The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1917-07-28
Build Ships! Gentleman!

The pOlomics within the shipbuild-
ing bureau of the federal government
has degenerated into petty row
that suggests the chickering's of ward
bosses rather than the methods of
men of stature and brains bent upon
the single purpose of equipping their
country for the supreme test of the
century.
The people are weary of the back
hauling, squabbling and dsputations
between those upon whom rests the
tremendous responsibility of con-
structing an adequate merchant ma
rine. And it is enough to make the
country sick! ft.'..
Ever since Major General GoethaIs
was put i'm managerial command of
the emergency fleet corporation what
he has wanted Chairman Denman. of
the shipping board, has objected to:
and what Denman has wanted Gem
eral Goethals has opposed. 1t has
been a case of Tweedle- and
Twedle-Dum between the two. There
has been constant and continuous dis
cord-little cooperation, no harmony.
and, consequently, practically no pro-
gress! And instead of this great de-
partment having at it's disposal an
enormous appropriation of funds
rising to the performance of it's func-
ton, it has proceeded more upon the
order of discordant playhouse, with
its masters acting more like naughty
children than big men.
Something is radically askew in the
shipping department The Constitu-
ton does not profess to know what it
is; neither do we presume to Judge
as between the respective contentious
of Chairman Denman and Manager
Goethals. a..
We do know, however, that there
should be no contentious. The task to
be performed is of too vital national
Importance, and it is too big, to per-
NIT of time for personal spit-firing.
Denman and Goethals are delaying
the game-the greatest game in
which the worlds freedom is the
stakes. l
Evidently they cannot agree-can-
not pull together in harmony. There
fore, one or the other ought to get
out!
| Which of the two should be the
one to go. The Constitution does not
profess to know.
But we do know this: That it is un-
thinkable that man of General Goe-
thals' past performances-a man who
could take hold of the isthmus lob.
after it had been balled up and
botched by red tape and precisely
such tomfoolery as is now disrupting
the shipping department cut the
tape, straighten out the kinks and
carry the biggets piece of construc-
ton work of the age of speedy and
successful completion, without
hitch or a jars not man enough
for the work now cut out for him.
We know little of Mr.. Denman's
capacity or qualifications. But we
do know that when the canal enter
prise became completely muddIed
through politics and red tape, Presi-
dent Roosevelt commissioned Colonel
Goethals to go down there and dig
the ditch! And from the day WASH
ington received the historic cable
gram from the new boss announcing
laconically that 81 am on the job!'-
that from that day on the work went
ahead like a ship plows the sea! And
Goethals was the BOSS
If General Goethals has the genius
for organization and construction
that Colonel GOethals had, it would
be wise move for the administration
to put an end to this standstin jangl-
ing and ructiOn, cut the red-tape and
command the canal builder to get
on the job" i'm Washington with a
free hand and with the same spirit
that he got onto the JOB in Panama.
Atlanta Constitution.