The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1917-03-24
DANIELS TRIGS
DEFENCE PLANS
Bryan'S Influence Is Felt in
the Navy Depart
ment
WAR DEPARTMENT
ALSO PARALYZED
Trying to Do the Work Of
Months in Min
utes

Washington, March 24.--The only mc
chic. at Wash ng.cn which is working at
var speed is the typewriter. In the
state war AMI navy buildings, Mt the
war erliece, and at The Office Of ;he gem
"yni board Of the navy many dozens of
typewr.ters are being pounded from early
morning until late at night writing out
urgent manipulation OF recommendations
OF officers % the army and navy made
WEEKS. months and even years agD, re-
gsrdihs the defenseess condition OF the
United States in every direction and the
things that must be done before begin
ming OF anything resembling intelligent
preparation for war can be- commenced.
II Secretary Daniels should set himself
The task OF reading the reports of the
general board os the bureau chiefs, Of his
ASSISTANTS. and naval aides which have
been made since relations were broken
with Germany il would take him two
weeks, reading night and day. Aud the
paralysis and decentralization in the war
department. is about al bad.
Meantime the administration is asking
the censorship and the many schemes
|or so.ca!ltd industrial defense 10 de-
ccise and divert the mind of the ma
.ion in respect Of military ard naval
Preparations. The least that the United
States has to worry about is It's indus
trial potentiality as a war-making pow
er Due to the TACT that orr factories
have beer working for three years filling
:.sr orders for ne allies, they already
have recruited many skilled woTkmen
although they have not been put to work
in any large number as yet upon orders
for he United States. But we have no
mcn in sufficient number to recruit the
army TO war strength or the navy TO
war strength, or the National Guard to
war strength Raw recruits will have to
be used, whom it would take many
months to turn out
Secretary Daniels is issuing famboyant |
bulletins about raising the pay of enlist |
ed men, about modifying women and |
about this, and the other pcayune de-
tail, but he is spending most of every |
day rowing with the captains of indus
try about prices and threatening them
even after they have put their whole
plants at his disposal He seems to be-
iieNb butil IuGapdulI VI pdlilullC lHCllNVSt
From morning to night he appears to be
obsessed with the fear that somebody, |
somewhere is going to make an honest
dollar which the government viii have
to put up. In short, he is the same pro
fessional politician that the navy has
known him to be from the day he be-
came its misdirecting head
As the pressure upon him becomes
stronger and the evidence of his democrat
izing deeds in the last four years piles
up, he becomes more meddlesome, more
indicative and more stubborn. He starts
out the day denying that he is going to
resign, and he reiterates the denial many
times during the day. He seems to have
lost sight of the fact that our real enc
my is Germany and that the real target
of Germany is the United States. He
sees in every criticism of the navy or ev-
cry appeal for its upbuilding personal
criticism of himself.
Instead of thinking about the defense
Of the United States and the prepare
lions needed by the navy, he can talk
IF little else than the danger of offending {
Germany. The saving of Germany's feel :
ng, the placating of German pride, a !
blind refusal to see anything hostile in '
anything Germany does, has been his
pose SO long that it is naturally diff
.ult for him to change over night and
ook upon the German government as an
'nemy. Furthermore, officers who have J.
old him the plain truth in the past and y
whose statements are now corroborated ::
~ the fact are naturally irritating com
ANY for him. There is little doubt that =
secretary Daniels is doing the best he .
an and he is probably sincere in his !
forts to head off preparations for war
which might hurt Germany's feelings.
Mr.. Daniels was put into the cabinet
" Mr.. Bryan and he makes no secret
{ the fact that he regards him as the i
reatesC American of this generation, a IL
atriot and Il leader worthy to stand :,
n history with Thomas Jefferson The u
Influence of Mr.. Bryan upon Mr.. Dan u
,ls is one which the latter would not ia
epel if he could. The whole naval or
at Washington joined in an W
ppeal to him not to dismiss the best ~
,arlIsman in the navy, who, while off l
uty, WAS charged with taking one drink u
20 many Mr. Daniels not only became IN
ilignsnt over the appeal but published
he news broadcast, and. if anybody will Of
nnd him a letter saying that he saw u
naval officer take a drink, court OF u
'q,iiry will probably be ordered with o.
10 any further ado. An ardent pacifist. 81
= ardent prohibtionist, an ardent par IT
san, Josephus Daniels as secretary of
ne navy to-day is unconsciously, but co
! The more inevitable. the most valuable VI
ssc: Germany has between the two W
'cans in its ruthless war against the nc
nted States be
Secretary Daniels cannot change his
He viii not resign unless Ike
, is requested BY the president. and 81
to
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