New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-05-29

this instance. The Shipping Board
was too proud to fight when General
Goethals rejected its green timber
ships, and probably it will remain so
now that he has suggested that it has
green timber heads.
But how is the building Of ships to
60 on under these circumstances? The
board is discredited. Congress has not
appropriated the money for it to spend.
Vast powers of Communicating ships,
yards, docks. factories and their out
puts are to be exercised. and by whom :?
By the board which Congress distrusts
or by the subordinate who has defled
it? This very question is raised by
the pending legislation appropriating
the money and creating the powers.
Senate Baked
As the bill was originally offered to
the Senate, read by Mr.. Denman HIM
self to a committee OF Senator'S IN
vited to the White House by the Pres
ident for the purpose. it granted all
Board. These Senators present lis
tened to Mr.. Denman and unanimously,
Republicans and Democrats alike,
agreed that they would never give
these powers to him and his assistants
on the Shipping Board.
A bill was then drawn up by Spooner
& Coffin, of New York, said to be
General Goethals's attorneys, providing
- mi i0h
general manager of the United States
Shipping Board Emergency Fleet Cor
poration-that is, General Cocktails
to exercise these powers. Many OF
them were inappropriate TO his posi-
ton, but the Senate had confidence IN
the general and none in the Shipping
Board and was glad to see the powers
90 to him snd not to Mr.. Denman.
Now the House has stricken out this
provision and declares that the Pres
dent may exercise the authority
granted Through such agency or
agencies as he at any time shall deter.
mine" This is done in no spirit OF
unfriendliness to General Goethals, Tor
the House trusts him and does not
trust the Shipping Board. But the
House feels that these powers 70 com
mandeer cannot properly be lodged IN
any one but the President, certainly
not in the general manager OF prl.
yate corporation, which is all General
Gocthals is. This is the tangle, tie
usual tangle down here, Of little men
az the top and the big man at the bot
tom, where he cannot be fully used.
May Delay Bill
The question what 70 do with these
powers, now that it has been raised,
is likely TO hold up this BILL and thus
shipbuilding will again be delayed. 1t
is not known whether or not General
Goethals will object to the change in
the proposed act. But the Senate, hav-
inc already voted its confidence in him
and its lack Of confidence in the Ship
ping Board, will probably refuse to
leave il to the President 10 decide
whether Mr.. Denman or General Goe-
thals shall exercise the authority.
Mr.. Denman, chairman of the Ship
ping Board, is a handsome. active man,
with a rare abundance Of speech. A
torrent of facts and figures flows from
him. but in his case the mill never
prinds with the waters that are past.
To-day it is wooden ships; tomorrow
il is steel. To-day it is one thousand
OF them; tomorrow II is one hundred.
To-day il is one million tons; to-mor-
row il is three millions. An optmist
whose Imagination sustains his cheer
fulness, he touches aetuality only light
ly and gracefully in passing. With his
temperament il is a short step from
"trees with birds nesting in them" to
an Allied victory.
When General Goethals said that
boards were long. narrow and wooden
he was expressing his general dislike
of power in several hands. He had his
trouble with the Panama Canal Com
mission. He used to call IL together.
only to find himself out-voted. Finally
he explained the situation TO President
Roosevelt, and had each member Of the
commission assigned to some specific
duty, and then he ran everything him
self. No such easy solution exists in
this case. The little men are on the
job. and tho general is not even an
employe OF the government. He is
manager Of a private corporation.