The Washington times., 1921-09-04
little NAVY
LOSESF|GHT To
| KEEP ENTITY
Lfe-Saving Section Eventually
to Become Part Of Commerce
Dept. Lighthouse Service.

fight 70 prevent digestion by our big
navy. The table Is all set for the
absorption of the little morsel, need
ing only the signal from the Presi-
dent This consolidation Of small
branch with larger similar depart
rnent Is to be the prologue to the
administrative drama Of mergers
and transfers In the executive ac-
tivities.
The coast guard has the center Of
the stage In the prologue because
Secretary Mellon has cast it adrift
as ano child of the Treasury Depart
ment." Then the forceful G. G..
Dawes, director Of the budget, sim
ply couldn't figure q budget to cover
q branch cut from its old moorings,
and he asked the President for the
answer. Chairman Brown, Of the
legislative reorganization committee,
fixed his binoculars on 1t and told
his conferees here was a good start,
as he figured 1t would be easy to
float the ".derelict" down and tie 1t
up securely at Secretary Denby's
permanent station.
Blocked Ten Days Ago.
Everything was set to shove off to
the rescue ten days ago under execu-
tive order. when the news leaked and
q halt was called on the expedition.
The Life-Saving Service. with It's 273
stations dotting the coasts and the
Great Lakes, having representation
in nearly al many Congressional dis.
tricts. started the opposition machin.
cry. and the President has been hear
ing from the home folks to the effect
that "this great service must not
die, "the Coast Guard with It's Life.
Saving Service must not suffer di.
gestion by the navy" and things like
that.
The President is patient and court.
eous and he Is halting to listen in q
respectful attitude; but that is all, for
when he has bowed out the last Of the
and he win sign the executive order,
declaring that In the interests OF
economy and efficiency the United
States Coast Guard win hereafter be
operated under the Navy Department.
He has that authority In law and he
does not intend to delegate It. or wait
the hazard Of delay while the reor-
ganixation committee gets into posi-.
ton to act. Eventually the Life-Sav-
the Navy to the, Department Of Com.
merce and form part Of the Light
house Service, both being on q civilian
status. ..
Fought rs Navy Unit.
The Coast Guard. since 1t was estab-
iished in 1880. six years prior to the
organization Of the regular navy. from
its start as the Revenue Cutter Serv.
ice. has been on q military status, and
II has fought In every war except the
war with Tripoli as a part Of the navy.
Its officers and men have similar
rank and pay an the navy, Of which
1t automatically becomes a part in
time Of emergency. Convictions that
its duties could better be- performed
from 1896 to the present, fifteen At
tempts have been made to induce Con-
gress to amalgalnate it with the navy.
1t has not only been q busy little
fighting force against our enemies, but
for itself. successfully turning the
scales against merger schemes. But
In 1920. when representations to Con-
gress were made by the shipping in
terests of all coast sand the Great
lakes for the greatest protection the
Government could give, 1t was evi-
dent that arguments for the continued
life Of the little navy" were weaken
ing. The ship owners Were frank.
They said that . good portion Of the
new merchant fleet, built hastily
during the emergency under Govern
ment expense was not up to the ira
ditional efficiency Of American-built
shipping. An unusually large proper.
ton Of tonnage under the American
flag. they declared, Is deficient either
In construction OF hull or Of ma
chinery. Such being fact, the ship
owners merely asked II the Govern
ment was willing to take the RESPOND
bility with the meager life-saving re-
sources of the coast guard.
Congress Indifferent. ....
Congress didn't act, but it became
indifferent to maintenance Of coast
guard independence, and the reorgani-
ration committee months ago allowed
II to become known that one OF its
convictions was that the little
navy" place was under the wing of
the big navy. There II will be vel
coined for officers and men OF its old
revenue-cutter activities In the world
war, as in all wars, showed they were
Of the navy and followed navy ira
dition. And under the navy it will have
wider scope and greater equipment
for carrying out regular and system
attic assistance to the mercantile mar.
ine ON all coasts and the insular pos
sessions, for the Arctic patrols, and
for alleviating distress as II did in
Alaska In fighting the ravages OF in
fluenza which practically wiped out
the population Of the northern region.
In the warld war the coast guard
was really at the jump-off, and on
April 6, 1917. the day war on Germany
was declared, its ships seized five
enemy vessels at New Orleans, one at
New London, Conn, and another at
san Juan, Porto Rico. Six cruising
cutters were dispatched to overseas
duty with the navy, the Algonquin,
Manning. ossipee. Seneca, Tampa, and
Yanacraw. Based on Gibraltar these
ships were engaged In escort of con-
voys through submarine infested
waters and made remarkable records.
on the night OF September 70, 1918.
slA Ia ar,ara xrna destrnYed by An enemY