Arizona republican., 1917-07-26
The "Elimination" of General GoethaIs

The published account yesterday, of the ending of the row in the shipping board does injustice to General Goethals the general manager of the fleet corporation this language President Wilson brought the shipping board row to an abrupt term- nation, by eliminating the two principals, Chairman Denman board and General Goethas. AS a matter of fact General Goethals eliminated himself a week ago when despairing of being of any service the country that board of too many bosses. bosses but the president he sent his resgna- tion MT Wilson. The president eliminated Chair man Denman by asking for his resignation.
 The existence of two principals" mentioned in the dispatch explains the of the failure There just principal too many The description of a lack of harmony the board also carries with it something explanation of the failure and the tirement of General Goethals
 The great record General Goethals ad- ministrator and executive would never have been made if he had obliged depend upon harmony. As the of the Panama canal where board after board and commission after commission had failed, General Goethals invited harmony. He decided what to be done and it was done Presi- dent Roosevelt who appointed him saw to it that there was no interference from any quarter with his decisions.
 Boards and commissions have been the curse of this government and ineffcency has been the result In the shipping board there was never any definite location of authority. There chairman and 2 general manager who happened to become involved in tug-of-war. form of sport, which gets very far from the point of beginning General Goe thas entered upon his duties with the notion that he expected to produce results in the shape of ton mage. when it appears that the main object sought harmony within the board.
 The trouble started in the beginning with the controversy between protagonists ships and he adv of fstee shi nda in favor of the former started before the board authorized. It began with widely published statements that the wooden ships coming back" later we learned that the wooden ship durable as the steel ship and cheaper; the public mind was being attuned to the coming wooden ship program.
 allies naturally wanted to engage wooden ship building. Tonnage could be turned out quickly and there nothing else earth urgently needed by them tonnage, Yet, Great Britain building wooden ships extensively notwithstanding she building ships fever ishy than at any other time in her history.
 Influence in favor of wooden ships exerted in behalf of every abandoned ship yard in this try revival of local industry wanted Ex- porters and shippers who desired to make hay while the shining all wanted wooden ships because they could get them more quickly.
 General Goethals proposed to build for the future as well as the present. He favored building some wooden ships, but his program generally favored steel ships which would not be scrapped at the end of the war, leaving America in the state of mercantile marine helplessness in which been for three-quarte of century. He proposed also, rapid program by communicating the country's private ship-yards and this proposal provoked addi tionai opposition It became at length apparent to him that he could be of service to a country which could would not support him in the dis charge of his duties and he rendered his resignation which, it stated first, received with reluctance.
 His successor Admiral Capps is capable naval and certainly should be better qualified by training for the managership of the fleet corpora tion than General Goethas But it is yet to be dem- onstrated whether he possesses in any considerable degree the great executive ability of General Goethas If he does not if his ability is given full play or if his energy is to be wasted in securing "har mony" in the board another failure will be recorded