Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1920-05-18
DANIELS CHARGES GENERAL STAFF PLAN
 PRly'SSIhN!zFS NAVY
Would Make Secretary Rubber Stamp, He
 Alleges

Washington, May 17.-Secretary Daniels today let go verbal broad side against the advocates of gen erall staff for the navy, declaring that they sought to "Prussianize" the navy department and make the civil an secretary "rubber stamp" He told ] the senate committee Investigating i the navv's conduct of the war that "one of Rear Admiral Sims chief ob- Ject in writing his letter of January ! ' and bringing about this investga- tion was to curtail the powers of the secretary and remove the navy. so far as possible, from civilian con- trol."
 Running like a thread through most of the evidence that has been given before the committee, has been advocacy of the general staff for the conduct of the American navy and elimination of civilian control" said MT Daniels. "Some of the officers have frankly avowed their advocacy of Prussianizing the navy
 About the only piece of advice former Secretary von L. Never cave him when he succeeded him, MT. Dan- iels asserted, was the admonition that there were officers in the navy who wished less power for the civilian secretary and more for themselves.
 "Power lies here" Mr. Daniels said Meyer told him as he pointde to the secretary's desk, land it should re- main here"
 He did not fully understand what his predecessor meant until a few 1,@ @a,, A y..1. I other disciples of the von Tirpitz system of naval control, sought to organize the American navy on the Prussian plan," Secretary Daniels said.
 Rear Admiral Sims original charg- es against the navy department show ed hostility toward certain officers and desire to damage the ranking officers who directed naval operations during the war, the naval secretary has shown desire to discredit the net rubber stamp secretary"
 Would Go To Pecple
 If congress wished to depart from the traditional American policy" of civilian control of the navy, it should do so directly and clearly without pretense, said MT. Daniels, by mak ing an admiral secretary to the navy and member of the Presidents cab inet The most arden advocates of the general staff systetm had not ad vocated going so far. however, be- cause they wished to keep a "rubberI stamp" civilian as a figurehead in the secretary's office, he declared.
 Tho vrifnacc uuOfad from ranOrt and writing of other naval secreta- ries to show, he said, that they too struggled against substitution of the general staff system.
 eff congress believes that civilian control is great evil" said MT. Dan iels, eff it believes that the policy which has prevailed since the founda- tion of our government should be re- versed and that the navy should be removed from civilian control, let iti follow Sims lead, create general staff on the German model and name some von Tirpitz to rule the navy. Let us have no camouflage in it.. Abolish the position of secretary oil the navy or provide that some adm'- ral shall fill that post with a seat in' the presidents cabinet. That would be the frank and open way to do 1t rather than to put some Sims in con trol of the navy. with nominal secretary as his clerk, messenger boy and rubber stamp.
 eff this committee desires to raise that issue, I am perfectly willing to go to congress and the country with it, and let the American people and their chhosen representatives make the decision"