Daily Kennebec journal., 1916-08-30


I'm Watervflle the other night Sec
retary Daniels publicly asked mo a
to which he is quite welcome
to an answer. He asked me why I
was coward for a dozen years in not
exposing the weakness Of our national
defense. He commented on the fact
that admitted that I knew for years
OF the tnefficiency Of the national
guard and the national militia. Who
or what were you afraid Of" asked
the secretary. I guess 1t was the loss
OF votes I was afraid Of. Mr.. Secre-
tary. Wouldn't you be a little bit
scared yourself. If you represented a
district chocka block with national
and national militiamen?
Daniels confes.es.
THE first four questions which I
addressed to Mr.. Daniels were de-
signed for the purpose Of proving that
at the very time when he reported to
Congress in December, 1914, that the
navy was in a state Of preparedness
and superb efficiency. as a matter Of
fact, at that very time there was in
the War Department substantial evil
dence Of the incorrectness Of his re-
port. You may remember that it was
largely Secretary Daniels report OF
the preparedness Of the navy which
furnished the basis Of the arguments
in consequence Of which all proposals
looking towards adequate national de-
Tense were rejected by President Will
son and by Congress in the session Of
1915. Secretary Daniels now admits
that at the very time when he penned
the subdivision of his report which
was entitled Proof of the Prepared
ness of the Navy he was aware of
the fact that the battleship fleet was
entirely equipped with obsolete tor
pedoea, and furthermore, that he knew
that our submarine flotilla was not in
condition for active service. He ad-
mits that at that very time he had in
his possession the scathing report on
unpreparedness which was presented
him three weeks previously on No
vember 9. 1914, by his senior naval ad-
visor, Admiral Bradley A. Fiske. He
does not deny my statement that the
rating of more than half the battle
ship fleet in the target practice held
in the Fall of 1914 before he sent in
his report were of the lowest grade
known to the Navy Department class
lflcation. In lieu of denying my facts,
he publishes a rebuke to me for ex-
buke is written by Capt. c. P. Punk
EFT, whom Secretary Daniels has put
at the head of the target practice bu-
reau. 1nasmuch as Secretary Daniels
has now announced his intention to
abandon this Fall the practice Of con-
cealment of target practice scores. l
cannot understand Capt. Plunkett's
position, especially as 1t is in direct
opposition to the views Of Capt. w. S.
Simms, former chief Of the target
practice of the navy, now in command
of the uper-dreadnought Nevada
Captain Simms. by the way, is the
officer, whom Secretary Daniels de-
scribed as one Of our ablest officers,
and probably our best authority on
target practice On March 10, 1916,
Captain Simms testified strongly in
practice scores. He pointed out that
the scores were known to the officers
and men of the navy and that 1t was
to keep them secret from
foreign governments. He declared
that publicity in the matter would be
a direct incentive for improvement.
Here is a quotation from his evidence:
Speaking Of the naval representatives
of foreign governments, Capt Simms
said, When THOSE people want informa
ton about our target practice, they get
it and there is only one class of people
who are really ignorant about these sub
jects and that is the American people.
We want the truth about it. The navy is
perfectly willing to have the truth pub
lished and take it's licking from the press
and let the people know where it
stands" Again, Capt. Simms says at the
same hearing: Nor as matter Of fact.
the target practice of last fall although
4OGb better than that of the fall before,
is still unsatisfactory to a very cOnsid-
cradle degree. 1t ought to be doubled
Daniels Pleads Nolo contendere.
"Secretary Daniels does not deny
that out Of "A vessels authorized dur
ing President Wilson's administration,
he has succeeded in pushing but one
to completion. He does not deny that
he has 80 unfinished submarines on his
hands, of which six were authorized
by Congress in 1912, or earlier. He
does not deny that he has made a
three year contract for the completion
of the seagoing submarine "Schley"
with the Electric Boat Co.. which Is
the very company that in five months
completed for the British government
10 submarines which actually crossed
the Atlantic on their own bottoms. He
does not deny that five years were ex-
pended in the completion Of the super
dreadnaughts Nevada and Oklahoma.
which he put into commission for the