The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1916-08-26
DANIELS ANSWERS
GARDENERS ATTACK
ON NAVAL GUNNERY
Secretary Opens His Cam
paign in Maine and De-
tends His Department
From Critics

Mibridge, Me, August 25.-Secretary
of the Navy Daniels delivered here to-
night the first of a series of speeches he
will make in this state during the next
few days which mark his entry into the
campaign for the reelection of President
Wilson. While he touched on other top
les to some extent, Mr.. Daniels devoted
himself particularly to answering
charges made by Representative A. P.
the secretary's chief critics in Congress.
Mr.. Daniels referred to a series of 10
questions regarding the administration
of the navy which Mr.. Gardner pro-
pounded to the Secretary in letter. say
ing that all of them had been asked by
Mr.. Gardner and answered satisfactorily
by the navy department many times.
GARDNER REPEATS
There are doubtless people who are
able to ask more questions than Mr..
Gardner the Secretary said, but 1
doubt if anyone has ever asked the same
questions so many times without paying
the slightest attention to the answer.
l have done everything but sing them to
him, and while goodness knows 1 am no
singer, if L thought that by so doing
/ could get him to stop asking questions
long enough to listen to the answers /
would gladly set them to music"
Answering one of Mr.. Gardeners ques-
tions which alleged that IL of the q bat
tleships in the fleet recorded unsatisfac-
tory scores in the 1914 battle practice, the
Secretary produced a letter from Capt.
C. P Plunkett, director of gunnery ex-
ercises, who said of his 81 years exper-
fence in the navy: L know of no time
during that period when the enemies of
our country had more to fear from the
batteries of our fleet than they have
today
Captain Plunkett added that by direc-
ton of the Secretary the widest possible
publicity would be given to the battle
practice next month.
UNDERMINING CONFIDENCE
II do not sympathize with this form
of CUSTOM the gunnery director wrote,
referring to Mr.. Gardeners question, and
believe that it will undermine the conf
dence of the people in the fleet and the
confidence of the fleet people in their
ships and in the officers who are charged
with the responsibility of the preparation
of the fleet for war.
II consider such customs and attacks
ba
ton of the facts in connection Herewith
have been of the greatest use to every
enemy of the government both in our
own country and abroad"
lon the floor of Congress" Mr.. Dan
iels continued, Mr.. Gardner said he
wished he could have the opinion of the
official observer on our battleships as
to their target practice. l read him his
opinion. These are not my words, not
those of any politician nor any civil ap-
pointee of a political party. They are ut
tered with full knowledge of his response
biIity by one of the foremost officers
of the United States navy and an expert
on these subjects"
Never before in the history of the fleet
have such scores been made as last Win
ter at Guantanamo. The long range
battle practice was the distance of the
recent naval actions abroad. The score
by the American navy is higher than
made in any of these battles The fleet
has hit the mark better last year and
this year than ever before.
CLAIMS NO CREDIT
1T do not claim credit for the shooting
MY part was in seeing that the Meyer
system must be radically changed, in
putting the most competent men in the
navy in charge of it and backing them
up to the limit. AS long as criticism
was levelled at my administration or the
navy l did not care to make any answer
for 1 knew results would be a complete
reputation, but when the criticism re-
fleets upon the efficiency of the fleet,
when everybody who knows anything
about it, knows what it has accomplished
in hitting the mark my duty to the
officers and men who have made this
splendid record is to declare that these
statements are without the shadow of
foundation.
Quite as gratifying as the marked i'm
provement is the wonderful enthusiasm in
officers and men who are resolved 20
make a better showing in the fall prac-
tees. This Congress had dealt gener-
ously with the navy. The navy is every
day becoming more fit, fully justifying
the confidence of the American people
in the reliance upon it.
KNEW ABOUT TORPEDOES
Another question dealt with the type
- u. -.
equipped, Mr.. Gardner asserting that
those in use in 1914 had been declared
obsolete by navy ordnance officials. He
asked If the secretary knew this when he
issued his 1914 report.
1--WE not only knew it, but were already
manufacturing long range torpedoes to
take their places, Mr.. Daniels said, ad-
ding that these facts also had been con-
tanned in his own report and that of the
chief of ordnance to which Mr.. Gardner
referred.
II am also glad to inform him. he
continued, that since then all the dread
naughts in commission have been
equipped with these new torpedoes."
The secretary refuted Mr.. Gardeners as
sertions that there had been undue delay
In the completion of navy ships of va
rious types now under construction. La
Dor statistics made it difficult to hasten
this work. he said. but the department
was doing all in it's power in this re-
gard and had plans for the 1917 ships
ready before Congress had passed the
appropriation bill authorizing their con-