South Bend news-times., 1921-05-18

Nal. dc not take credit or blame
whichever way you look az II, for
thief act that this order making the
navy dry accelerated the coming OF
national prohibition. but II is a sat
isfaction 10 me that IL did not deter
o.
The order did not make me as
popular in the navy as IL deserved
90 do. knew. Of course. was tax
ing a course which would contra
venue tradition. And 20 not a few
older officers tradition IS sacred.
More than that. I knew excellent
/ officers would resent II because they
believed IL would improperly con-
vey an impression that drinking was
/ so general in the navy that such an
order was necessary 10 insure So
briefly and efficiency.
OF course. drinking 20 excess was
rare and my only hesitation about
/ issuing the order was the reflection
that IL might convey such mis-
/ leading impression 10 the public.
/ Victory over ArmOr Plate Makers.
/ But the greatest sin / committed,
]
I continued, organized and well-oiled
criticisms which never let up except
\ during the war, was my successful
/ contest with the steel companies and
powder concerns which made armor
plate and projeCtiles and smOkeless
powder and other munitions for the
navy.
I found upon examination that all
/ three Of the armor plate plants. by
/ some hypnotic method beyond my
I understanding. bid exactly the same
price 10 a cent when bids were asked
\ for armOr plate. I found they had
sold armor plate to Russia for less
than they charged TO the American
navy. l became convinced that
there later came into existence an
understanding that manufacturers
of armor at home or abroad would
not compete; that our navy was be-
ing charged a price that had little
relation to the cost Of production
and that competition was a sham.
In smokeless powder 1 found the
navy could manufacture it for 35
cents and that the powder trust was
charging the navy SO cents per
pound for it. I found that some
years before, under the dynamic ad-
vOcacy Of Sen. Tillman, congress had
appropriated money and authorized
| the erection Of an armOr plate plant,
but that the word provided" had
by some means or other defeated
the congressional intent for the
government TO make its own armor
and free itself from monopoly
prices.
Great Is Diana of the Ephcsians!''
What was my duty? First to give
congress and the American people
the facts. IL was done, and as re-
suit congress gave the money early
in my administration to enlarge the
smokeless powder plant and later to
construct a plant in which armOr for
our ships could be made.
But the last was obtainable after
the hardest and most bitter fight
had during my eight years term.
Certain manufacturers OF armor
plate. thinking they would lose their
part OF the monopoly in business and
i'm price, initiated the silversmiths of
Ephesus. who. when Paul endanger-
ed their craft by preaching the true
doctrine. cried out for the space of
hours. Great is Diana of the Ephe-
siansl"
There was no such noisy demon
stration at Washington, but those
armor plate makers bought up space
in all the newspapers and. for weeks.
in frenzied appeals and criticisms Of
I the secretary of the navy. sought to
prevent the armOr plant apprOpria-
tion. AS a matter of fact. without
my knowledge, because while in
Washington 1 did not manage my
paper. + found that the Raleigh
News and Observer was printing
those advertisements telling what an
awful fellow I was to interfere with
the tripartite method of "all Gaul is
divided into three parts practiced
by the makers of armor plate. 1T
was a shame to take the money"
The objectionable Sin.
won the fight in the year before
war was declared. But 1 had com
mitted the objectionable sin in the
trust circle, and their sycophants
addressed themselves to the delect-
able task of trying to prove that a
country editor was running the navy
But they never referred 10 the ar
NOR plate plant or their defeat in
that contest
That is not the plan the monopo-
listic interests adopt when they wish
TO get even with a public officia
who denies them a back-door en-
trance or a special privilege. 1t i.
something else that he has done
wrong. They are past masters in the
are of camouflage when they wish
/ TO direct public opinion. 1 coulC
trace the source and inspiration ot
the creased and well directed shaft!
appearing in periodicals not knowr
TO be controlled by "the interests.
And it kept up until in the aciC
. test Of war the navy did its grea
!. job so wei that results silenceC
, criticism. And. 1 am happy TO say
in the world war some of the meT
who had inspired the attacks dur
the congressional fight. when th'
country rose above interest, served
their country faithfully and forgo
all else. and enemies of 1919 anC
1917-1S all worked together as com
rades and co-workers and becam,
friends in our genuine Americanism
ODo % tho host nroduCts Of was yVal