Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-05-17
CRITICS RACED, BUT
SECRETARY DANIELS
WOULDN'T PASS BUCK
Continued from page I

What ~as my duty? First to give
con9rass and .Sa. American people the
tacta 1t was done, and as a result con-
gress gave the money early In my Rd-
miniatration\ ito enlarge tho srnokeless
powder plant> and later to construct
plant In which arrnor for our ships
could be made.
hut the last was obtained after the
hardest and most bitter fight l hao
during my eight years term Certain
manufacturers OF armor plate. thinking
they would lose their part OF the ~
nopoly In business and In price, imitat-
cd the silversmiths of Ephesus, who,
when Paul endangered their craft by
preaching the true doctrine, cried put
for the space of hours, Great is Diana
of the Ephesians."
There was no such noisy demonstra-
ton at Washington. but thpsef arnor
plate makers bought up space In all the
newspaper and for weeks, In frenzied
appeals and criticisms of the secretary
of the navy, sought to prevent the
/. armor plant appropriation. AS mat
ter of fact. without my knowledge pc
cause while in Washington l did not
manage my paper, 1 round ,hal tue
Raleigh News and Observer was print.
ing those advertisements telling what
an awf,,l fellow / was to interfere with
the tripartitc method of "au Gaui us
divided into three parts" practiced by
the makers of armor plate. 1T was
shame to take the money.
The UnpardonabIe Sin.
7 won she fight in the year before war
Was declared. But j had committed the
unpardonable sin in the trust circle. ana
their svcophants addressed, themselves
ia the delectable task of trying TO prove
that a country editor was running the
navy.
nm they never referred to the armor
nlate phnt or their defeat in that con-
That Is not the plan the monopolisuc
interests adopt when they wish 10 get
, even with a public official who denies
them a back-door entrance or specia'
privilege IL is something else that ne
has done wrong. They are past master
An The art Of camoufiage when they WISH
10 direct public opinion. couia tfaes
lhc source and inspiration OF the sreaseo
and we'll directed shafts appeariiis -
s,sr,oaicals not known TO be controlled
ly "the interests.
And II kept up until in the acid test
of war the navy did its great JOB SO
r-a,l. that results silenced criticism. Ano
81 am happy to say. in the forld war
some of the men who had inspired the
attacks during the congressional nghl
Nhcn country rose above interest sex hNeu
their country faithfully and forgot an
else. and enemies of 1914 and lslf-Is All
worked together as comrades ana CO.
workers and became friends, in our
uenuina Americanism. One OF the pes
nroaucts of war was their better under
standing.
Not All Criticism Selfish.
" is far from me TO seek to convey
the impression that all criticism CROWNS
out q the armor plate fight was m
sp;red by sell interests. Wouiu mo-
b-inu such an indictment against my
prcse ssion. There were editors so hluci
anposed TO government manufacture OF
anv,binr. even munitions of war. that
they fought il upon principle. But that
does not alter the fact that 'the inter-
.sts.. at one time including some Oil
and coal profiteers Joined the cry thaI
the secretary of the navy was destroy
ing the navy"
senate Investigation
The result of the long hearings oy the
senate naval affairs committee served
10 give me and the officers charged with
responsibility for the conduct OF the war
opportunity to place in permanent FORM
ny real achievements of the navy IN
war and its preparation in peace.
The result Of all the hearings, in that
xo-casled investigation, was TO strengthen
the American people in their conviction
that a great job had been done in a great
way, and If mistakes We're made lhey
were errors common to human lack OF
perfection. For myself, looking back
upon the airing of differences and grlev-
&In+ he
IeIls In detail the navy's story of magnifl-
cent contribution. 1t supplied facts and
ficures which / obtained from official
records and incorporated, from which
some able historian. unbiased by ambi-
ton or sharing grievances. or moved by
rartlsanship viii one day write story
which viii glow with the sacrifice and
service Of the eeo, 600 men who served in
the American navy in 1s17-1s-
Keeps Stream Fresh and Pure.
Not one time in the eight years did
permit my sense of the injustice OF mucn
criticism to cause me 20 lose sight OF
the truth that, in government Ike
ours. criticism is necessary to keep the
current fresh and pure From the sincere
criticism and even from captious critics
/ learned more than I can set down.
would in those days often ask myseh
the question: WAS / right?" or rs the
criticism just?" or How can better
policy strengthen the navy2"
For the first time. now that am back
on the job of telling public officials how
much better an editor can run the gov
ernuent than an official. write TO ex-
press my obligation 10 my honest critics
They often help an open-minded man
more than his frienGs.
tAnother article by former Secretary
Daniels win be printed tomorrow =