Iron County news. [volume] (Hurley, Wis.) 1913-1950, 1920-05-15
DANIELS CALLS
SIMS INCAP ABLE
Secretary Says Admiral Lacked
Vision to See Task.
ACCEPTED THE BRITISH VIEW
Calls Him Pro. Enalish-DecIares He
6elittIed the U. S. Navy and Cow
eted Foreign Decorations
Nays Record Untouched.

NaVyS RECORD Untouched.
Washington, May 11.-SeeretarS
Daniels, before the senate investigat-
Ing committee. made his long-awaited
reply to the criticism of Rear Admiral
Sims of the navy's part in the war
The naval secretary let go a broad
side which includes charges that Sims
lacked vision, belittled the work of the
American navy in contrast to the Brit
lsh, coveted British decorations and
aspired TO become an honorary mem
Der of the British admiralty.
The testimony of other officers in
possession of frst-hand knowledge,
Secretary Daniels testified, should be
accepted by all open-minded men as
an absolute refutation of practically
all of Admiral Sims charges"
Sims, Secretary Daniels told the COM
mittee, did not measure up to ex-
pectations in various ways, of which
he mentioned six. as follows:
Accepted British Views"
'He lacked vision to see that a great
and new project to bar the submarines
from their hunting grounds should be
promptly adopted and carried out. no
matter what the cost or how radical
the departure from what utra-prudent
men regarded as impracticable
He seemed to accept the views of
the British admiralty as superior to
anything that would come from Amer
lea and urged those views even when
the navy department proposed plans
that proved more effective.
I'm public speeches and other ways
he gave a maximum of credit to Brit
iSh efforts and minimized what his
country was doing
WANTED British Honors."
He coveted British decorations and
seemed to place higher value on hon
ors given abroad than on honors that
could be conferred by the American
government.
He aSpired to become a member
of the British admiralty and wrote
complainingly when the American gov
eminent declined to permit him to
accept such tender by the king of
England
He placed protection of merchant
shipping as the main operation of our
forces abroad, falling to appreciate
mat the protection of transports car
rying troops 10 France was the para
mount naval duty until l felt impelled
to cable him peremptorily that such
was our main mission"
Regrets Promoting Sims.
Secretary Daniels testified that had
he known that in October, 1918, Sims
had made statements rejecting upon
the contributions of the United States
army and navy to winning the war to
members of congress visiting abroad
he would never have recommended his
promotion.
If | had known that he proposed,
under the permission granted him. to
tell the story of what the navy had
done OyreseaS, TO denounce the Irish
people as he did in his article In the
Worlds Work, the permission would
not have been granted" he said.
The investigating committee, Secre-
tary Daniels said, had been wearied and
the public nauseated with an abortive
attempt to ferret out the molehills If
mistakes and exaggerate them into
mountains, TO make a noble and nota-
bic accomplishment appear as the dim
and fading background of a frontis-
piece of comparatively unimpCrtant err
rors of judgment"
1.-THE navy's record in the war
stands untouched today and for all
time despite criticisms from within or
without" he said.
Sims Violated Trust.
The portion of Admiral Sims celeL-
rated letter that shocked the public
more than any other, Mr.. Daniels said.
was the statement that he had been
told at the navy department mot to