New Britain herald. [microfilm reel] (New Britain, Conn.) 1890-1976, 1917-08-30
DANIELS DEFIED BY
navy LEAGUE HEAD
Thompson Does Not Believe Secre-
tary Will Be So Drastic

made public by Robert M. THOMPSON.
president of the Navy League, he re-
piled to the attack of Josephus DAN
lels, secretary of the navy, against the
league, in which he directed that mo
ofncer, agent or representative of the
Navy League will be admitted to any
naval station. naval reservation or
ship in the navy
The statement of Mr.. Thompson,
winch was issued to all members Of
the Navy League, follows
Certainly the Navy League has not
made the slightest reflection upon the
| integrity of Secretary Daniels or upon
that of any naval officer. What it did
was to draw attention to the fact that
the Mare Island explosion was the
result of conspiracy and that the in
| curry into this was being blocked. We
ala TINS because when such beliefs
exist and are untrue they should be
publicly and authoritatively . denied
| ana II true some one should suffer.
When the story Of this terrible
/ war comes to be written matters of
much less importance than an attack
! by cabinet officer upon a great pa
trlotic society will be carefully in
vestigated, and every fact explaining
such situation will be considered. In
order that the true position of the
| Navy League may be fully understood
we will in the October issue of Sea
| Power pupils in detail all the docu-
| ments in the case"
| In Mr.. Thompson's statement he
! thanks the members and directors of
| the league for their support and says
that latter reading the bulletin of
| which Mr.. Daniel complained. I could
! find nothing to justify his temper or
his attack
The substance of the bulletin was
| that O. responsible person had charged
that the magazine at the Mare Island
| navy yard had been blown up as the
result Of a criminal conspiracy and
| that the investigation was being
blocked.
1.-The bulletin pointed out" contin-
ued Mr.. Thompson's statement, that
! it is clearly proper that investiga
ton into such an occurrence as the
Mare Island explosion must and should
be made secretly and the league real
ICES that the mere circumstances that
no statements have been made to the
| press regarding the progress of an in
vestigation does not warrant the as
sumption that no proper investiga-
ton is being made.
II have come to Washington to full
ly investigate the facts and for the
first time have seen the bulletin.
After reading it and taking advice
from a number of citizens among
them loyal party democrats, whose
judgment l rely upon, 1 do not be-
lieve that any statement made in the
bulletin justifies the anger exhibited
by Secretary Daniels, or the action he
has taken in directing that no officer
agent or representative of the navy
league will be admitted to any naval
station, naval reservation or ship.
''The order is sweeping and dras-
tic; but clearly Secretary Daniels
does not mean what he says. He cam
not mean that if Cardinal Gibbons,
Bishop Darlington, Bishop ,Donahue,
or Bishop Mccormick. be called upon
to perform the sacred offices Of their
church at Naval Station or on
board a man of war. that they would
be denied the privilege.
HE cannot mean that if express
ident Roosevelt wished to pay a
visit of courtesy to a Naval Station
or a man of war, he should be turned
back or that if the professional SER
vice of Judge Alton B. Parker were
required to defend an officer or man
at a court marshal, he could not
serve.
Nor can he mean that if Mrs. De-
wey, president of the Woman's
Branch Of the Navy League wished
to visit one of the ships which helped
to make her husband famous she
would be refused admission.
HE may mean that I am to be de-
MED the privilege of attending, next
graduation at the Naval Academy
but I hereby serve notice on him
that I will attend.
you have in the past cordially
supported the management of the
Navy League and I believe that we
have justified your support by the
work we have justified your support
by the work we have done. For some
time, for reasons known to himself,
Secretary Daniels has been unwilling
to cooperate with the Navy League.
when we offered to provide COM
mittee and funds to look after the de-
pendent families of the men who were
enlisting in the navy, he refused us
the opportunity
when we offered to donate fifty
million dollars Of insurance to the men
of the navy, without cost to them, he
refused to permit them to accept it.
when, in order to secure co-opera-
ton, I and Your executive secretary.
Captain w. H. Stanton, offered to re-
sign in favor of some one to be Sc
lected by President Wilson, he de-
clined to accept our offer.
He has now demanded my resig
nation because he is displeased with a
bulletin which was issued as a mat
ter of routine, without my personal
knowledge.
I'm the meantime, there is one thing
for us, as loyal Navy Leaguers, to do,
and that is support the administration
whole heartedly in the prosecution of