Evening star., 1933-04-01
Build I'm the NAVY!

In the name of unemployment relief
It is now proposed that the United
States build its Navy up to the strength
permitted under the London naval
treaty. Whatever the reason advanced,
it is step which should be taken and
has been too long postponed. The
United States Navy is the first line of
defense of the Nation. The need of
adequate national defense should be
apparent to every thinking man and
woman in the country. Events of the
past year are not calculated to inspire
confidence that the millennium has ar
rived, and that wars and threats of
war have vanished into limbo along
with the extinct dodo bird.
This country has properly taken
lead for years in demanding arms
limitation. Unfortunately the other
nations, In the main, while entirely
willing to have the United States dis
arm, have not, because of their own
problems of national defense, been so
willing to cut their own armaments.
At the time Of the Washington Naval
Conference, in 1922, the world had
recently emerged from a devasting war
The demand for peace was uppermost
everywhere. When President Harding
called the disarmament conference he
struck responsive chord. When Chief
Justice Hughes, then Secretary of
State, announced the plan of the
United States for limiting naval arma-
ments, thrill went around the world.
The United States at the time was in a
position to be generous. The Ameri
can Navy, building and projected, was
Of tremendous strength. At the Wash
ington conference this country gave
up this great naval supremacy in the
hope that it would lead to real linlita-
ton Of ornaments in the interest of
international peace.
What happened2 Other naval pow
ers continued to build those types OF
warships that were not limited by the
Washington treaty-the cruisers, de-
stroyers and submarines. The United
States, however, did little building, so
little as to be almost negligible. Then
came several years later the London
Naval Conference. No longer did the
United States have anything to offer
in the matter of naval disarmament.
But after much negotiation agreements
were finally reached dealing with cruis-
ers, destroyers and submarines, with
the naval strength ratio of Japan ad-
vanced over that agreed to in prin-
ciple at the Washington conference.
Still the United States hesitated and
failed to enter upon naval building
program which would bring the Amer
lean Navy to treaty strength. 1t has
Jagged and Jagged, until now-in some
of the categories of naval vessels-this
country is actually in third place, with
Great Britain and Japan occupying
first and second places. The reasons
advanced for failure to increase the
American naval strength were several,
among them the desire not to increase
the Government expenses and the plea
that this country should set an example
to the rest of the world in disarma-
ment.
The present Secretary Of the Navy,
Claude A. Swanson, who was an Amer
ican delegate to the Disarmament Con-
ference in Geneva last year, believes
that the Navy should be built up to
treaty strength. Probably no one in
the country is better able to judge of
this question than the Secretary of the
Navy. Representative Vinson of Ken
lucky, chairman of the House Naval
Affairs Committee; Speaker Rainey and
Majority Leader Byrns all are repre-
sented as favoring the naval building
program, calling for an eventual out
lay Of $230,00o,0o0 and the construc-
ton Of 81 new warships, cruisers, de-
stroyers, submarines and an aircraft
carrier, plus additional aircraft. Presi-
dent Roosevelt served as Assistant Sec
retary Of the Navy during the World
War. If the administration will get
behind the plans now advanced for
a treaty Navy. that Navy will be con-
structed. 1t should be done.