Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1920-03-26
ADMIRAL Sims Plight

THE desperate attempt Of Admiral Sims
TO prove that the American navy was in
efficient during the course OF the war has
failed us miserably as his charge that the
American army was compelled to grant IN
avmsticc to Germany because the COM
munic;ttons Of supply Of the army had
broken down" lie has been rcfutcd in al
most every declaration he has made in either
direction by equally expert authorities. and
he is forced into the position OF the I'M
fortunate critic OF the war. whose attacks
have left no impression upon the people Of
the country.
for. more than Il year partisan committees
of Congress have been investigating the vic
tory over Germany. Hundreds of thousands
ot dollars have been expended by them in
IN effort TO show that this country's partici-
patton III the conflict wrctchcd eXhib
ton OF looscncss. nenectiveness. cNtrava-
gance and Incompetence. Those committees
already are practically forgotten Their
work has been ignored and the campaign
issue they sought to set up has collapsed.
On top OF all that have come the Eek
posures' Of Admiral Sims. lie first sought
to dynamite the present administration OF
the Navy Department by showing that the
war honors had been Improperly awarded
That effort convinced few people Of anything
except hat the admrals recommendations
in behalf OF the members OF his own STAFF
had not been followed. and that Secretary
Daniels had included his own brother-in-law
among those designated for distinction
No, satisfied with this revelation the adj
nral has declared that AT least 500 600 lives
were lost in the war which might have been
saved if the navy had placed the army in
France sooner. In answer to this is the au
thoritative statement that the navy trans
ported every soldier that the army marched
TO tho ports OF cmbarkation, and that not
the slightest delay was encountered 1t was
the slowncss OF the army in training and
cquipping its forces, not the slOwless OF trans
port on the part of the navy. that resulted
in the death of the thousands OF men.
Going far aiicld in his campaign OF dis
crediting The war effort of the United States
Sims charged that the American
representatives OH the supreme war council
to the brgading OF American
troop with the French and British 1t re-
naincd for General Bliss, himself Americas
member of that council, 10 declare that the
admiral had uttered an untruth. The gen
eral swears that he had not only not asscnted
to Il policy, but that he had actually de-
fea,ed It.
In The course of his amazing testimony
the admiral declared that he had never said
hat an armstice had to be agreed TO pre-
for tho reason that the commune
cations OF supply had broken down And
vet, three American Congressman, who were
present and TO whom that statement had
been made. fatty contradict him. More ihan
that. Carter Glass. Il Senator from Nir
ginia. has reafrmed in open letter 70
Sims that such SANDER had been
uttered and had been uttered in the presence
Of the Nirginian.
The whole case of admiral Sims has fallen
to pieces. In a few months he will retire.
and in spite OF his valuable services TO his
he probably will pass into obscuriiy
as false witness, who has forfeited the
honors and the esteem In which most Of his
rouRtrymcn have held him.