Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1917-07-27
President Wilson 7 ak eS
Sweeping Steps to End De-
lay in Building Americas
Great Merchant Marine

steps were taken by President Wilson
today to put an end to delay in building
Americas great merchant marine.
Two resiRnations--those of General
Goethals, manager of the emergency
fleet corporation. ana Captain White
member of the shipping board. were &C.
cepted. Chairman Denman, of the ship
ping board. was asked to resign.
nounced the appointment of Edward n
Hurley, Chicago. as chairman of the
shipping board, and Admiral Caps. ma.
val constructor. as general manager OF
the emergency fleet corporation.
cambridge Colby. New York, was
named in Whites place on the shipping
board.
President WlIson THIS afternoon sem
to the senate the nomination of Edward
Colby, of New York, to fill the positions
on the United States shipping board va
Gated by Chairman Denman and John q
White.
At the same time the president an
N Hurley. of Chicago, and Bainbridgt
MT. hurley Is 10 serve lOT SIN Year,
and Mr.. Colby for three years.
I'VE will start with a clean sheet
the president explained in his letter Il
Cocktails, accepting the generals resig
nation offer.
Chairman Denman received the pres
idents request for his resignation al
noon, and rendered ii Immediately.
"I want to help the president in every
way possible" he said, "and never have
questioned the wisdom OF his decisions
Edward n. Hurley until recently was
chairman of the federal trade commits
sion wnen he resigned to take charge OF
his business interests in Illinois.
cambridge Colby, a Progressive, is g
prominent business man of New York
and was active in behalf of Wilson'S
candidacy in the last election.
Admiral Caps is a well-known naval
constructor He was born at Ports
mouth, Va, in 1864, graduated from the
United States Naval academy, has beer
chief of the bureau of construction In
the navy for many years. He represent
ed the United States at the international
maritime conference in London in 1913
and during the last two years has done
extensive work in naval architecture
and marine engineering.
1t was evident from the promptnes:
with which the president acted in every
particular that he had had the house
cleaning in mind for some days.
Official announcement of the accep
lance of the designations of Goetha'
and White was made with publication
of a letter from President Wilson t.
Chairman Denman asking for his resig
nation and giving the presidents opin
ion that the only way to end the row
which has delayed the shipbuilding pro
gram was for both Goethals and Den
man to be removed from the situation.
LETTER TO COCKTAILS.
In accepting General Goethals resig
nation, the president wrote:
Nv Dear General Cocktails: Your
letter of July 20 does you great
honor. 1t is conceived in a fine
spirit of public duty, such as l have
learned to expect from you. This
is, as you say, case where service
of the public is the only thing to be
considered Personal feelings and
personal preference must be reso-
lutelv put aside and we must do
the thing that is most Serviceable.
1t is with that fact in mind that
feel constrained to say that l think
that you have interpreted your duty
rightly.
No impartial determination of the
questions at issue can now set the
shipbuilding program promptly and
effectively on its way to compile
ton and success. 1t is best we take
the self-forgetting course you sug-
gest and begin again with a fresh
sheet of paper-pegin not only the
shipbuilding, but the further ad-
ministration of the program. The
shipbulding is, happily, in large
part begun and can now readily be
cleared of debates that have un-
questionably darkened it.
With deep appreciation, therefore,
of your generous attitude and with
genuine admiration of what you
have been able in a short time to
accomplish. 1 accept your resigna-
tion and feel that in doing so 1 am
acting upon your own best judgment
as well as my own.
/ hope that you will feel that the
people Of the country, for whom you
have rendered great services, will
judge you justly and generously in
this as In other things, and that all
personal MISUNDERSTANDING and
misiudgments that may have been
created will pass in short time
entirely away.
With warm regard, cordially and
sincerely yours,
WOODROW WILSON.
LETTER TO DENMAN.
The presidents letter TO Denman fol
lows:
NV Dear Mr.. Denman-I hope
and believe I am interpreting your
own best Judgment as we'll as my
own when 1 say that our duty con-
corning the debate and misunder-
standing that have arisen in con-
nection with the shpbuilding pro-
gram ought to be settled without re-
gard to our personal preference or
our personal feelings. all together
and with the single purpose of do
ing what will best serve the public
interest No decision we could now