Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-01-19
Outbreak in Navy
Traced to Feud
Continued from PAGE One

TUCCU ~ n CflU
Continued from PAGE One
seven years service under Wilson. all
intense and devoted follower of Bryan.
He entered Office like many of the men
who conducted the war both here and
abroad pacitist. and fiske WinslOw-
who vas sort of Leonard Wood of the
navy-and Sims spelled miiitarism to the
Bryanite editor.
Moreover. Mr.. Daniels Is an intense
Democrat. carrying mis- belief in equality
OF men 10 extreme lengths. The group
he displaced in the navy might be de-
Srribed Ivy contrast. without being in
vidious. as aristocratS. They believed
That much of Daniels democracy in the
navy was Subvcrsive of discipline. and
they were able to show at one time Il
year or so before our entrance into the
war thGt Danieis's absorption in social
reforms had led to neglect Of the mate
rial condition Of the navy. neglect
which undoubtedly weakened our early
efforts in the war and led TO manv of
the conditions of which Admiral Sims
complains in his letter.
Benson Sought to Please Chief
Admiral Benson either had the Bry.
ante symparhicS. as Daniels belonged
70 the democratic instead OF the ariS
torrai ir faction Of the navy. or else
cultivated them to please his chief. \
little story illustrates:
It was proposed after our entrance
inr6 the war that the services of Ad-
miral Cameron WinS,ow. who was on
the retired list, be employed in a post
Of Importance. Daniels turned TO Ben
son. his chief adviser. Benson said
Il think Winslow is too much of Il
clubman.' That ended the matter for
thc time. Bcnson'S attitude on such
matters was exactly that of his chief.
Admiral Benson was the weakest of
DanieiS's navy chiefs. IS he was the
most important.
And tho success Of the Daniels ad.
mnistration during the war was the
result of other and ADLER mon surround
ing tho secretary, who il must b. ad-
mittcd was broad enough not to aSso-
riatc with himself entirely mon of the
Benson habit Of mind. In Assistant
Secretary Roosevelt. Mr.. Daniels had
an unusually able ard forccful assistant
with exceptional capacity for business,
who was rather frankly out Of sympathy
Nh his chief. Mr.. RooScvclt's asso-
riation vas naturally with the Sims
Winslow Fiskc group in the navy, be-
cause he found in these mon more
aggrcssiycuesS and efficiency than hc
found in tho Benson and Wiutcrhaltcrs.
Among the other men who contributed
much to make the navy an efficient or
ganiaatiou were Admirala Earl, Palmer
aud McGowau. two Of whom at least
belonged rather Ia the Pre- Daniels
group in the navy than TO tho Benson
clement.
Daniels Had Broad View
Tho strength of Nr. Daniels ia the
present controversy Is that he was broad
enough TO have abouL him men " no dis
agreed with him aS sharply as Assistant
Secretary Roosevelt and highly efficient
though not pro Daniels officers like
Earle and Palmet and McIiowan. On
the whole. especially upon its business
side, the navy was a highly ciiciont
organization. Som" say this was in
spite If tho secretary. Eut that view
includes one side Of Daniels, the side
which was uppcrmost at tho outset.
which saw in the navy post chiefly an
opportunity To- conduct n great Bryan
lie experiment. But if there was the
side that chose Benson. there was also
tho side that chose and kept Roosevelt.
Tho choice OF Sims for the European
post may have been due to the latter
side of the secrctary's character or il
may have been partly an accident. Sims
was not pro Daniels, be was moreover
a highly controversial person who haC
led orc big and successful fight within
the navy itself.
Ilc was, however, SeEt 70 EDglSnt
before our entrance into tho war anc
il may have been the intention origin
ally to give him only a diplomatic mis-
sion. Whatever the original plan wa'
his mission grew into command Of th'
American fleet in European waters. H.
ueycr became commander in chief. TIT
commander in chief was Admiral MAJ
in American waters.
This situation was probably dis
ag -cablc to Sims and it was doubtless
bad organization. The line of authnti''
ran from Sims to Mayo 10 Benson f.
Daniels. This put Sims with the fight;
ing job on his hands a long way OF
from tho place whore decision had t
the whole thing. And with the navy
that part of which knew what went
divided upon the Daniels policy unt
on the fitness of Benson, the sccrt
tary's chief adviser, all the facts ar
sure TO come out.
Politics Add Sideliglt
Another factor which has contrib
uted to the flaming up again of the OLE
trouble is the existence of RepUb
lican ma jority in the Senate. The anti
Daniels group iE the navy were natur
ally n Republican group whatever Uhci
personal party affiliations were, Tic;
owed their prominence to the Spanisl
war. as Wood and his associates il
the army did. and TO the experience o
Theodore Roosevelt in the navy en-
army during that war and his acquaint
ance with the personnel of both.
The senate naval affairs committe
numbers men like Senator Lodge, who's
associations are with the old rulin
group OF the navy; Senator .NewberIy
who was Secretary of the Navy. nnde
President Roosevelt. and the fgllowjr
close political associates OF the Colonel
m - Ag.(t..~n,tol @-I HoIo