Norwich bulletin., 1920-03-08
Poor Judgment
 in Naval Awards
Senate Naval Comnittee Ma jority Report Arraigns Sec retary Daniels Minority Report Directs Attack Against Sims.

Washington, March 7.-The wrangle over awards to navy officers of war decorations drew nearer a conclu- sion tonight when Chairman Page of the senate naval committee made pub lie the trio of reports the investiga- tors Of the sum- committee produced.
 The three republican members join ed in the majority report, which sharply criticized Secretary Daniels in some respects; while the two dem ocrats submitted individual reports defending the. secretary's course and diTecting their attack, in turn, on Rear Admiral William s. Sims the most prominent figure in the contro- versy stirred up over navy medals and crosses.
 are unique. They agree on two points, that no permanent harm has come to naval morale as a result of the awards or the controversy and that enlisted ! men received too small share of recognition for their services. The majority report, signed by ] Senators Hale, Mccormick and Poin- detxer, arraigns MT. Daniels for not having fully advised officers as to his plans in making awards and asserts that his policy of decorating officers who lost ,ships would be detrimental i to the navy.
 Senator PittDan, in the first minor i ity report, characterizes the investiga- ton as tempest in a teapot" toe {, ridiculous to be mentioned i'll connec- | tion with the morale of a fighting navy.
 | In the second minority report Sena- tor Trammell declared flatly that navy morale had not been harmed as Ad- miral Sims had contended and as i serted that Mir. Daniels followed es- i tablished naval customs in changing | concentrations of his subordinates as those officers themselves had dont with proposals of their juniors.
 The majority report reached tht l following conclusions:
 That Secretary Daniels did not make known to the service his policy as tt awards, especially with regard to the l relative importance of duty on shore i and afioat.
 That the secretary did not ascer- tain from the officers who recommend. ed honors the relative order of meri and did not himself give sufficient consideration to that question. That Secretary Daniels did not re quire sufficiently high standard 0
 meritorious conduct in conferring tn,
 honors on offieers who lost ships.
 That the staJnte governing maya awards should be amended to avoit
 future controversy.
 In regard to. ...certaiu matters no
 directly connected with the question
 of awards" devA.pped during the hear
 ings, referring, to chayass as to lacl
 of full cooperation With the allied admiralties made by Admiral Sims | the report said that they were not a 1f-tlfse time within the province of tn committee.
 1 The majority report laid stress ol
 it's statement that no attempt hat been made to ascertain the order O merit among those recommended fo decorations. It added that the sign
 CTS believed commanding officers wer
 best able t6 gauge relative merit Senator Pittman conteaded that tn
 Investigation was unnecessary be
 cause the naval award matter was be
 ing re-il$ estigated by the Knight
 board by direction of Secretary Dan
 iels whe the investigating commute
 was appointed.
 Criticising Admiral Sims for hay
 ing made a special point of alleged in
 justice to six members of his staff
 Senator Pittman declared that tn
 award of distinguished service neda
 to Commander D. W. Bagley, Secre ! tary Daniels brOther-lT law. abCu
 whom much of the controversy cen
 tered, was justified. The senator al
 So assailed Admiral Sims conduct be
 fore the committee which he SC:
 would lead a cilivian to believe tha
 officer was deeply impressed wit l British policies and practices" an
 more familiar with British idea. customs and manners than with thoe
 of his own country"
 , Senator Ira rarr ell. democrat. Flori . da in separate report said that Sec retary Daniels in changing recon mendations made by commanding of } ficers and the Knight board was fo, , lowing established naval customs an the same policy was pursued by Ad miral Sims with regard to recon l nendations made to him. The report said those officers who's
 duty it was to initiate recommend
 ations were recreant in their duty iY
 solar as enlisted men were concnrne It added that TO difference Of opinic : existed between the majority of nav
 officers and Secretary Daniels regarC l ing the decoration of officers who lo = ships but performed heroic or mer e triOus service.
 = Senator TramnelI maintained tn c the morale of the navy remained III : injured.
 ,, CHEAPER CUTS WILL