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Show ; 1 The United States Firtt 1 k , A "NAVAL holiday" is proposed for the great naval stations of the world, like the United States, Great Britain and Japan. This means a cessation, for a period of years, of' all naval building by these three countries. Before we get too far along on any such program pro-gram it is well to stop and consider just what the American naval situation is. The British nav.v is the first in the world today. When our present building program, up to 1, is completed, it is said that the United Slates will equal Great Britain in "first line" ships that is, heavy battleships and the large.sl kind of cruisers. But even 1924 will see the j British tar ahead of us in light cruisers the "commerce raiders-' of the late war destroyers, submarines, oceangoing aircraft and the number of mobilized sailors, gunners and officers. Considering the Japanese navy, we are about twice as strong as they are in first line ships. But in other particulars, chiefly in light cruisers, they are ahead of us. And our fleet has always to be divided into two parts, an Atlantic fleet land a I'acific-Ikct. , ; So that a naval holiday at this time would leave the United States considerably at a disadvantage. dis-advantage. There is only one position that Americans can afford to accept in naval matters, and that is the position of supremacy. We are the richest nation in the world, and hence the most likely prey for pirate nations. We have the greatest coast line to defend. We are situated nearer than any other country except Russia to the most militaristic mili-taristic people remaining in the world, the Japanese. Japa-nese. And it behooves us to look out for ourselves. our-selves. It is all right for British and Japanese statesmen states-men to be talking about a naval holiday now. Let them go ahead and take a holiday. It will he time enough for American statesmen to consider that subject when the United States navy 1ms actually become the first tiavy uniitf world, as is our right and as, because of our great resources, we are able to make it. This policy is in the interests of the peace of the world, and particularly in the Interests of the peace of the United States. |