The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-05-11
DANIELS ARRAIGNS
 SIMS FOR VIOLATING
 NAVAL REGULATIONS
Continued from Page One)

tCOntinued from Page One) forces abroad falling to appreciate that the protection of transports car ryirg troops to Fra nee was tho para mount naval duty, u2til felt impelled to cable him peremptorily that such was our main mission"
 OBJECTIONABLE STATEMENTS Secretary Daniels testified that had he known that in october. 1918, Sims had made statements reflecting upon | the contributions of the United States army and navy to winning the war to members of Congress visiting abroad he would never have recommended his promotion.
 He had not then attacked the Brit l ish people," Secretary Daniels testi- l fled q thought then he had only de- fended American sailors. proper | th;rg to do, when attacked unjustly I by what he termed lawless element ! n Cork. If I had known that he had proposed, under the permission granted him to tell the story of what the navy had done overseas. to de- | noUnce the Irish people as he did in l his articles in the Worlds Work the permission would not have been l granted. Secretary Daniels said he lad never publicly or privately criticised Admiral 1 Sims for lack Of early vision in con nection with the North sea barragei proJ- ect "or his other mistake, or wrong views" Admiral Mayo succeeded in con- vincing the British admiralty of the soundness of the barage scheme where | Admiral Sims had failed, he said. | "Although the department had dsap- proved of some of his recommendations and denied some of his desires" said Secretary Daniels, ''I mistakenly sup posed until the letter of January that ha1 | more or less grace, in the departments disposition of ships and it's other off . al actions, as aloyal officer accepts the decisions of his superiors, even though he might personally hold other views
 PUBLIC NAUSEATED
 The Investigating committee, Secre- tary Daniels said, had been wearied and the public nauseated with "an aportNe attempt to ferret out the molehills Of mistakes and exaggerrate them into mountains to make a noble and notable accomplishment appear as the dim ana fading background of frontispiece or comparatively unlmportant errors or judgment
 sThe navy's record in the war stands untouched today and for all time, despite criticisms from within or without" said he "No such troop movement over so great an eXpanse of water had ever oe-n | attempted as the transporting ot Amerl' cas- legons to France" Secretary Dan iels declared adding that in comparlson to that essential to winning the wal nothing else counted. It was well anf expeditousy done That fact alone is answer to most of the criticisms heard by your committee.
 "The only man injured in public es- teem by his charges is Admiral Slm' himself" said Secretary Daniels. Int evidence has had only one effect, anc hoe at the necessity of withdrawing approva I from Admiral Sims and replacing It Wltt deep and lasting disapproval. The navy and it's service in the world war stant without a trace of the mud with which a few have sought to bespatter IT.
 WOULD REST CASE
 So far as his own acts were concerned Secretary Daniels said ne would p' willing to let the case rest. The JudS ment and ability of the eleven othe members of the general board had bee brought under public criticism by one . their own number, however, he sald. ai' these officers respecting naval traul tion that naval officers should neNc enter into public disputes among them selves regarding purely military matter looked to the civilian secretary to oe fend them
 ",rhere were twelve of these nis ranking officers charged with great re sponsibility." said Secretary DahieH You have heard eleven. One is the at thor of these criticisms. The tWeil'' Admiral CIeaves. who was in charge the troop ships that carried our soidiel to France is commander in chiet or .i Asiatic fleet, and I do not feel Justil'e in ordering him from his distant sta..p to testify The ten who have testilie besides the author of the charges, haN ably and flatly denied the correctness justice of the criticisms' ..,
 "What I feel is needed from me- '. lcontinued lis not defense but cie- and brief resume of what has arieas heen testified to- that the pubhc nis clearly understand that the defense II, II, already been ably and fully made oN U highest officers of the navy, tosesn with some statement of what the na' actually did during the war You ha heard long statements of what II aid II do The countrys pride will be neigh ened by the facts of some Of the gre things it did do.''
 The portion of Admiral Sims celeprat letter that shocked the public more III. any other. Mir. Daniels said, was
 statement that he had been told at !
 navy department mot to let the BTU pull the wool over your eyes We wou as soon fight them as the Germans
 q must confess that it shocked iiis
 declared the Secretary, for Tn all !
 years of association with officers or
 navy, this was. the first timel had e'
 known one to make public any conIioe
 tial conversation with superlor oliic
 did not believe it was possible for
 officer of our navy to do such thu
 The people could not understand how
 patriotic American who put the goods
 his country first. could possibly spre
 broadcast a statement which reiiee'
 upon his own government and might te
 tn disturb the cordial relations with
 friendly power and violate the con1ioel
 reposea in him and publish state.h'
 which he evidently believed would da
 age fellow officer and cast dount up
 the navy's whole-hearted espoussi oi
 allied cause
 Secretary Daniels assailed the man lin which the Sims letter was made p' llic. declaring that Admiral sims re 1t during the investigation of na Iawards although it had nothing to <3nrf<