Omaha daily bee., 1921-02-28
DENLY Accepts
Appointment in
.]|l;'' Harding Cabinet
World War Veteran Pledges
Himself to Keep Naval Fight
ing Machine Ready for Bat
tie at Moments Notice.

ST. Augustine, Feb. 27--Edwin
DENLY, gunners. mate in Simpsons 5
fleet and sergeant OF marines in
the war, accepted the portfolio OF
navy. with a, pledge to maintain the
naval fighting machine at "the high
est peak of power, ready for battle
at any notice. ..
As his assistant he will have. Iheo-
dore Roosevelt. IT,, son OF the forner
president, and lie will begin his adj
ministration under policy that calls
Tor adherence TO the present naval
building prSgram until the nations
may be brought into definite agree
ment to reduce armaments.
Mr. Harding will leave tomorrow
night for Marion, where his neigh
bors will give him a farewell cele
bration Tuesday. He expects to
reach Washington, Thursday, the
day before inaus uration.
Confirmation Of Mr.. Denby's Sc
lection followed conference in
which he laid before the president
elect his opinion OF what the next
administration should do. Afterward
he would not discuss detailed pol
icies.
Unusual Naval Experience.
Although he came into the cabinet
! at the last minute as dark horse,
Mr.. DENLY brings to the secretary
ship an unusual background of naval
experience. Besides having been an
enlisted pan i'll wartime in both the
navy and the marine corps. he has
served as a merfiber Of the house
naval committee and has gained
through close contact. a knowledge
OF conditions beyound the insular
possessions in the Pacific.
\ In response to questions about the
naval policy of the present .admnis-
tr; ion. the secretary-to-b only
smiled and shook his head. He did
take occasion, however, to declare
his unqualified approval of the anti,
wine order of Secretary Daniels.
For Mr. Daniels, he expressed
highest regard and one of his first
acts as secretary-designate was to
send telegram to the Navy depart
'ment head, thanking him for past
courtesies.. Going to telegraph
stand in the hotel. he scribbIed the
following in lead pencil:
Uave read with great pleasure
your kind reference to me in the
press. Please accept my cordial
thanks. shall see you in Washing
ton in day or two | hope
The meeting will not be the first
between the retiring secretary and his
successor. During the war when Mr..
Denby was serving at the age of
4S. as marine sergeant. he broke
a regulation and went to Mr.. Daniels
in an effort to smooth some troubles
of the men sewing with him.
The secretary might have court
martialed me- he said, but he did
not"
Was Under Fire.
Most of1he prospective secretary's
service with the marines was in the
morale department, though he was
sent abroad for brief period as OBJ
server and was under fire on the
American front. Before the war end
cd he had risen from private to sec
ond lieutenant, serving with the lat,
ter rank as morale officer at the
Paris Island training station.
Mr.. DENLY, who is lawyer by
profession, comes of fighting stock.
an uncle and grandfather having
served as officers in the American
navy. His father, a democrat until
he refused to support w. J. Bryan
in 1896, was American minister to
China under Cleveland. Young Den
by accompanied him and spent nine
years in the far east. He was in the
navy throughout the Spanish-Ameri-
can war and as a gunner's mate,
participated in the blockade of
Havana
Mr.. Rooseyelt's appointment as
assistant secretary. also-ialls i'll with
family tradition, his father having
first come TO national fame while oc-
cupying that post and his cousin.
Franklin ID. Roosevelt, having filed
it until he resigned to accept the
democratic domination for the vice
presidency Mr., Roosevelt also is
veteran OF the world war, having
served as a lieutenant colonel in
France. He is 50 years old and Z
member OF the New York assembly.