Popular-Demand for Full Naval Standards: President Coolidge! and National Defence Frost Ov Own San Francisco, Sept. 19, Sufficient tine has elapsed since the signing of the Kellogg multila-Vferal treaty renouncing war to be able to judge of the reactions it thas created in this country. In a word, every thinking American agrees that Mr. Kellogg has done great service to humanity, but Ihe also feels that nothing should be allowed to intervene to cut short the spectacular naval pro-Gramme which the U, S, Secretary the Navy recently laid" before Congress. There are "superheated Patriots" in Washington in both great political groups who are any-Ching but satisfied with the naval Hiatus quo. Mr, Curtis Wilbur, hhecretary of the Navy (President Goolidgo's appointee, of course), Hloferding before a Congressional Fonimittee his five-year $750,000,000 shipbuilding programme, recently revealed that his real hope was for B twenty-year $2,600,000,000 (say 1#500,000,000) programme, and there fare many who believe that, despite anti-war pacts, this gigantic programme should be carried through, ince such a atrong navy would be merely an effective weapon of ational defence. President Coo Hidgo has not made any official comment upon the wisdom or otherwise Of conducting such a programme, Hhough he has again and again eclated in his public utterances that be views the Army and the Navy porely fensive weapons '—"nioderate in size, never maintained for aggression"—and he can-of, therefore, see why a treaty howe primary purpose is to pre~ yyont attack can be concerned with the matter of national defence, In many circles in this country was expected that when the treaty became an_accom-lished fact, President Coolidge would have something to say regard fling the possibility of—reducing military and naval forces, but s0 far he has kept silence. Speaking before the convention of the American Legion, in Wisconsin, just before the signatures of the nations Bad been affixed to the Kellogg treaty, he admitted, however, that that treaty held "a greater' hope for peaceful relations than was "ever before given to the world," bhut he has indicated no desire to start any disarmament drive as 30 many expected he would.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.