Evening journal., 1915-04-29
Mr.. DaniePs Weak Defence
CFrom The New York Tribune

Secretary Daniels has given out for
publication a letter written by him to
President Garfield of Williams Col
lege in which he seeks to defend his
administration of the Navy Depart
ment. The defence is thoroughly dis
ingenious, since il lodges all the
real issues raised by Mr. Daniels
critics.
IL is easy enough to say, as the Sec
retary does, that the navy has more
ships on its roster and more ships
actually in commission than it had
two years ago, when he took Office.
We have been spending money for
years on a building program which
aimed at a maximum of strength not
yet attained. and the navy is bound
to be a little large each year until
the limit of expansion is reached.
We are also building much bigger
battleships than we built five or ten
years ago, so that the fleet is grow
ing much more powerful as it gets
larger. These are mere common
places of the situation. Yet Mr.. Dan
iels exploits them as II they somehow
redounded to his personal credit as a
naval administrator
Nobody disputes the fact that there
are many splendid fighting units in
our navy. We also have an efficient
though insufficient. personnel. But
number of good units in two or three
classes of ships do not constitute
an adequate naval establishment.
What all intelligent critics have COM
planned of in Mr. Daniels policy is
that it fails utterly to realize that we
need a navy able to meet the search
ing tests of war. because rounded
out completely in all departments
comprising the best type in all
classes, fully supplied with auXil-
iaries and bases and having per-
sonnel ample for all emergencies. At
present we have no battle cruisers
and are short on all kinds of auxil-
iaries, and our personnel is 1S,500
below the proper strength.
The European war has opened the
eyes of the world to the value OF
thoroughness of military preparation.
Yet, Mr.. Daniels is satisfied to keep
our navy i'm state of semi-prcpared-
ness. In the last year there has been
an opportunity such as has never
been offered since the Civil War to
strengthen the fleet Public is edu-
Gated up to tho reorganization which
has been so long delayed. Even Con-
gress has been more ready TO take
up the task of making good our naval
deficiencies than the head of the
Navy Department has been. He has
done more than anybody else in
Washington to put the brakes on
healthy and necessary naval devel-
opmont
He boasts TO Mr.. Garfield that FIVE
hattleships have been authorized in
tho last two years One of these was
authorized to replace the Idaho and
Mississippi. which were sold to
Greece. The other four merely made
good past deficiencies in the building
program AT the last session OF Con-
gress Mr.. Daniels turned down the
General Boards recommendation OF
four new battleships and asked Con-
gress for a smaller increase Of the
feet than Congress actually voted.
Worst of all, his personal opposi-
tion mand in which the German
forces i'm the vest are everywhere
on the defensive
II is plain now that for their pres
cnt operation the Germans have With
drawn troops from the East prussian
frontier Floods and thaws have made
this region impossible for many
weeks: hence the Germans in this
field have been released for western
operations. Probably not few
regiments which Cnared in the vic
tory at the Mazurian Lakes are now
in the line before Ypres. Others are
unqucstionably appearing in the Car
pathians and contributing to the pat