Evening star., 1938-10-23
A Significant Navy Day.

Not since the World War has Navy
Day, October q, been celebrated under
more significant circumstances than will
be the commemoration on Thursday Of
the eightieth anniversary Of the birth
of Theodore Roosevelt, in whose honor
the day was established. Certainly at
no time during the twenty years Of
establishment which succeeded the
Armistice have the American people
been more world-conscious or prepared
ness-minded than at this moment, as
the true inwardness of the Peace of
Munich" begins to dawn upon them.
AS the purpose of Navy Day is to re-
mind the Nation of the necessity of
maintaining at maximum strength and
efficiency our first line of defense, the
current anniversary assumes an aspect
which the day has seldom, if ever, had
before.
Although the United States Fleet is
sound in wind and limb, with combatant
units that are the peer of ANYTHING
afloat. and has a personnel of officers
and men ready for any emergency.
steadily deteriorating international con-
ditions require the United States to take
stock OF its sea power anew. The British
Navy, as strong and efficient as our own,
is physically unimpaired by events of
the past thirty days, and remains the
most powerful in Europe, but it requires
no stretch Of the imagination to under
stand that Britannia's whole position, as
a result Of the diplomatic victories of
the relationships, is radically altered.
Uncle Sam can at least not rely as
fully as before upon John Bulls armada
as the first bulwark of these shores
against either European or Asiatic
aggression. Our British cousins have
troubles of their own. They need to
conserve every ounce of military naval
and air power they possess or can pro-
duce, for their own protection. Under
the newly arisen circumstances, Britons
must be thankful that President Roose-
welt, more than a month before the
tragedy OF Czechoslovakia, proclaimed
that any armed peril to Canada would
be regarded threat to the safety of
the United States and be correspond
hgly resisted. So, in manner of
speaking, as events have shaped. the
British Navy now looks to us, instead
OF our looking to British sea power for
protection against any menace to the
Americas originating across either the
Atlantic or the Pacific.
To be remembered above all on this
years Navy Day is that there are really
no more treaty limitations to restrict the
worlds fleets, either quantitatively or
qualltatlvely. Britain, France and the
United States are still parties to a tri-
partite pact applying to tons and guns:
and Britain and Germany are pledged
to three-to-one ratio as between them
selves. But, for all practical purposes,
the lid on naval construction is off. and
the sky's the limit. Japan, whose
mastery of Asia is made more imminent
by the capture of Canton, is bound bv
no commitments whatsoever. That is
something particularly to be borne in
mind on Navy Day and when Congress
reassembles in January.
Barring equitable reduction of arma-
ments by international agreement, the
nescapable necessity and duty of the
United States is to build and maintain
Navy second to none and capable of
defending the Americas against attack.
from whatever quarter it NAV he
ventured