The Washington herald., 1917-05-29
Frelinghuysen Raps Navy for
Policy of "Supine Secret
Iveness" Swanson De-
tends Administration.

The Senate Naval Affairs COMMITTEES
VIII begin a searching inquiry Friday into
The accident. charged 10 a defective shell.
winch killed two Red Cross nurses on the
american liner Mongolia. on their way to
the battlefront in Europe. causing the
first casualties in the war between the
United States and Germany.
The committee will summon Se~rstsr ~,
OF the Navy Daniels, Admiral Earle. chief
OF the Ordnance Bureau. and various
other naval officials and employees. to get
AT the very bottom Of the charge Of the
use OF old and defective ammunition
ABOARD the armed merchantmen now be-
ing sent into the barred zone
me investigation was ordered bv the
senate yesterday. when. without a dis
senting vote, II adopted the resolution
offered several DAYS ago calling To- =
complete probe into the accident, after il
had been slightly modified at the supres-
uon OF Senator Swanson. OF Virginia
chairman OF the Senate Naval Affairs
Committee
Acuon on the resolution. however. was
preceded by a vigorous exchange of
words between Senator Frelinghuvsen OF
; Ne~ Jersey, author OF the probing reso-
Iuuoh, ana Senator Swanson. who de-
,'o Geo the administration. Senator Ere
hhthaysen denounced the use Of sbeIrs =
TO - years old. and declared tbat ..tr,s
war viii not be won by supfne seq secrs,,ya S,,.s
ness" 'N e'-'e-
Not PresIdent's War.
This is not the Presidents u,,-- =.
cleared Senator F>relinghuysen. This is
not the War Departments war TLis q.
nor any one mans war This is a war ~
inc American people and the America,
people nave right to know vvbs+ ;s
Eoing on. The President Is a mast -,-as.a-
AT word rainting, but I denounca tbfs
stupid doctrine that the American paonTe
must De kept in total ignorance regard
InS Che conduct Of the war PitiIess
puoIcity is what Is needed
The pitiless publicity OF Lord "
chne's papers is what trsnsforr,o,e.E
England OF the beginning OF the war }1to
the powerful fighting machine OF tods,-
ambassador Gerard's statement is t-7le
that II kussiR stacks her arms fba
United States Will have to bear the brun,
OF the war. To fight # to A successful
conclusion we must have the helm Of
every man and woman in this country
ana ana 10 get their help they must be al
IoNeo TO know what is going on
We have a right TO expect that such
accidents will be reduced II Will ever
De the cause Of unspeakable regret tb.,
the first victims OF the war were women
Following this We learn that other
similar accidents occurred prior TO the
Mongolia. Ny one object is to prevent
such accidents hereafter. The country
demands this Information. We will nev-,
win this war by supreme secretiveness.
Senator Swanson decla ared that the num-
ber Of accidents had been surprisingly
few when II was considered that 200 uer-
chantmen have been armed. He informed
the Senate there are now fully 5000 naval
seamen aboard American mercha ntrnen.
Only two accidents have occurred. that
aboard the Mongolia and one on the st.
Louis, he said
After the accident on the St Louis"
Senator Swanson said. "eighty-nine shells
were removed from the ship and taken to
the proving grounds for testing Only
two were found to be defective. The re-
markable thing about the Mongolia ac-
cident was that the shells were all ght
The copper mouthpiece Of one OF the
shells rebounded back to the ship and
caused the death OF the two nurses. Such
accidents are rare but they have oc-
CURED before in both the American and
French navies. The Secretary Of the
Navy and Admiral Earle welcome the full
lest investigation"