Evening star., 1938-01-23
The Naval Marathon.

The Naval Marathon.
With House passage of the $553, ,226, ,4s4
1899 naval bill, biggest peace time annual
expenditure on sea power in American
history, the curtain rises on events this
week, at home and abroad, destined to
ipaugurate new international competi-
ton In armaments of literally incal-
culable dimensions. Tomorrow yet an
other step will be taken in that race by
the United States, when President Roose-
velt plans to recommend to Congress q
still further increase in the fleet-building
program.
The bill just enacted by the House and
ready for Senate approval provides for
twenty vessels. including two battleships
to cost s7o,oooy0oo apiece These are
classified as requirements for over-age
vessels. Together with two cruisers, eight
destroyers, six submarines and minor
auxiliaries included in the appropriation
measure, the new capital ships will be
laid down as routine construction in pur-
suance of completion by 1912 of our So
called treaty fleet.
The Presidents impending proposals
contemplate naval expansion outside Of
and beyond the limitations set by the
defunct pacts of Washington and Lon
don Following Japan's refusal to per-
petuate the limitation principle after ex-
piration Of the old treaties, the lid was
of of building restrictions. The sky be-
came and is now the limit. If there had
ever been any chance of averting another
back-breaking naval contest, with its en-
during drain on taxpayers everywhere, it
was lost, as far as Europe is concerned, in
turn by Germany's defiant rearmament
and by 1taly's challenge of Great Britain's
traditional mastery" of the Mediter-
ranean.
The inevitable result of Fascist ag-
gression in Ethiopia and Mussolini's pro-
claimed ambition to become Grand Pro-
tector of Islam" in the Near East and
beyond, was the $500, 900, 900 British re-
armament program. Hope that events
might develop which would make it un-
necessary to carry out that vast project
was blasted when Japan launched her
campaign against China. The vicious
circle drawn by these successive events
seemingly knows no bounds. Only
fortnight ago Italy supplied fresh evi-
dence of her militant purposes by dis
closing plans for two more IS 000-ton bat
tleships. France was forthwith impelled
to emulate that program, possibly with
battleships of even larger tonnage. Simul-
taneously came reports that Germany
will follow the lead of the other end of
the Berlin-Rome axis"
Mr.. Roosevelt has repeatedly stressed
the reluctance with which the United
States joins in this reckless race for sea
power. In asking for more battleships-
perhaps OF displacement far heavier than
present limits, to match reputed jap
anese building of 42000-ton capital ves-
sells mounting 18-inch guns-and for
additional aircraft carriers as the Presi-
dent is presently expected to do, he may
be relied upon to re-emphasize Amer
ica's inhibitions on the score of naval
competition. But Mr.. Roosevelt is a
realist in the sphere of national defense
II world of high tension" unchecked
aggression, and universal rearming, as
he says. the United States must face
facts'-among which is the acknowledged
collapse of his own efforts to bring about
a disarmament psychology beyond our
shores.
What Congress is about to be urged to
do will be costly. But 1t can at least be
undertaken with a clear conscience. The
naval marathon is not of our making.
The only sort of culpability that could
attach to 1t would be the failure to move
adequately and unhesitatingly in the di-
rection to which the stern necessities Of
national defense palpably point.