New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-12-13
CHARGES DANIELS
FAILED in OFFICE
"The Navy" Prints Criti-
cism of Secretary's Acts
and Errors Made.

Charging that Secretary Daniels in
his Official acts and utterances fails TO
realize that he is the manager OF a
great industrial concern and does not
know that the great plant of which he
is the head was meant TO produce
battle efficiency, the December issue Of
1.-THE Navy" comments as follows:
Attention to the navy's by-producte
has certainly commanded an undue part
Of his the Secretsry's] attention. He
frequently appears in written and
spoken statements and newspaper in
terviews in which he dwells upon the
value Of the navy as a great national
university. This course may have pop
ularized the navy and the Secretary
before the country, but it has added
nothing to the fighting efficiency Of the
navy. The men who are in the navy
did not enlist TO 20 to school; many
Joined possibly because they did not
want to go TO school, or because they
were ill-ftted to the school life. This
compulsory schooling has been a cause
of discomfort among the enlisted men
and initiates seriously against eff
cheney.
"Mr. Daniels has himself flown in
the face Of all established principles
Of discipline, military, naval, or any
other sort, by encouraging enlisted
men to communicate direct with the
Secretary of the Navy instead Of
through the regular channels. He has
carried thH same idea into the civil
establishments of the navy yards. He
has directed in a particular case that a
navy yard workman, reported with
other men for an infraction Of the
rules, be not disciplined until the con-
duct of this particular man be brought
TO the Secretary's own attention.
Another instance supporting this
same idea Is that Of the appointment
by the Secretary of certain North
Carolinian TO a position in the navy
after medical officers had pronounced
him unfit.
"Mr. Daniels's supervision Of details
has extended to matters remote from
general efficiency, which at first may
seem petty, but which in the aggregate
have a considerable influence upon gen.
eral efficiency in so far as the content
ment of the individual Is concerned.
For instance, he has discouraged, il not
actually prohibited, the purchase Of
certain proprietary articles for sale in
the commissary store aboard ship. His
theory doubtless is that by such a
course he prevents certain dealers
from enjoying an undue share of pa
tronage. The actual result has been to
keep from the commissary store GER
tain proprietary articles, such as par
ticular brands of smoking tobacco, 70
which the men have long been accus-
toned.
"As this paragraph is being written
il is reported that Mr.. Daniels has eX-
tended the period of training at the
training stations by two months, with
the purpose of giving the apprentices
further academic training. If this
added period were for naval training,
we'll and good, provided that it is
necessary for that purpose, but 1t ap-
pears to be nothing more or less than
an attempt to increase the by-product
at the expense Of the real product for
which the navy is established and
maintained.
Meantime how does battle efficiency
fare? Fleet man9uvres and target
practice have been at a minimum for
the last two years. 1t has been re-
piled, when this criticism has been
made before, that il has been neces-
sary TO keep the feet in Mexican
waters, but the heavier ships have been
there but a comparatively short time,
although it has been all too long, for
during most Of the time they have been
doing the duties which should properly
be allotted to gunboats and cruisers.
"The fact remains that through this
policy, if il be a policy, or through q
mistaken view of the necessities OF
the case, it has resulted that on Octo-
Der IS Of this year eight battleships
had not held divisional target practice
since the autumn of 1912, and another
considerable part OF the feet had not
held divisional practice since the
spring of 1912, while another consid-
cradle and larger portion, including
some of those mentioned above, had
mot held day individual practice since
the spring Of 1918. Meanwhile feet
mannuvres, the necessary accompani-
ment of feet target practice, have been
neglected"