The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-01-06

combined with stubborn belief m ms own supervision.
 Before the House committee on naval affairs the secretary declared that III matters of state he preferred to follow his own judgement and depend on ms own intelligence than on the adVice or the experts of the department. He is said to have added remarks expressive of an inward distrust of England. Com> menting on this testimony, the Post prints the following prominently dis played editorial:
 ..Congress and the people are again puzzled and disturbed by the course pur- sued by Mir Daniels, Secretary Of the Navy. in contradiction of the policy of President Wilson and the advice of the experts of the navy. With utter disregard of the effect his action may have upon 1 the international situation, and With | sensationalism and boastfulness highly offensive to the navy, MT. Damels mas outlined his personal ideas to Congress. | If he were suffering from an acute st- | tack of swelled head, MT. Daniels could not have been more reckless than when he recently told Congress that he swept aside the advice of his experts and acted | solely upon his own intelligence in plan | ming for the extension of the navy. 1 If Mir Daniels and his personal vanity | were the only factors Tn the situation, | they could be dismissed without com ment Everyone knows that whenever Mr. Daniels leaves the navy alone 1t is l efficient, and that whenever he inter | meddles with it's operations it's ineffi- ciency is measured according to the de- gree of that interference. At the begin ming of the war MT. Daniels attempted | to set aside the necessary procedure TOT the efficient conduct of naval operations
 The effect would have been disastrous The navy as a whole was compelled to act as if there had been no secretary l in other words, the trained oHlcers ot
 the navy necessarily conducted its op- erations.
 | Now that stern necessity does not drive. MT. Daniels becomes active again r:
 land it is not too much to say that every one of his recent utterances has been either mischevous or foolish, .or mix tture of both. All patriotic citizens wish 1 to see an increase of the navy, and they do not disagree with MT. Daniels on
 this point But no patriotic citizen wlshes 1 to hear any language at this time, or at
 any time which is in it's essence mani Ifestation of distrust of and latent en- mity to one or more of the nations that 1 have fought side by side with the united States against Germany. Yet MT. Dan liels is so lacking in discretion that he directs his utterances along these lines, lat a time when PFeSfuent Whooh is straining every nerve to show the alies that the United States sympathizes with 1 them and is anxious to have them all | adjust their interests to the common
 welfare and peace of. the world.
 l Not content with embarrassing the President Mr Daniels goes out of his way to humiliate and repudlate the tired and experienced officers of the navy Wm have carefully considered the whole sub feet of naval increase and reported 2 comprehensive and well rounded plan
 When members of the Congress com lmittee reminded Secretary Daniels tha
 his absurd recommendations were at Ivariance with the recommendations O.
 his boards of experts, MT. Daniels flip
 panty replied that he never permitted
 his experts to determine plans-that h'
 preferred his own judgement. Inasmuci
 as he has demonstrated during his entire
 term that he combines an incurabl'
 ignorance with stubborn belief in hi
 own supervision, it may be imagined
 I what harm might be done to the nav.
 and the country if his suggestions wer'
 adopted. He sometimes sets forth sen
 sble ideas, usually adapted or borrowe'
 entirely from reports made by naval Of
 ficers. who do not receive the credit
 These ideas are credited by the public
 to Mir Daniels, who has thus acquired
 with some persons a reputation for sa
 gacity which is far above his deserts.
 l It is unfortunate that the navy shoul'
 be subjected to the whims of Jesephu
 l Daniels at this critical hour, when Presi
 dent Wilson is not here to put checl
 upon his Secretary of the Navy