Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1921-06-25

hho Po lllClhiS without consulting
those, who from an impartial pcdes
tai could have given him information
which woald have prevented any such
mistake in the selection OF an onlci,I
for such high office.
In the light of this experience,
there Is little to choose between Sec.
rotary Daniels of Woodrow Wilson
fame and Secretary DENLY of Warren
G. Harding creation. Rear Admiral
Sims has reached an age, where dis
erection is no longer the better part of
.a.or. His reputation is secure frt"r
attacks of his enemies and his words
will hardly dctract from the great
achievements for which he has been
noted. 1t is conceded that he talked
too much and at Il time, w"ru h.
should have kept silent, bu: Secretary
Denby was not the one to rebuke him.
He has not risen high enough in pub
lie esteem or nationalscrvicc to do
this.
In this respect, the New York Her
ala expresses an opinion. which will
be echoed and re.echoed from one seu
ton of this country to the other. Il,
says:
Mr.. DENLY, Secretary of the Navy.
has given the American people very
poor performance in the Sims Incl
dent. However, far the great Admiral
In the expression Of his convictions
with regard to hyphenates rs such,
wandered from discretion, it is cor.
tain 1hat Mr.. DENLY has wandered
MUCH farther.
The Admiral Is II strong man accus
toned to strong work, and men of
strength who think strongly and &C,
strongly express themselves strongly.
In what he said he made no attack on
any individual, sought to bclittle no
individual, to humiliate no individual
1t would be quite impossible for that
INDUSTRIOUS sea warrior, the foremost
figure in all our naval activities dur
ing the war, the terror of the German
U-boats, to speak soft,y and diplomat
rally OF types against which his whole
soul reyo.ts.
MIR. DENLY seems not to have taken
INTO consideration the prophecies Of
the occasion ;scems not to have taken
into consideration the stature and the
standing Of the man he so percmp-
torlly ordered home; seems not to
nave hakcn into consideration the mai
or part Admiral Sims played in turn
ing the fortunes of war against the
Central Powers in the dark days o:
Allied desperation.
If Mr.. DENLY had despatched that
pcrcmptory order to n callow licutcn.
ant having as yet to his credit no
great achievement and this young lien
tenant was already booked to sail in
three days, the Secretary Of the NAVY
would still have committed nm oifcnse
against good taste and fair dealing in
the eyes OF the American people. But to
have done such a thing to q man like
ADMIRAL Sims is unthinliable and un.
pardonable.
TO make the matter worse, It Is y
ract that there was no boat sailing on
which Admiral Sims could have sailed
IL, an earlier date than the boat on
which he was already booked to como
ana this the Secretary of the NAVY
knew full well Or should have known
full well.
Rear Admiral Sims is of Canadian
birth and is loyal to the core to all
things British, just like some of tho
rest of us are admirers of all things
anti-British. 1t may be that In future
selections. President Harding will
set the same pace in the selection 0,
other officials as was exercised in tho
naming of that master diplomat ana
jurist, Charles Evans Hughes and
Secretary of the Treasury Mellon. As
FOR Secretary DENLY he has certainly
swung public opinion in favor of n
Rear Admiral, who had forfeited ap.
parently the good opinion of a largo
proportion Of his fellow citizens by
his indiscreet utterances.