Amarillo daily news. [volume] (Amarillo, Tex.) 19??-current, 1922-10-26
TAKES ISSUE
WITH CHARGE
IN LETTERS
Lane WROTE

WASHINGTON, oct. 25.--Declaring
wholly wrong impression of i'm
portant historical facts had becn given
in one 81 the recently published letters
of Franklin X Lane. secretary Of the
Interior under President Wilson.
Josephus Daniels. who sat In tho vii.
son cabinet as Secretary of the Navy
telegraphed thc Associated Press to.
night a story ~ the events which he
said had led up to the adoption Of the
convoy system of protecting American
ships early In 1917.
Alr Daniels message. sent from
lligh Point y g, made particular
reference to u statement In one OF the
lane letters saying that az "a cabinet
meeting on February Is. 1917, Daniels
faid We must not convoy--that IL would
hc dangerous" the letter also attributed
L. President Wilson a suggestion that
this country was not willing that We
should take any risks OF war;
kept Diary
Fortunately | kept a diary In those
dayt,' said Mr. Daniels telegram.
Here is exactly what happened at that
cabinet meeting in February before We
had entered IN, war President Wilson
turned to me and asked Daniels. why
have the British not conveyed the
ships?'
In reply ! informed him that the
policy Of the British admiralty was
agatus, IA" convoy. that aftcr long
experience IN the war the merchant
captains preferred Co take their chances
sailing siurly than in convoy forna
tion. and that they regarded % more
dangerous in U.hoat 2ones to sail in
company under convoy than for each
merchant sh.p 90 go on It's own. !
added that some ~ ear naval officers
~ high raiiA held 'his sz,ssc yiow.
That was the only use made of The
word dangerous.
believed Admiralty Wrong
The President replied that h. De.
lcv'd the lEitish admiralty was wrong
and those AMERICAN naval officers who
agreed with them were also wrong. and
that ,hc British ought long ago To have
conveyed thrir SHIPS a few weeks
licr. think IL was. the last day of
alarch. 1915. or about that date. when
before the United states entered the
war In giving Admiral Sims instruc.
tions told him that President Wilson
had long believed that the allies ought
L. usc convoy and did not agree with
oir own naval officers who took the
s1mc position that the British admiralty
and the other allies had praeticed
shortly after his arrival In London
Admiral Sims presented Wilson'S views
On convoy to ADMIRAL Jcllico and q
short time thereafter the convoy sys-
tenn was put IN practice with good 70
suits
"our Navy placed gun crows on
merchant ships before the United
states entered thc war. The navy also
furnished gunncrs crew fot such
IN ps II was dangerous and tho hard
,si sort oi service. Neither before war
vas d,s''arrd nor during the war did
h~sitlie oadopt and carry out any
policy no matter how dangerous that
promised protection and the story of
huw the Navy dared perls and danger
roycs this statement
Praises Nays Record
The American Navy furnished the
larger part of the convoy that protected
the large amount u shipping that pnss
ed g hraltar. and il conveyed all iis own
ships across the Atlantic after wc en.
tered the war In fact. hut for the ser
Nir. rendered ly tho American navy.
tn" convoy ~vstcm cou'd mot have ar.
cumplished the results which made u
sascessful u owed its adoption chiefly
o. President Wilson who while Oh.
serving strict neutrality while that
Was the nations policy began effective
preparedness before We entered the
war and prosecuted Do vigorously WITH
force g. the utmost