The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1921-06-22
OFFICIAL ORGANS VIEW
OF SIMS CONTROVERSY
National Republican of Washington
Ventures Some Csustic Crit
icism of Rear Admiral

'S'S''i W hSaf TNhtHlTdt
Admiral Sims has been long enough
in the navy to understand the impro.
priety OF his recent utterances. More
over his rebuke on account OF political
pronunciamentos by President Taft
must have been sufficiently fresh in
remembrance to leave him in no doubt
as to the furore his discussion of Brit
ish national and international affairs
would arouse. There is some reason
for believeing that Admiral Sims de.
liberately weighed the consequences of
his performance and soughta quarrel
with his government. When the polit
ical bug" gets hold of a general or
admiral Of the regular estab ishment,
the effect is usually distressing.
Some anti administration politicians,
notably Senator Pat Harrison. of
Mississippi, profess to believe that it
was as much an improperly for Am
bassador Harvey to discuss the Lea
que of Nations and Americas part in
ii, as for Admiral Sims to attempt to
commit this country to certain interna-
tional relationships and domestic poll
cies of the British empire. What
politicians OF the Harrison type fail
to understand is that Mr. Harvey is
of the United States government at
the Court of St James Moreover in
what Mr. Harvey said recently, he
spoke Tor the American people, vote
ing the sentiments to which they gave
emphatic expression at the end of a
contest in which Senator Harrison had
charge of the Democratic national
speaking campaign.
Speech lniudiclous
The injud cious and Incorporate
speech of Admiral Sims has done i'm
measurable harm even to the cause in
behalf of which he spoke. He was
speaking, as he said, as the British
admiral of the American navy Walv-
ing the question of the propriety of
any American admiral occupying so
equivocal a position,of being pro-
anything but pro-American, his utter.
ances have served to make more bitter
and more menacing than ever the Eng
IIish-Iri n controversy, not only here,
but in the British Isles.
European factionalism is a thorough
" undesirable cement in American
politics and public affairs, whether
that factionalism be prd-lrish, pro
English or pro anything else. There
is room in the heart of thorough going
Amer. canism for only one national
allegiance, and that is al egiance to
| the United States What is an i'm
propriety with a citizen becomes an
ofense against official good taste and
genuine patriotism in an officer OF
American navy. The outbreaks OF
Admiral Sims are particularly OBJ
iectionable because he was born to an
alien allegiance. and his propaganda
bears the stamp Of hyphenism which
the people of this country have de-
term ned to stamp out.
Incidents of this kind remind us
anew OF the wisdom of the Washing
ton policy Of nonentang ement in
European affairs. The bitterness OF
these European controversies has
aga.n been evidenced in the violent
. ulStQSNlOll W II = II sslS AhAiON GU tAAN 80
lection Of the issue into American
politics by the speech of Admiral Sims.
We have troubles enough of our own
to look after in the United States, We
have our own race problem, our own
economic problems. and their solution
will tax al the ability our stateman'
shin is able to muster.
/ U. S. No Nations Partner
4 Admiral Sims is absolute Y wrong in
his assumption that this country is go
ing into partnership with any other
nation Tor the control of the rest of
the world. The United States will be
friendly to other powers in proportion
as they are friendly to this country
and back Their words by deeds. II
was George Washington who warned
his countrymen that there is no such
thing as disinterested friendship be
tween nations. that every European
power is guided by se'f interest. that
the friend OF today may be the foe
of tomorrow, and vice versa, and that
the foreign factionalist is one of the
most dangerous elements in our poll
tics, threatening the interests ant
even the safety of the nation Ma
1 Nrorl,fpCtnp n