The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1914-02-07
SAY EXPERTS JUGGlEO FACTS.
CONGRESSMAN ACCUSES OFF,
GERS OF MAKING INACCU-
RATE STATISTICS.
Opponents of Larger Navy Say United
states Comes Second Instead OF
Third in Size Of Navy-Inquiry Re-
veais Facts I'm Case.

veais Facts I'm Case
Washington. Feb. 2.-That experts
OF the navy department jugglcd the
statistics In the navy Year Book for
1918 to make the American navy ap-
pear Inferior to the German navy,
and thereby set the United States
down from second To third place as
naval power, today was charged by
Representative witherspoon. OF Mis-
sissippi. and Hcnsley. of Missouri,
members of the house naval affairs
committee.
With Secretary Daniels before the
committee to- explain the naval pro-
sramme for the coming year. the two
congressman. who are strongly op-
posed To a big navy" questioned him
AT length ON what they declared were
omissions and faulty comparisons In
the Year Book. The secretary ex-
planned that he was not an expert I'm
comparing navies, and said he had
relied on what experts in the navy had
auNiseu nln aoOut the taCtS.
In their Questioning the congress
men brought cut that three American
battieships. the oregon. Massachu-
setts and Indiana. which are of the
same tonnage and of heavier arma-
ment than ten listed German bat
tleships. are left out of the United
states list altogether; and that the
Year Book instead Of giving the Unit
ell states thirty-six battleships built
and building. compared with Ger
many's thirty nine. should have
credited the United States with thirty
nine battleships OF heavier total ton
mage and armament than Germany.
They also contend that the navy
statisticians this year for the first time
had taken out OF the lreadnought
class the battieships South Carolina
and Michigan, which have dread
nought armament. and have put into
the German dreadnought class four
ships OF eleven-inch gun armament.
The Year Books comparison gives
Germany thirteen dreadn oughts and
the United States, seven. while the
congressman insisted that the correct
ngnres should give Germany and the
United States nine dreadnoughts each.
Detailed results OF their investiga-
lion of the Year Books comparisons
were announced by Representatives
witherspoon and Hensley In the fol-
lowing statement:
1T was developed that the United
states appeared to have three less bat
ueships than Germany. because three
OF the American battleships were
omitted from our list. namely. the
Oregon. the Massachusetts, and the
Indiana. The reason suggested by the
secretary OF the navy for the omission
OF these three battleships was that
they were old and obsolete. but II ap-
pears that I'm the German list is in
ciuded ten battleships to wit: Kaiser
Frederick Ill. Kaiser wilhelm III.
Kaiser Karl der Crosse. Kaiser Will
helm der Crosse. Kaiser Barbarossl.
Wiuellbach. Zahringen. witten. Meek
lenburg and Schawbcn. each of which
has "a tonnage of io,97a. built at the
same time as the omitted American
battleships and each having "A main
armament OF four 9-I-10-inch guns.
while the Oregon, Massac chusetts and
Indiana have main armament Of
four 13-inch guns and u tonnage OF
10.s sss tons each.
"A high English authority was pre-
ssnted to the Secretary of the Navy.
showing the inferiority Of the ten Ger
man battleshlps with their 9-i-i0-inch
guns to battIcships armed with ~
d inch or i3-inch guns
1T was further developed that ac-
cording To- this comparison in tho
navy Year Book the tonnage of tho
German battleships was from 1924.
which was the smallest to 1881.
which was the largest. Of twenty Ger
man battleships, and that OF twenty
seven American battlcships. the s,uall-
est was ii.3tG AMI the largest wasI
$4,000 tons. The secretary admitted
that. So far az the tonnage of the
battleships was concerned. the Ancri-
can navy was greater than that of tho
German. as well aS an excess at seven
hattlcShipS in favor of the American
navy.
I'm regard To the armament of the
twenty German battlcships. II wa. de-
velOpcd that ten Of thcm were sup
Piled each with four gums. . ito
inches in caiibrc. und the other ten
each, with four guns IL inches In cali
hrc, while all of the twcnty-scvcn