The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1920-05-22

WASHINGTON, May 22.-The rev
Citations which Josephus Daniels has
made before the Hale investigating
committee with "the full consent and
approval of Woodrow Wilson may be
considered the first reply, for campaign
purposes, to Republican charges of mis-
conduct of the war. So far as criti-
cism of Great Britain, which has dom
mated the revelations of the secretary
of the navy, is concerned, it may be
the last. Democratic politicians, wor-
ried sick by the prospects of their party
for victory in the national elections,
are beginning to appreciate that criti-
cism of England is a two-edged sword,
that the greatest naval nation in the
world has its friends in America just
as it has its enemies. From the Repub-
lican viewpoint at least, the fpublea-
ton at this late day of the criticisms
made by President Wilson soon after
this country entered the war was for
no other purpose than political effect
Even friends of the administration
question whether it was wise to give
to the world the President s confden-
tial address of 1917, in which he said
with reference to the British admiralty
that nothing was ever done SO sys-
tematically as nothing is being done
now' and his personal cablegram of
the same date to Admiral William S.
Sims that the admiralty was helpless
to the point of panic. -
c hot ha
to conclude its inquiry and to make its
report to the senate before this session
Of congress comes to an end in June.
| Doubt has been expressed whether it
can be done, providing Secretary Dan
iels is cross-examined at length and re-
buttal testimony is permitted. While
pretense has been made to the contrary,
The attitude of the senator's has been
| so plainly partisan that q ma jority re-
port by the Republicans and a minority
report by the Democrats are inevitable
/ 1t is probable that the Republicans will
| conclude that there was delay~in pre-
pairing for the war, certainly prior to
| April, 1917, as charged by Admiral
Sims. The Democrats, on the other
hand, will follow the lead of the ad-
ministration and declare that prepare.
| llOl DO lung uSo dS 1917 Ht
Republicans win commend the admiral
for daring to make his charges and the
| Democrats will condemn him.
+ The majority report will recommend
Reorganization of the department
Chairman Hale not only has asked ma
Lval officers who have appeared before
the committee to submit their views
upon the subject, but he has written
to large number of prominent officers
for an expression of their views. Most
of the expressions are along the line
of giving the chief of operations great
er authority so that he can execute as
well as prepare plans of war. 1t i,
also agreed that there should be al
least an aid for operations and an ait
for material, and that the bureaus Of
the department should be subordinatet
to the Office of operations. In tn,
views expressed there is no intention
to subtract from the power of the sec
rotary Naturally there are opponent
of the proposals, who say that the civ
ilian head of the department will fin,
himself with little to do under mill
tary head vested with the authorit,
suggested and that the bureaus will b
removed from the civilian head by tw
degrees, the chief of operations and HI
l assistants.