The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-06-26
SIMS INCIDENT CLOSED DESPITE
 IRISH PROTESTS
Denby Has Professional and Personal Reasons for Washing Hands of
 Famous Case
Fly HUGH W. ROBERTS Washington Bureau The Age-Herald
 800 Davidson BuiIdinR

DOO Davidson Building
 Washington, June 25.-(Special)-- While a certain virle element in American politics, the Irish, which though normally democratic support Der. still insists that real punishment be inflicted on Admiral William 5. Sims, the so-called sims incident" Is closed.
 Secretary Denby intimated as much this afternoon to newspaper corres- pondents. He had taken this position over protest of certain pro-Irish members of Congress, and certain republican politicians. who would so play the game" as to make Irish allegiance to the G. o. r. perma- nent
 But Denby has professional and personal reasons for washing his hands of the case. The professional reason is that he believes that Sims has been punished severely enough. The personal reason is that he has just emerged from a situation as try ing as any other Secretary of the Navy has ever faced.
 It becomes officially known for the first time that the office of the Sec- retary of the Navy, since Sims de- | livered his speech in London, has been able to perform no other duty than open and read letters and tele- grams, bearing on the case, from thousands of people in practically every state of the union. The Irish, naturally, desired retraction from Sims to be followed by his demotion. And by the score, they so advised the secretary The anti-Irish or anti Catholic in America, also very popu- lous, have stressed their argument to the secretary that Sims made his speech in order stronger to cement the ties between the United States and the British empire
 Innumerable letters of such import ca me from Alabama, Georgia and Florida. where in the south anti Catholic organizations chiefly flour ish.
 Has Personal Reason Therefore as result of the dis tracted mind of the secretary, it IS obvious that he has a personal req son for marking with period the internationally famous episode. IL IS learned tnlS alttT1Oou thh' the Senate will very probably aban- don it's proposed investigation of the admiral, and that Congress will no longer insist that Ambassador liar vey be ordered to explain his sensa- tional utterances While the Presf- dent and the Secretary of State have carefully refrained from directly re- ferring to Harvey both have re- peatedly made statements repudiat- ing the Harvey declaration that the United States engaged in the World war in order Ito save it's own skim. Congress. 1t is indicated, will accept such statements as an indirect re- buke and permit the official closing of the Harvey incident"
 The newspaper correspondents or Washington who care nothing Tor the British or the Irish per SC, have just one complaint of the Sims conduct ] The admirals sole defense was the i press had misquoted him. That con tention so often restorted to by small discredited politicians, does. not ac- cord with the popular conception or the daring and impulsive Sims, ana Is entirely out of harmony with ms subsequent admission that he hau "spilled the beans and got what vas coming to him"
 Mrs. Lealxe's Letter As typical of letters from citizens of Birmingham came one to the Sec retary of the Navy last night from Mrs Mabel Ford Leake, an admirer 1 of Admiral Sims. Tn part, she wrote:
 Being an advocate of vo'cing our | appreciation of the efforts of the living rather than waiting to say 1t with calla lilies. I am writing to express my genuine appreciation or Admiral Sims London speech. "If there is a people on earth capable of dealing with the negro. 1 1t is the southern people. If there is a people capable of dealing with the Japanese in the United States. 1t 1 is the people of California. If there is people capable of dealing with the Irish, it is the English For they know them. And they know how certain part of the Emerald Isle has been getting medi- cine in allopathic doses from the Ro- man physician. and the nauseating ef- feet of such medicine.
 "So why should the United States allow the Sein Feiners to attempt to sever the cordial relations between the English speaking nations?
 "Wishing there was a replica or Admiral Sims in courage. honor ana dratory in every hamlet in the United States I am very truly,