The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-07-19
DANIELS ACCUSED
Scored for Methods in Getting
Newport Evidence.
Roosevelt, Also Charged, Ac-
euses Committee of Deceit.

Washington, July 19-Former Sec
rotary Daniels and Franklin D. Roose-
welt, former assistant secretary of the
navy. are denounced for the methods
used in investigating the wartime
scandal among enlisted men at the
Newport training station in majority
report of a senate Subcommittee made
public today.
The charges made by clergymen of
Newport, R. L. and the Providence
proven to the satisfaction of the COM
mittee. and both the clergy and the
Journal" says the report, observes
the thanks of the people at large"
At the same time today. Mr.. Roose-
welt, who was the Democratic candi-
date for vice president, issued state
ment declaring that Senators Ball, of
Delaware, and Reyes. OF New Hamp-
shire, the two Republicans who con-
stitute the. majority of the Investigate
ing committee. had issued their find
ings without giving him a hearing
after promising to do SO, which Mr..
Roosevelt. in his statement contended
shows premeditated and unfair pur-
pose of seeking what they mistakenly
believe to be a partisan political adj
vantage"
Senator King, of Utah, the Demo-
cratic member of the investigating
committee, will file minority report
| later.
Scandal Is Unprintable.
Most of the details Of the Newport
scandal, as it is disclosed in the in
Vestigation, are of an unprintable ma
ture. The cruX of the majority report
charges is that with the knowledge of
Daniels and Roosevelt enlisted men of
the navy were improperly used as
participants in immoral practices for
the purpose of securing evidence on
which to dismiss offenders from the
navy.
Mr.. Roosevelt, under whose office
the investigation was conducted. was
held by the majority to be morally
responsible" for the orders. The find
ings of a naval court martial which
investigated the scandal are intro
duced in the record for the first time.
1t held the action of Mr.. Roosevelt
unfortunate and ill-advised."
Secretary Daniels disapproved the
portion of the findings which con-
demned the method of investigation
and on that point the committee re-
port today says:
THE committee agrees that Frank
lin D. Roosevelt's action was not only
unfortunate and ill-advised,' but most
reprehensible and Mr.. Daniels's disap-
proval of this opinion of the court is
to be severely condemned"
Roosevelt Makes Denial.
Mr.. Roosevelt, in his statement, said
that at no time was the work of in
vestigating supervised by himself per-
sonally and that when in September,
1921, he and the acting chief of the
bureau of navigation were informed
that members of the investigating
squad had used highly improper and
revolving methods in getting evidence
immediate orders were sent out that
day to stop it"
THE insinuations that 1 must have
known that 1 supervised the opera
10 +. l.
said Mr.. Roosevelt's statement, ARE
nowhere supported by the evidence,
directly or indirectly
On that point, however, the ma
jority point findings of the investigat-
ing committee hold that Mr. Roosevelt
ternined the methods of the investi-
cation and that it is beyond the COM
prehension of the committee how the
methods TO be used could have been
entirely eliminated and forgotten at
the conference"
Others Are Named.
'It is probably true" says the ma
Secretary Daniels and Assistant Sec
rotary Roosevelt that they were not
Officially informed regarding acts
Of operators or detectives until later
Lieut.. E. n Hudson, of the medical
corps, who was in charge of the in
vestigation, the report says, Showed
utter lack of moral responsibility"
and should have been court martialed.
The naval personnel would be bene-
fitted" the report said, if the name of
Chief Machinists Mate Erwin Arnold,
Hudson'S assistant in the investiga
ton. were stricken from the roster
of the navy" The report notes that
no commissioned officer of the regu-
lar naval establishment was involved.
Mr.. Roosevelt, in his statement on the
majority report, summed up his reply
this way:
"Thruout their report I accuse
them of deliberate Justification of evil
dence, of perversion of facts, of mis-
statements of the record and of a
deliberate attempt to deceive"