The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1914-02-05
JUGGLED FIGURES
CHARGE CAUSES
SENSATION
WITHERsPooN SHOWS BY COM.
PARIsoN THAT v. s. NAVY
HOLDS SECOND PLACE.
COUNTRY SHOULD Be Statistic
Daniels Forced to Admit There is No
Reason Why United States Should
Have As Many Warships As Great
BritaIn-lnconsIstencies Pointed Out
COUNTRY SHOULD Be SATISFIE
(By F. D. Lander, Jr.)

WdSnlnBLOu, rtU. O.-l ne Scuodtioh
Of the present session of Congress so
far as naval affairs Is concerned was
the direct charge of Representative
of Mississippi that naval
have juggled their figures
to make it appear that the United
States is much weaker naval power
than it really is.
The charge was the more dramatic
because it was made directly in the
presence of the secretary of the navy
when he appeared before the House
committee on naval affairs; and when
Mr.. Witherspoon, who is a stanch "lit-
tie navy" supporter, had finished his
argument, the best Secretary Daniels
could do was to admit that he is not
an expert at naval figures and had
relied entirely upon figures as submit
ted to him by subordinates.
Says Figures Were JusgIed.
The Navy Department has recently
issued bulletins to show that the
United States is now the third naval
power in the world instead of the Sec
ond, a position that it has held for
many years. Mr.. Witherspoon charg-
ed, and cited figures to corroborate
his charges, that Germany's ranking
above the United States was made
of ha hnnn
juggled. He also forced Secretary
Daniels to admit that there is no rea-
son why the United States should have
as large a navy as Great Britain and
that second place in the naval world
is all this country should want or ask
| for.
Representative Witherspoon, who
had been assisted in his compilation
of figures by Representative Hensley
of Missouri, author of the now famous
Hensley peace resolution, cited specific
instances to show that the naval
strength of the United States had
been underestimated in reports from
the Navy Department.
Instances of Changes Cited.
1t was shown, for instance, that the
Navy. Department this year for the
first time has taken out of the dread
nought class the battleships South
Carolina and Michigan, both of which
have dreadnought armament and have
put into the German dreadnought class
four ships of 11-inch gun armament,
which has never been considered
dreadnought armament.
1t was further brought out, and actu-
al figures submitted to substantiate
the contention that instead of giving
the United States thirty-six battleships
built and building, the naval year book
should have accredited this country
with thirty-nine. Germany also has
thirty-nine, but by simply adding the
tonnage and armament of the various
battleships of the two countries, IL
was shown that the United States
navy is superior in both particulars.
Further inconsistency in Navy De
partment reports was disclosed in th'
matter of classifying ships according
to age. The Navy Department had ex
cluded the battleships Oregon, Massa
chusetts and Indiana from the battle
ship class on the ground that they ar
old and obsolete. Yet Mr.. Witherspool
showed that in the list Of German bat
tleships are included ten ships of tn
same age as the three American ship
mentioned, each Of which has tor
mage of 10,974 and each having a mair
, armament of four 8 4-10 inch guns
, while the Oregon, Massachusetts, an
3 Indiana have practically the same tor
8 mage and main armament Of four L
inch guns. A high English authorit
I was cited as expert witness to prov
n that each Of the ten German ships al
!, much inferior to any of the thre
$ American ships excluded.
t -. lingo Argument Refuted.
n II vas further developed that a
/. cordinsxto this comparison in the MAJ
It Year Book the tonnage of the Germi
toontiphed on Page Eisht)