The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1920-05-17
RUBBER-STAMP
SECRETARY IS
WISH...DANIELS
Would Reduce Civilian To
Mere Nonetity Under Prus-
sian Plan of Uncontrolled
Power, Secretary Says.
ATTACKS SIMS AGAIN
tBy Associated Press)

WASHINGTON, May 17-Secretary
Daniels today let go a verbal broad
side against the advocates Of a gen
eral staff for the navy, declaring that
they sought to "Prussianize" the navy
department and make the civilian sec
retary a rubber stamp.
He told the senate committee in
vestigating the navy's conduct of the
war that lone OF Rear Admiral Sims
chief objects in writing his letter of
January and bringing about this in
vestigation was to curtail the power
Of the secretary and remove the navy,
80 far as possible from civilian con
troll
Running like a thread through most
of the evidence that has been given
before the committee has been advo-
cacy of the general staff for the CON
duct Of the American navy and elm
tnation of civilian control said MI
Daniels. Some of the officers have
frankly avowed their advocacy OF
PrussianiZing the ma
About the only piece of advice for
mer Secretary George Won l.. Meyer
gave him When he succeeded him, Mr.
Daniels asserted, vas the admoniuon
that there We're officers in the navy
who wished less power for the civilian
secretary and more for themselves.
Power Is in Secretary.
Power lies here" Mr.. Daniels says
Meyer told him as he pointed to the
secretary's desk, land it should re-
main here. He did not fully under
stand what his predecessor meant nm
til few months later, when admiral
Fiske and other disciples of the Won
Tirpitz system of naval control, sought
to organize the American navy on the
Prussian plan,' Secretary Daniels said.
Rear Admiral Sims original charges
against the navy department showed
hostility toward certain officers and
desire to damage the ranking officers
who directed naval operations during
the war, the naval secretary declared,
adding that "the evidence has shown
desire to discredit the secretary of
the navy because he was not rub
ber stamp" secretary.
If congress wished to depart from
The traditional American policy of
civilian control of the navy it should
do so directly and clearly and with
put pretense,' said Mr.. Daniels, by
making an admiral secretary of the
navy and a member of the presidents S
cabinet.
Wanted to Keep Starnp.
The most ardent advocates of the
general staff system had not advocat-
ed going so far. however, because they
wished to keep rubber stamp civilian
as igurehead in the seCretary's of
fee he declared. The witness quoted
reports and writing of other naval
secretaries to show, he said, that they
too struggled against substitution OF
the general staff system.
IF congress believes that civilian
control is a great evil said Mr.. Dan
iols, 'if it believes that the policy
which has prevailed since the founda-
ton. of the government should be re
Nersed and that the navy should be
removed from civilian control; let it
follow Simss lead, create a general
staff on the German model. and name
some Won Tirpitz to rule the navy
Let us have no camOuflage about it.
Abolish the position of secretary OF
the navy or provide that some admiral
shall fill the post with a seat in the
president S cabinet. That would be
the frank and open way to do it, rath.
cr than to pu5 some Sims in control
of the navy. Wi II a nominal secre
tary as his clerk, nlpssCn""r boy and
rubber stamp.
II this committee q, siroS 10 raise
that issue, | am perfectly willing tC
so to congress and the country Will
it. and let tho American people and
their chosen representatives make thc
IaricinD "