated Nation
having become world power, We must
accept and perform its work and re-
Sponsibility. We have large worldwide
commercial interests which require care
and protection. Our national safety,
commercial prosperity and industrial
development are also interviewer with
retaining control over our home waters,
including the great trade route through
the Panama Canal. Our position in
all these vital respects Is no stronger
than our Navy.
The support of the national policies,
the protection of our sea lanes OF essen
tial commerce, the defense of the coun-
try against foreign invasion or aggres-
sion and the performance Of our own
part in the worlds work are all OBJ
jects of first magnitude for which we
require substantial and efficient Navy.
The American Navy as a protector
of ocean trade and commerce no less
than in its other roles, affects directly
every section of the United States.
The wheat growers throughout the
land have as vital an interest In an
adequate Navy as those who have made
its maintenance their profession. The
cultivator of tobacco needs its protec-
ton fully as much as the manufacturer
of machinery. The miner is benefited
to the same degree as the man whose
livelihood is dependent on shipping
The adequacy of the Navy means as
much to the man on the street as any
other single factor of government With
out an adequate Navy our commerce
would be at the mercy of those nations
which controlled the seas. our trade
would be limited by the sufferance OF
our international neighbors. That GER
tainly is not the desire of the American
people. They do not, l am confident,
wish to allow our sea strength to drift
further into the state of obsolescence
into which inaction is rapidly bringing
it. We cannot live on our glorious
naval traditions any more than We
can maintain parity with overseas
vessels.
Pledges Being Fulfilled.
The matter of public concern. there
fore, is whether or not the administra-
ton int IDS to carry out the pledge
made IN its platform, namely, to provide
a Navy adequate for national defense
The short and decisive document
adopted at the Chicago Convention OF
the Democratic party already has been
marked by greater measure OF fulfill
ment than any similar document in my
recollection and, l believe that l am
safe in saying, in the history OF the
United States.
This record Of fulfillment is thus
far SO highly impressive as to be mat
ter of universal recognition and &C
claim. The celebrity with which the
banking problem was met, in accord
ance with the Democratic platform, was
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