The Washington times., 1911-01-21
Navy Commander, as Roose-
velt's Protege, Said to Have
Made Enemies.
AS NAVAL AIDE
SOUGHT REFORMS
Fight for Target Practice and
Economy in Navy Yards
Not Popular. :
By JUDSoN C. wELLIvER.

Commander w. s. Sims, Of the battle
ship Minnesota, has got his" He has
been reprimanded by the President and
the Secretary of the Navy, and there
is marvellous little surprise.
Mr. Sims was an unknown young
officer when he started looking for a
reprimand. Serving on the China sta
ton. and taking his duties very seri-
ously. he conceived that navy gunners
ought to hit the mark oftener at target
practice.
Nobody else worried about 1t. and
Sims, unable to get action. wrote to
Theodore Roosevelt. He didn't know
whether he would be cashiered, but he
took the chance.
Roosevelt Likes Idea.
Roosevelt. author of the famous
aphorism that its the shots that hit
that count" liked the idea. He cabled
for Sims to come home, and the young
man hurried home, uncertain whether
he was to be reprimanded for stepping
over his Superiors' heads, or made an
admiral. He became naval aide to the
President, and the most powerful aide
in many years.
Roosevelt believed in him through and
through. Sims inaugurated a system of
target-practice reform which made the
Americans the star naval gunners OF
the world.
Then Sims mixed up in the ancient
controversy between the line and the
staff. He wanted to reorganize the
bureau system of the department, and
again he got Roosevelt on his side. He
was accused of inspiring a lot of muck
raking magazine literature, and COM
plants were made to Roosevelt-who
merely smiled.
Accumulates Enemies.
Sims didn't pull of his bureau reforms,
but he accumulated one of the longest
lines of enemies ever possessed by one
man in the navy. Then he wanted most
of the navy yards abolished in the In
terest of efficiency and economy-and
again he failed. the while laying in a
new stock Of potent enemies.
Wait till his friend Roosevelt is oVt
then we'll fix him." growIcd the sea-
dog veterans of Swivel-chair combats.
Wait till Roosevelt is gone-hell get
his them" grumbled the Senatorial
guardians Of the old navy yards.
Roosevelt saw II coming, and sent
Sims to sea in charge of the battIeship
Minnesota. though he had not yet reach
ed the rank of captain. That won
some more enemies.
20, We'll get him. chOrused the pro-
motion-by-sen old guard of the
line.
Makes Fire-Eating Speech.
That's about all of the story. MI
Sims made a fire-eatinS speech at a
banquet in London. and talked about
the last dollar, and the last drop OF
blood. Must have been a right good
banquet: anyhow he talked enthusias-
tlcally, just as navy people always dc
when they think of the possibilities oi
getting into war.
If they all got reprimanded. or cash
tered, or decapitated, for doing the
same thing Sims did, there would be
about enough officers to man the cap
tain's gig.
But anyhow, they've got Sims" OF.
ficially reprimanded, in public yester-
day, the story is that he may resign.
II he does, it's dollars to doughnn'
holes that he Will make things mighty
hot for a large number of people, anc
that some more light will be let into
navy things.
For Commander Sims is a scrappel
and slayer.