New-York tribune., 1917-07-19
Denman Should Go


the persistent squabbles in the Federal
Shipping Board and its adjuncts. The
business of the board and its subordinate
bodies is to build ships, and then operate
them. Instead of cooperating to that end
the head of the building department and
the head Of the operating department are
absorbed in a personal quarrel-a little
war Of their own on the side.
The reason why they are at war is
plain. Neither has clearly ascertained
authority; each has been led to believe
that he possesses power which is being
exercised by his rival. The President has
declined SO far to end the uncertainty
which Is the main cause Of the prolonga-
ton Of the quarrel. He is reluctant to
break off friendly relations with either
belligerent. He watches and waits, while
the two would-be master builders Of the
great American merchant fotilla Of 1918
Tor should we say 1892? fight out the
question of power and precedence.
This Is ell wrong. The public has been
more or less confused by the technical de-
tails of the controversy over wooden ships,
which is the issue on which the two master
builders have locked horns. 1t was some
what carried away, naturally, by the melo-
dramatic suggestion of a return to the
ancient type of carrier-the wooden ship
which once foated the American flag IN
all the Seven Seas. Mr.. Denman and hrs
hackers have tried to establish their power
by insisting on an experiment which is at
least romantic, however feasible 1T may be-
The public would have been glad to be-
lieve that it was possible to create
wooden feet, really worth creating, IN the
brief time allotted to that task by the
wooden ship enthusiasts. But when Ten
.ral Goethals threw his judgment ana
great reputation into the opposite scale
public opinion veered. 1t has lost faith IN
Chairman Denman as sort OF Alice IN
Wonderland ships carpenter. 1t has De-
oor,a convinced that he is more intent on
avoiding displacement as the head OF the
Shipping Board than he is on oullding
ships. either steel or wooden.
Mr.. Denman was prominent admiralty
LAWYER in San Francisco. He owes his
nosition as the head of the Shipping Board
10 considerations of politics. He was put
in that place before the war broke out
when the shipping commission was In
tended chiefly for use as a piece Of politi-
cal machinery. In order to make him
chief of the board it was necessary to
drive out of that body its natural head and
most competent member, Mr.. Bernard n
Baker, of Baltimore.
Mr.. Baker was a real shipping man
Mr.. Denman is not General Goethals
who was taken into the subsidiary build
ing corporation with the expectation and
assurance that he should build the feet, is
n great engineer and great administra'
tor. Mr.. Denman is neither. So far, then
as there is anything TO choose between the
two men, regardless Of the rival building
schemes which they favor, the natural pre-
sumptions are all against San Francisco
former admiralty law expert.
We believe that General Goethals's
preference for steel construction is sound
But even were we still in doubt about
the wooden-steel controversy we should
have no hesitation in saying that the
present situation in the Shipping Board
produced by Mr.. Denman's opinionated
obstruction, Is an intolerable one. II
should be ended by the elimination oi
one Of the two claimants TO priority
And, that being the case, Mr.. Denmar
is plainly the claimant who ought Il
be let out. He represents nothing au
thoritative, nothing impressive in the way
Of expert knowledge, nothing inspiring in
the way Of broadmindedness or unselfsh
ness IN service. The circumstances Of his
appointment wero unfortunate. His re
tirement now would break for good tn,
Jam in the governments shipbuildins
plans, which has now become scandalous.
II the President keeps Mr.. Denman In
Office much longer he will force Genera
Goethals out of Office. He will repeat the
blunder which not very long ago lost tho
Administration the services OF Lindley M
Garrison, the ablest member Of the Cabi
net. whoSs services as Secretary Of Wal
thraseh 1916 and 1917 would have been Of