Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-04-11
NAVY LEAGUE HEARS
STIRRING PLEAS FOR
NATIONAL DEFENSE
Secretary Daniels Sharply Crit
icised by Representative Gard
ner for "Hoodwinking" the
American People
CONGRESS MISINFORMED

WASHINGTON, April 11.-Condemna
tion of Secretary Daniels for "hoodwnk-
ing the American people as to the true
condition Of the navy at a time when the
people were anxious TO know the truth"
was voiced by Representative Gardner
Of Massachusetts. who spoke Mt this morn
ing's session of the Navy League conven-
tion on why Congress Is Reluctant to
Develop the Navy"
"Secretary Daniels Is not the first
Secretary who has failed to enlghtcn the
American people as to the true condition
of the navy" Gardner said. THE present
Secretary has first hoodwinked himself
and then painted for us delectable
picture at the very time when what we
wanted was the unvarnished facts. That
is why Daniels eXasperates us while his
predecessors only tlcliled our national
vanity"
Desire to defend the Treasury" he
said, "procraBtination. ignorance of the
facts reluctance to incur abuse and the
Indifference of the public-all these fac
tors had played their parts in causing
our neglect of the navy. But here was a
war raging In Europe here were sparks
falling all around us, here was the press
questioning the adequacy of our navy.
Congress assembled Secretary Daniels
reported the navy in n superb state OF
effectiveness, adequately manned and
thoroughly prepared. The President an
nounced to Congress that the country
had been misinformed, that our defense
had not been neglected and that there
was no new need to discuss the question
of the nations armament
"I ask you in all fairness, in the face
of those assurances from the men to
whom the people had intrusted the duty
of informing us of the state of the nation,
can you blame Congress for the passage
of the ptiful navy bill of 1852
The Rev. pr. Charles A. Richmond,
president of Union College, Schenectady,
y. Y, denied that in urging proper pre-
paredness for the task Of protecting its
inheritance of democracy which the
United States might be called upon TO per-
form there was any idea of militarism
which he said was "abhorrcnt to him as II
Is to every right-minded American" He
decried both the pactst who would have
the United states disarm at once and
also the "fre-eater who would have. every
suhoolboy come to school with KNAPP
sack on his shoulder and gun IN his
hand
Yale men responded in no uncertain
tones to the question Of preparedness and
their prompt response may be taken as
representative OF the sentiment of the
country on this subject, declared George
Parmly Day, treasurer of Yale JntNersity
He told how more than 800 Yale students
came forward within the first week to
Join the battery, although, owing to lack
ol equipment, the number enlisted had to
he limited to 1856 but four batteries were
formed instead of one as originally plan
ned.
J. Bernard Walker Of New York,
editor in-chief of the Scientific American,
declared that no great power in the
world has promulgated a line of interna-
tionaI policies so fraught with possibil-
tiles of conflict as our own" and added:
THE struggle for the enforcement OF
the Monroe Doctrine, the neutrality of the
Panama Canal. Asiatic exclusion, or the
integrity of China, will take place upon
the high seas, and the situation is such
that in the event of war, today or to-
morrow, we should find ourselves in the
precarious position of having TO defend
first-class policies with a third-class
navy"