Omaha daily bee., 1915-08-27
"Danielizing" the Navy
.Ths Navy.

--Eh
TT ANY person regards as insignificant Secretary
i Daniels native ability. or perhaps one might
better say. "cuteuess," such a does Mr. Dan
ies serious injustice. II is perhaps true that MIR
Daniels knows little nothing about the navy, aud
perhaps true that he has special taste for the
duties Of his present office II obvious that when
he first came TO the Navy department his mind was
occupied In impressing upon the navy his fsds OF
personal conduct. and utilizing the value Of his
position Tor personal advertisement His methods
during this period less haphazard. he
ieaped from crag to crag, day prating on the
navy as national university the next flying in the
face Of human experience and prohibiting the OF
a specific preventive for world-old disease next
we hear Of his ignoring boards and established agen
ces OF administration. only to create or to say that
he has created, new ones. Again we hear OF his
sanctioning the marriage moving picture actress
on board naval vessel again hear OF his order
ing that midshipmen shall not cheer their team at
the base ball games. In all If this there ncon-
sequence and apparent folly which might lead
to think that Mr.. Daniels has
Following this period Of merry experimenting and
as public interest in the service begins TO wax Mr..
Daniels apparently that he must a
serious attitude I'm the matter He ceased to pirate
OF his national university. and attempted TO bambooza
the public into thinking that navy in every
spect Is the greatest I'm the world, that he, Jo-
sephus Daniels, has made II so. But this won't do.
The public is not bamboozled quite easily Mr..
Daniels thinks The public asks for facts and fig
ures It compares records OF target prac-
tice speeds OF vessels. asks where are our scouts
and auxilinries, and Mr. Daniels begins to take a
more serious interest lie no longer makes wild and
h-consdered statements. he picks out this thing or
that thing and by specious presentation gets part Of
the public TO thinking that he is really doing
thing. He appointed officer 20 command the sub
marine flota, and makes great pother about that.
in spite of the fact that II il thing he
Again he speaks Of his advisory council and again
there Is great pother but again It is no new thing.
and 50 on with the torpedo destroyer. with the
plane. and what not?
But never does Mr. Daniels fail to get public notice
foe all this nor is he lacking ingenuity and sense
OF the picturesque; witness his widely heralded
inventions Board" But the public becomes more
and more Interested; It asks questions Mr.. Daniels
cannot always get the officers OF the department
answer these questions he wishes Moreover some
officers will insist upon speaking their mind whether
they are called upon to do 80 by Mr.. Daniels not
but Mr. Daniels must have expert official statements
to back up his fantastic public utterances How is
he 10 get them?
Here 1t is that Mr.. Daniels proves that he is cute
He VIII "Danielize the navy one by one the moro
outspoken and less amenable officers are ordered
from washington, or at any rate detached from duty
In the department-one goes to the war college, an
other TO some ship another some special duty and
so on Their places in the meantime are filled with
more compliant material material that Is expected
to he more compliant. 1t ia not intended to intimate
that Secretary Daniels official family is composed
solely Of acquicscent officers afraid to speak their
own mind but 1t is only too evident that Secretary
Daniels has again again detached one or another
officer from Washington other apparent reason
than that tho officer could not everything In the
service in the same light that keeps Mr. Daniels
cheerful.
Thus we have Admiral Flske, whose high recor-
nized abilities lie in special fields away from
Washington, and with solemn farce told to study at
the War college. We other aides ignored and or
dered away. We the general board weakened by
similar orders to its members and shortly we see
Mr. Daniels surrounding himself with happy Official
family INDUCING in the simple delights OF an ex-
change Of birthday dinners and other innocent and
pretty gayetes. And now II Congressman Gardner
or some other and unfeeng person, questions
the perfection of our target practice the speed of
our batteships, completeness of compliments
aboard ship, or any other OF the many declared
projections OF fleet. Mr. Daniels little band Of
ready writer's and Daniellzed experts are at hand
to give in deghtfully general and Indefinite terms
most satisfactory that everything right
that Mr.. Daniels himself is ever vigant TO order
board create agency for making our
| navy not only "a peace-maker. but a pace-maker."
The belief is growing in many quarters that when
! President Wilson shall have given further serious
thought to what is needed the country in the way
OF naval and military defense that when he shall
have fully determined in his mind the essential
steps 10 he taken and the 10 be
TO congress he cannot fail TO overlook the that
the one most essential step should be to rid himself
| OF Mr.. Daniels, as he rid of Mr.. Bryan.