Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1919-01-08
Work of the Navy
New York World.

Not yet can the great part the navy played
in the war be fully described, but in his annual
report Secretary Daniels lifts the veil of secrecy
from many details that will not lessen the just
pride Americans have always taken in their war
service at sea.
The armistice found the navy personnel just
short of 100000 souls, while its active work
abroad employed more men than its entire
strength when we entered the war. No element
monopolized its attention; its "Navy that Flies"
shepherded the fleets from the air, while its
marines won deathess fame at Belleau woods
Nor did it shine in action while fumbling prepa-
ration; the house committee of inquiry found its
war work on shore "a remarkable, record of
achievement"
Whether in laying $4,000 mines in the vast
sea barrage that shut Germany in. or rushing
drydock and navy yard expansion at home, or
repairing German ships with amazing speed or
developing electric propulsion in the biggest
cruisers or adding niceties of detail to depth
bomb practice, or placing its huge guns on rail-
road cars to batter down German defenses far
toward Metz, the navy was every day doing its
bit or more And the nature of its delicate
tasks was such that even now pot too much can
be said about all that has been done beyond
landsmen's sight.
As an agent in social progress the navy has
continued its school work among enlisted men,
and has worked an Improvement in their phys
ical condition which is attested by remarkable
showing of health statistics, while the novel
task of rehabitating men convicted of grave
charges has drawn to the Portsmouth naval
prison under Thomas NJ Osborne the praise of
enaval men and prison reformers on both CONT
nents
What the navy is in future to be must depend
upon circumstances. Mr.. Daniels foresees "an
end of competitive building" We hope he may
be right. For the present there is every reason
to continue with the program of construction
which he recommends If in the long run we
have mainly to provide for Survey and dscov-
cry and protection, in addition to police duty of
an international as we'll as of national char
acter," so much the better.
Toward that desired goal the navy has al
ready given some impetus. 1t has promoted
a smaller league of nations ahoat by the team
work to which Secretary Daniels referred yes
terday in Springfield. Zone outstanding bless
ing" of the war was the sympathy and COM
radeship between the American and British,
in close cooperation with other allied
describes with British. French Italian and Jap
anese seamen can have had no parallel on land
and must greatly aid international understand
ing.
That is looking ahead-far ahead perhaps,
We can look back upon the great service which
the navy has rendered to the world: its para
mount service and possibly deciding factor
in the mighty struggle. Every troop ship that
enters harbor crowded with cheering soldiers
should remind us again of the sleepless vigilance
that watched over our conveys on the perious.
road to France. The kaiser sneered at our
army as wooden sword" 1t could not in the
end have cut his battle line and cowed his vet
Grams but for the ships that ferried it and the
international police" that taught the lurking
U-boat its place.
This was, as Mr. Daniels says, "a shining
demonstration" of the navy's capacity for the
team work so essential to victory" And vic
tory was essential to the world.