New-York tribune., 1917-07-18
Navy Favors Allied Attack
Against German Bases
Fully 90 Per Cent of Officers Converted to POLICY of
sion-Danels and British Conservatism
Only Obstacles to Plan

weeks now. with good results. II is
one explanation of the decreased sub
marine sinkings. A large tonnage Of
foodstuifs has been got into England
and France under il without loss. But
sull slnklngs go on, and such is the
shipping scarcity that the Allies can
not afford to have them 60 on, even
though a way has been found, at least
temporarily - until Germany invents
some new tactics, or increases the
range and activity Of her U-boats-t to
lessen them.
In Doubt as to Offensive
But although naval men see that
there is need of an offensive, they do
not know what the offensive should be.
The plan of netting and mining the
North Sea against submarines. which
has been fully explained in these col
umns, is still being discussed. But the
aggressive spirit in the navy runs so far
as to favor, IN considerable degree,
Winston Churchill's suggestion of send
ing the pre-dreadnOughts of the Allies
against the German naval bases.
1t is doubtful whether the more con-
servatlve element in the higher COM
mand would sanction this risk, but
mention the support which this idea
possesses as illustrating the tendency
OF the navy TO express its impatience
with the present policy of gradually
losing the fruits of controlling the sea
IN order not to adventure ships which
are only valuable so far as they assure
control of the sea. Two huge obstacles
exist TO the making effective the ag-
gressive spirit now prevailing in the
navy. One is the Secretary of the Navy,
Mr.. Daniels-or, | should prefer to put
IT, the absence of War Board, map
ping out an offensive policy for the
country-and the other is the conserva-
tism of the British Admiralty. | have
criticised Mr.. Daniels freely, and, as a
measure of justice, ! want TO give him
credit for the useful part he has played
in the price making situation. More
than any other Cabinet officer he has
stood out against the prohteer Perhaps
his ideal of extremely low prices has
been impracticable. but his clinging to
il has served useful end.
Where Aggressiveness Is Lacking
But the weakness of Mr.. Daniels as
naval secretary is that prices, or to
put it broadly, social questions, en-
gross his attention. He has the Bryan
social conscience. keen and service
able thing, but not the equipment of a
fighter. An aggressive secretary, who
thought habitually in terms of war,
Winston Churchill, and our navy would
fame with determination to break
down this absurdity of control of the
sea that doesn't control it. And a
flaming, aggressive spirit in our war
policy is what is needed to overbear
the fruitless excessive caution of the
British, who by risking nothing are
risking all
1t is going to be big job and to
take time to move Mr.. Daniels and to
move the British. The submarine, with
everlasting whiting down of the
scant shipping reserves, and its con-
tempt for the palliatives that are
being tried one after another in the
vain hope that something less than a
bold stroke with huge attendant dan
gers will serve the end, may be trusted
to move any obstacle, however great
record the change in sentiment here
and reasons for it. There is an in
evitable quality about the process that
makes it worth noting, even in its
early stages.