Watauga Democrat. [volume] (Boone, Watauga County, N.C.) 1888-current, 1921-06-23
Admiral Sims Stirs Up Hornets
; Nest by His London Speech
About the Irish.
SECRETARY OF Navy ACTS
Mexico Told She Must Sign Treaty to
, Obtain Recoenition-Pueblo Ris-
Ing From Flood Disaster
I New Parliament of North
ern ireland Meets.
BY EDWARD W. PIcKARD.

BY EDWARD w. PlckARD.
Some of our eminent Americans
have a positive genius for saying the
wrong thing when they are abroad.
Closfg following the extraordinarily
tactl utterances of Ambassador
Harvey In his first address in London
comes the speech of Admiral Sims at
a meeting of the English Speaking
union in the British metropolis. He
is quoted in the press as saying:
II do not want to touch on the
Irish question, for l know nothing
about 1t. But there are many In our
country who technically are Amer.-
cans, some of them naturalized and
some born there, hut none of them
Americans at all. They are Americans
when they want money, but Sim
Feiners when on the platform. They
are making war on America today.
The simple truth of it is that they
have the blood of the British and
American boys on their hands for the
Instructions they placed in the way
Of the most effective operation of the
allied naval forces during the war.
They are like zebras, either black
horses with white stripes or white
horses with black stripes. But we
know they are not hOrses-they are
asses. But each of these asses has a
vote and there are lots of them"
OF course the numerous friends of
"free Ireland in the United States
we're enraged by these words, and
Senator Medill Mccormick Of Illinois
went to the front promptly, denOunc-
ing the admiral's speech as "repre-
hensible and disgusting" He called
the attention Of Secretary of the Navy
DENLY to the address and asked that
Sims be disciplined if it developed
that he had been correctly quoted.
Without bOthering the President
with the affair, Secretary DENLY
cabled to Admiral Sims the substance
of the press reports and ordered him
to inform the department Immediately
whether or not he had used the Ian.
guage attributed to him.
The senate, taking to itself some
of the admiral's harsh expressions,
unanimously adopted resolution or
dering the naval affairs committee to
make thorough investigation of the
matter.
Forecasting his reply to Secretary
DENLY, Admiral Sims declared he
would not repudiate single word Of
his speech.
No doubt both Ambassador Harvey
and Admiral Sims thought they were
engaged in the laudable task of main
tanning and enhancing the amicable
relations between the two great Eng
lish speaking nations; but if they had
wisdom comparable with their years
and experience they would have
known that utterances like theirs al.
ways injure rather than aid that
cause. On the ether hand, 1t is unde-
niably true that the efforts of cheap
American politicians to entangle this
country in the Irish controversy are
disgusting to millions Of American
citizens.
OF prime Importance in the news of
the week was the announcement by
Secretary Hughes of the administra-
tion's policy in dealing with Mexico.
In sentence, this is that, If Mexico
desires to obtain recognition by the
United States, she must enter into a
treaty of amity and commerce that
has been presented to President Obre-
gon and in which she will guarantee
American property rights within Mex
lean territory against contiscation.
Says Mr.. Hughes: Mexico Is free to
adopt any policy which she pleases
with respect to her public lands, but
she is not free to destroy without com
pensation valid titlM which hsvs
been obtained by American citizens
under Mexican laws. A contiscatlon
policy strikes not only at the interests
If particular individuals but al tne
foundations of international inter.
course, for 1t Is only on the basis o.
the security Of property validly pos
sessed under the laws existing at the
time of its acquisition that CONNER
cisl transactions between the peoples
of two countries and the conduct OF
activities in helpful cooperation are
possible.
This question is vital because o'
the provisions inserted in the Mexl'
can. constitution promulgated in lsl7
If these provisions are to be put inte
effect retroactiyely, the properties Q!