New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1921-06-25
Il Spilled Beans and Got
What Was Coming, y
Admiral Admits With a
Smile, After Rebuke
Secretary Calls
Speech Improper
ssDidn't Know 1T Was
Loaded Says Author
of ss.Jackass'' Utterance

By Carter Field

WASHINGTON, June 24.-A pub
lie reprimand was the punishment
meted out to-day to Vice-Admiral
William S. Sims for his now famous
"jackass" speech attacking the Sim
Fem in Ireland and America, deliv-
cred in London before the English
Speaking Union, on June z.
The text of the reprimand seems
to attach more Importance to the
delivery of the speech Gin foreign
country" than to what was said.
Within an hour after the delivery
of the reprimand by letter at Ad-
miral Sims's hotel, the officer was
received cordially at the White
House by President Harding.
Courtesy called merely for his
leaving his card at the White House.
Actually, without sending for the
Admiral, which might have indicated
desire on the part of the President
personally to admonish him in addi-
tion to the Denby reprimand, the
President let it be known that he
would be glad to see him when h.
came by to leave his card and an
appointment was made for the Adj
miral at 80 o'clock.
President Is Cordial
Every indication at the White
House, including the greeting given
the Admiral on his arrival and de-
parture, gave the impression that
the President is in no way disturbed
over the Admirals speech and holds
nothing against him. The Admiral
and Mrs. Sims departed for Newport
early tonight.
Admiral Sims took the reprimand
gallantly. He said:
eyes, spilled the beans and got
what was coming to me. I didn't
know it This speechI was loaded as
much as it was"
The White House visit was really
the only surprise in to-day's events.
1t had been realized that Secretary
Denby was only too eager to close the
incident, and also that no punishment
more severe than reprimand would
be nleted out.
There had been no justification for
the hope on the part of some of those
angered by Admiral Sims's outspoken
criticisms of the Sinn Fein that he
would be punished by being transferred
from his present president
of the War College at Newport This
is regarded, incidentally, as one of the
Text of the Reprimand
The text of Secretary Denby's repri-
mand follows:
"On June. 8, 1921, there appeared in
the public press throughout the country
report of certain statements alleged to
have been made by you on the occasion
OF luncheon given III London on the
previous day at which you were the
guest of the English-Speaking Union.
| "These public statements. if cor
rectly reported, dealt with matters
which probably should be the subject
/ for comment by no high govern
mental official other than one to whom
the care OF our foreign policy is in
trusted.
"Your letter of June %, in which you
! furnish the department with an abb
stract of the speech delivered by You
on the occasion in question, confirms in
essential points the aforesaid press re-
1 ports and shows that on public oc-
casion in a foreign country you gave
utterance to the following statements:
" 1 do not want to touch on the Irish
| question, for | know nothing about it
and have not run across anybody in
/ England who does. But there ars
some people in our country who tech
nically are Americans, some of them
naturalized and some native-born but
some of them are not really Americans
at all. Some of these people are now
trying to destroy the good relations
between our two countries. They are
Americans when they want money, but
Sim Feiners when on the platform.
Repeats "Jackass" Phrase
They are enemies of ours aysd yours.
They are like the zebra-either white
horses with black stripes or black
horses with white stripes. We know
| that they are Eot horses. And some
people think they are asses, But each
one of these asses had vote aud it L
one of the Inconvenience of a repub-
lican form of government that Ameri-
can-born citizens thought it necessary
TO cater to these votes. This neces-
4 sarily created wrong impression on
this side as to the sentiments of the
great body of Americans, but the peo-
i pie of Great Britain know how much
confidence to place in resolutions which
are forced by these jackass votes.
Eleven years ago ] made prophecy
which came true. / will venture an
other now. I believe / shall live to
3 see the day when the English speaking
peoples of the world will come tcgeshep
IN bonds Of comradeship, and il they
4 do they viii be able to run this round
globe. Personally, believe shall live
to see an inter-English speaking policy,