The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-05-18
SIMS DESIRED ID PRUSS|ANZE NAVY.
 CHARGES DANIELS
Says Evidence Shows Ad- miral Tried to Misrepre- sent Secretary Because He Was Not Rubber
 Stamp
By Associated Press

1 Washington, May 17.-Desire ''to Prus.
 sianize the navy department" was
 ascribed by Secretary Daniels today as
 one of Rear Admiral sims underlying
 motives in criticising the departments conduct of the war. Thet Secretary, tes- tifying before the Senate Investigating committee, also charged that most of the testimony supporting Admiral Sims position was from officers who wished to remove civilian control of the navy department and make the Secretary a rubber stamp
 The original charge showed hostility to certain officers and desire to damage the ranking officers who directed the operations during the war" said MT. Daniels, speaking of Admiral sims criti- cal letter of January, ', "and the evi- dence has disclosed desire to nsisrepre- sent the Secretary of the Navy because he was not rubber stamp secretary. But deeper than egotism and prejudice you will find deep seated determina- tion to organize the navy department upon the approved Prussfan plan by giv- ing all power to the military and taking all away from the civilian"
 Mir. Daniels said if the committee de- sired to have the general staff issue brought up he was willing to go to the country with it. If Congress approved the plan, he declared, it would create general staff on the German model and name some Won Tirpitz to rule the navy make an admiral secretary and members of the cabinet and civilians in- eligible for the post, but should not put some Sims in control of the navy with a nominal civilian secretary as his clerk, messenger and rubber stamp"
 METHOD OF CAMOUFLAGE
 Most of those who advocate this radi- cal departure seek to camouflage thelr Prussian ideas,'' the Secretary said.
 "They say they do favor civilian sec retary and have no thought of naval officer for secretary. What they desire is a civilian rubber stamp secretary with no power except to draw his salary and sign here when the military chieftalns tell him where to affix his name.
 MT Daniels asserted that all recent secretaries had been confronted with a struggle to stop the navy under civilian control and quoted former Secretartes welles, Long and Meyer and former as sistant Secretary Darling to show the strenuous efforts they found necessary to put forth to Keep authority in the hands of the civilian secretary
 Mir Daniels related his relations with Rear Admirals Fisk and Fullam, retired, formerly his aides. Admiral Fiskc, asserted. ''iu combination witssfsix other subordinate officers in the department and member of Congress who was a former officer in the navy undertook "surreptitiously and secretly" to impose his ideas as to duties of the chief or naval operations.
 Admiral Fiske's surreptitious legisla- tion had it passed" the secretary added would have put an officer of the navy in position where he would. have had the power and authority of the Prussian chief of staff, Won Tirpitz, and the kaiser himself combined in one'
 Mr. Daniels devoted much of the day to a review of the work of the navy's supply system in the war and to an ex- tensive resume of the controversy thaI followed his famous order banishins liouors from the officers messes.