The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1920-01-27

DISCHARGE
South Carolina Congressman Says
Rear Admiral Sims Should
Be Kicked Out Of
Navy.

| UNITED Press Leased Wire Service.l
WASHINGTON, Jan. 27.-Dishon-
orable discharge for Rear Admiral
William S. Sims, because Of his re-
cent testimony before the senate
naval committee, was recommended
| by Representative Byrnes. Of South
Carolina, democrat, In a speech IN
the house today.
Byrnes declared that il superior
officer did admonish Sims, on leav-
ing for England before the United
States entered the war, mot to let
the British pull the wool over your
eyes," the admiral by repeating this
to the senate committee is violating
confidential instructions and deserves
the condemnation Of every American
and a dishonorable discharge from
the navy"
Charges that Sims, while serving
aboard. slandered the army and navy
and belittled the American forces, to
the Qualification Of the British, were
made by Byrnes.
He declared that Sims effort to
flatter the British by slandering the
army and navy of the United States
will meet with the contempt of every
true Englishman as it does OF every
true American"
Several statements regarding Amer
lean participation accredited to Sims
were declared by Byrnes to be false as
shown by the records in Sims office.
Sims was so busy fighting the war
over the dining tables of London
Byrnes said, that he did not take
time to look up the actual facts in his
office"
while in, Paris on October 30,
1918, twelve days before the arms
tice was signed, Admiral Sims told
Representative Glass, Virginia, now
secretary of the treasury, and myself,
that the armistice asked for by the
enemy would have to be granted be-
fore but for the failure of the Pershing
expedition to break through the Ger
man lines, due to the disastrous
breakdown of transport behind the
American lines. With pathos in his
voice, Sims pictured this failure of the
army at a critical moment. We fell
for this story and rushed to Gen.
Pershing only to find a few days pre-
vious Pershing had written the service
of supplies congratulating it upon the
wonderful work of supplying the
forces in the field.
Sims statement was false and for
his inexcusable SANDER he should be
made to answer to the American
doughboy.
Sims not only libeled the army,
but he deprecated the navy"
Referring to other statements OF
Sims while abroad, Byrnes said:
His statement that we had trans
ported only one-third Of our troops
was false. The department records
give the percentage as 1925. His
statement that we escorted but one
half of the transports and one-third
of the merchant ships are both
equally false. His Office reports show
that we escorted 1915 percent Of the
former and As of the latter"
Byrnes also declared Sims had dis
couraged all American attempts to
build up a merchant marine.
80 convinced was / that his
made 1t impossible for
him to entertain a purely American
that when l returned to
this country l advised one in author
ity that for an American view the
navy department might as we'll ap-
peal to the British admiralty as to
Sims" Byrnes said. But nothing
this hyphenated politician can say
will add or detract to the glory of the
British people"