The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1917-08-18
I1Ix lLllELs.


III it,,t s
- - unnnIesssss Charge Publish.
= q ~ NAVY Department Has
49, - lnnhe rropcr Investiea-
- @ 1eupsssssa of Mare Island
.-o~stnr3 nanAsas Writes Forcbilc
- - Pssreasas of League.
Wo6k&H6tea. AUG. IA statement
nus1s s>>Ay from the headquarters
q ~ .SC0xy Lsasus charging that In
sluuoss - 3Aber intsrssts was hamper
- Iuvouonrntion of the fatal black
.eovasr aaunsins explosion at the
II. loar. Jnlnaa Navy Yard June was
! enoaDsuo1r eo1ny BY n letter from Sec
rsoary uo1SSls % Robert M. Thomp-
80. prsssdsas Of the league. denounc-
- ths statement a. false and SLAM
: Gosons .and declaring the best service
~. IAenpson and other active off,
s1on - ~ organization can render
! ~ ue~y = - resign at once.
~ n - slatsnsnt the league said 1t
~ reliable information that the ex-
I poeo1ss. which killed Ave men and
'inouse1 ~. was sst on by time
49, 0avins evidence Of . criminal In
oen&.
= In1srma&ion was made public. It
vas aat1s because II was the only
VNy - tsgcs setion.
- Secretary Daniels. In . statement
u.a1s pUbeic with the letter to Col.
Thsapssa. said . board appointed by
: ths oeonmandAnt Of the navy yard
w. actively pursuing q full investi-
satsoa of the explosion; that II had
beea s9ordsd ample funds and the
fun resources Of the government.
and had not been hampsred In any
way BY supplemental instructions
from the navy department. 1t had
been current rumor. he added. tina,
the magazine was exploded by a ma.
lieiousiy placed time fuse. but the de.
pertinent had refrainsd from making
'sny statement concerning II until 4,
was In ppsssssion Of the full facts.
The Navy League In Its statement
says In informant contends that the
1tscovsry Of the fuse gives evidence
Of criminal conspiracy. The name
ef the leagues informant In withheld
but the statement says he In lone
whose daily work would place him
In . position to know the facts and
continues:
1T y clearly proper that the inves-
ieNtion into such an occurrence al
the Mare Island explosion must and
shovld be made secretly and the
league vsslises that the mere circum.
stance that no. statements have been
made 70 the press regarding the prog
rtps Of an investigation does not war
rant the assumption that no proper
investigation is being made.
"On the other hand. the fact mus,
b faced that the government de-
partmsnt could employ this veil OF
proper secrecy to hide the fact tina,
the investigation had been blocked" /"
The statement concludes:
The league sincerely hopes that In
giving publicity to this information II
y serving the higher interest which
70 'its one and only purpose"
sScrstaary Daniels letter TO Mr..
Thompson follows3
some time ago you called at the
navy department and stated that you
wished the Navy League to be In
thorough harmony with the navy de-
partmsnt and that IL thought that
your continuance and the continu-
ancs Of Mr.. slaton as secretary
would mako Il impossible for the
Navy League to help the navy you
would both retire. You will recall
that j told you At the time that the
Navy League was a purely voluntary
organisation. had no connection what
ever with the navy department. and
that while I had not been In accord
with some things the Navy League
had done. did not desire TO have
Any direction OF the league.
In view. however. of these false
and slanderous statements given out
by the Navy League today. am
writing to say that the chief service
which you and other active officials
of'ths Navy League can render to
the navy is to resign at once"
In hm statement Mr.. Daniels said
that Immediately after the explo-
sion thu commandant Of the Mare
Island navy yard was directed 10