The Washington times., 1920-05-15
TAFT AND T.R.
LET NAVY FALL
-DonieLs
Blames Previous Administra-
tions for Alleged Lack Of
Preparedness.
REVIEWS SEA STRENGTH
Dropped to Third Place Four
Years Before War Began,
He Says.
BY LEE ELLMAKER,
International News Service.

Intersstiosnl News Service.
Alleged lack Of preparedness of
the Navy for war sis a fault that
lies more at the door Of the Admins
trations of the Secretaries Of the
Navy proceeding the Wilson Admin
istration than with the Wilson
Administration, Secretary of the
Navy Daniels today charged before
the Senate subcommittee investigat-
ing the conduct of the war by the
Navy Department.
Dropped to Third Place.
Daniels mentioned the administra-
tions of Roosevelt and Taft as the
ones particularly referred to and
charged that the United states navy
fell from second to. third place in
relative importance compared with
| the navies Of Great Britain and Ger
many during these administrations.
The navy increased In personnel
between March. 1914. and September
1916. more than during any CORE.
spending period of our history In
I times of peace" Daniels declared.
when I became Secretary OF the
Navy I found that under the admin
istration of President Taft. 1908 to
to report of the general board in
response to request from Congress-
man Butler, OF the House Naval AZ
fairs Committee. how II was the Ger
man navy obtained its superiority
over ours"
| Daniels reviewed the relative
strengths OF the three major r,ayies
of the period, declaring the navy fell
to third place after occupying second
place alternately with Germany for
several years in 1909, -four years be-
fore the beginning of the Wilson ad-
ministration."
Ten Capital ships.
Taking the Roosevelt Administra-
tion and the first two years of the
Taft Administration the United
States authorized ten capital ships to
Germany's twenty" Daniels declared.
| The policy adopted during the
Roosevelt Administration of one bat
tleship q year "foredoomed US to lose
our position as the second naval
power" Daniels observed. mo head.
way was made during the Taft Ad-
fstrength we had lost during Roose-
welt" He said he believed Roosevelt
was for a larger naval power than
the country or Congress would au-
thorise. Wilson and Congress were
beyond public opinion when in 1918
| three dreadnaughts were authorized. ="
| "In these frst three years of the
Wilson Administration the Navy be-
came better manned, better Offered.
better organized, better supplied with
ammunition and more efficiently and
economically administered than ever
before in history" Daniels declared.
1T was not until the Wilson Admin
istration, since the Spanish American n
war, that there was enough men in
the Navy to man the ships on a peace
basis"
Points Out improvements.
"The Wilson Administration is.
however, blamed for condition IT
inherited from former Administra-
tions," Daniels said, improvements
in anti-aircraft' guns and other ord
nance during his Administration were
referred to by the Secretary.
| Statements made by Rear Admiral
Sims In making charges against the
department were called perfectly un-
founded and, wanton by Daniels.
| Members Of the general board have
told how how impossible II would be
for any man to make plans, put them
In a drawer. and years after whom
war Ii declared to say "look In my
drawer b and take plan A. and then
go ITO sleep while his plan In being
worked out"
| A preparedness for war plan was
approved by him March I3, 1915. Dam
| iels said. "The navy exercised all
the foresight and preparedness in fol-
lowing this plan 1t possibly could be-
| fore the war; Daniels said.