Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1919-1980, 1920-06-26
Daniels Is
TargetFor
Naval Man

washington, June 26.-The s.ms-
Daniels row over the navy's conduct
If the war revived today with the pub
,;cation of a letter from Rear Admiral
BENTON C. Decker, commandant of the
seventh naval district. Florida, in
which he charges that Secretary Dan
ials in his testimony before the senate
Investigating committee Intentionally
and deliberately" miSrepresented GER
,ain acts of Rear Admirals Sims, Fuil-
am and Fiske.
The letter, dated June IT, and ad-
dressed to Chairman Hale of the COM
mittee was published in the Army and
NAVY register, a service magazine. Ad-
miral Decker said he also had sent
COPY of it to Secretary Daniels.
Decker Once Removed.
Admiral Decker formerly was naval
attache at Madrid but was removed
during the war. Secretary Daniels has
etated that his removal followed rep
resentations from Ambassador Willard
10 the state department that he was
encroaching on diplma,ic functions In
his activities there.
The admiral declared in his letter
that from my personal knowledge of
Mr.. Daniels character, am led to be-
,ieye that whatever is cited in hvs
statements to the discredit of the Of
ficers is SO perverted and twisted as to
give the actual facts false meaning"
ut is probable and more likely" Ad-
miral Deckers letter said, that If
these officers had bowed down and
had served the gods that Mr.. Daniels
worshipped they would today have
been fattening on the navy as COM
manders of fleets on active duty or III
pleasant jobs in Washington. To me.
as to other kigh officers of the navy
it has come that if we would bow
down and do the wishes of Mr.. Daniels
we would receive the rewards therefor
.--intimations that come by circuitous
routes and underhand, sneaking ways, |
SO that no one can take hold of them !,
Charges Spite Work.
MY explanation of the incidents set |
forth by Mr.. Daniels is based upon my |
personal experience with him. This
explanation is that Mr.. Daniels found
these officers would not follow him to
the limit of demoralizing and degrad-
ing the navy; that, even though they
honestly desired the rewards and pro-
motion of their career which all hon
orable men reasonably desire, they
were not willing to sacrifice their char
acter, their manhood and their coun-
try. And as q result Mr.. Daniels. de-
tern,insa to break them by the use OF
all the power Of his high office, by the
use of the power of .ridicule, sarcasm
and half truths, that as a newspaper
man he has learned how to use so
skilfully by the use of strength of pub
licity secured through his newspaper
connections, all the weapons which
Prussianism usedto destroy it's enc
mics, and autocracy has used through
the ages to maintain it's power.
Defends Other Officers.
In all opinion all credit is due "a
these men that they have fought unto
the end and upheld the standard OIL
uprightness, loyalty to country, SELF t
sacrifice. hard work and gentlemanly
conduct, attributes that the ideal navat ,
officer has always reverred.
II have no desire in this letter to
bring out my personal experiences
with Mr. Daniels but he knows of them
and he knows, if he knows the differ
ence between right and wrong, that he
a BEEN dishonest; that he has been
autocratic: that he has abused his
power; that he has done all this for
unworthy motives" l.