New-York tribune., 1920-10-11
A Real Fleet in the Pacific

A Real Fleet in the Pacific
1t is wrong to criticize and find
fault without suggesting a remedy.
Our navy was never so disrupted,
unready for war and helpless as to-
day, after seven years Of Josephus
Daniels and his handling of the
navy for political ends. After
March a, under a Republican Ad-
ministration, many things can be
done to rehabilitate morale and re-
store the old efficiency. What can
be done Immediately to minimize
the present peril?
The answer is simple: The United
States should have one real COM
plete fighting fleet to-day ready in
all respects for battle, and that fleet
should be in the Pacifc-nowhere
else
If the Secretary of the Navy had
any conception of the duty Of the
hour or if he would permit the Of
ficers Of the Navy Department, the
General Board, the Naval War Col
loge-anybody who really knows
anything except how to run the
navy for politics-to outline a pol
icy for the conditions that exist in
the world and in our navy to-day,
we could have fighting fleet in in
slant readiness for war.
TO accomplish this the available
personnel, skilled men and officers,
should be modified at once on
board a squadron Of dreadnoughts
stronger than that Of any nation with
which we might by any chance go to
war. With this battle line there
should be sufficient fotillas of oar
most modern destroyers, most up
to-date submarines aud most neces-
sary auxiliary vessels o make a
ncll-rounded fleet. And this feet
should also be provided with an
adequate force Of aircraft, with
bombing force and a mine force.
All our naval resources of mate
rial, officers and men should first
be utilized to this end. All other
vessels Of the navy should be placed
out of commission to economize
! personnel. AS fast as recruits,
skilled men and officers may become
available, additional ships with full
crc70s should Join the fighting
force. IN this way we could gradu-
ally man the whole navy if neccs-
sary and we would have at all times
one fleet ready for war.
There has been an Improvement
in recruiting OF late, but the re-
cruits are mostly very young and
very green. The navy is still about
10000 men short. Many thousands
OF the skilled men and many of the
brightest officers have left the navy
in DISGUST. They cannot endure the
conditions that have resulted from
Daniels S personal and political poll
cles: For this reason not q ship IN
the Macy is ready for battle to-day.
Not single division of the fighting
feet is ready for war-not one
This statement is made with full
knowledge Ct the facts and in de-
ance Of contradiction. The simple
truth IS that the few ships that have
full crews have insufficient trained
men to go into battle. They are
now, and will be, unfit to fight for
months. The two fleets have had
no maneuvers to speak of for more
than a year. They have been
helpless.
Of course, Mr.. Daniels has tried
to make the people believe that the
navy was never so powerful as it is
to-day. In truth it has never been
SO helpless. The people Of the
United States have been deliberate
~ deceived. Unfortunately few
naval officers, in their mistaken and
more or less subservient attitude
toward Mr.. Daniels, have helped him
to suppress the real facts. But
foreign naval officers know the
truth perfectly we'll They are fully
informed. They al'cays k-now more
aoo"t onr ncpy than ON. people do, /
because during the last seven wears
the truth has been suppressed at
home.
A great majority of the officers
of the navy are doing their duty |
They always do. They are now
holding on to the fragments with
one hope, that the 4th of next
March will see an end of the blight
OF MIR. Daniels's rule. They are
praying that politics and personal
pettiness may be banished from the