The Daily Alaska empire., 1936-09-29

ton, that, letter to Roosevelt. II Itold of all the previous reports. and made many and varied suggestions for improvements in the navy
 Get me all those reports" was Roosevelt's command wnen he read the audacious letter. He immed- lately ordered another target prac- tice, and found that there had be- n virtually no improvements in It's craftsmanship since the previous one. The American gunners made 13 percent of hits, while the BisS- ish navy was averaging from 89 to 85 percent.
 Giuen Free Cjldrge Cable to China for that young man to come home at once Roose- welt told the Navy. Give him entire charge of target practice for Is months, do exactly as he says If he does not accomplish something in that time, cut off his head and try somebody else,,'
 Lieutenant Sims thus became in spector of target practice--a posi- ton he held for more than six years. At the expiration of that time the American gunners were by actual comparison the best in the world. Roosevelt, in an official communl- cation issued in 1909, said:
 Commander Sims has done more for target practice than any other man in the United States. It is chiefly due to him that we shoot as well as we do. It is humiliat4ng to think what poor shots we were during the Spanish war
 Meanwhile Sims had shifted his attack to other and more glaring faults of the navy. He began call ing attention to ship construction. Picking out the old battleship Ken lucky, he declared:
 "She is not a battleship at all. She is the worst crime in naval construction ever perpetrated on the white race"
 Keeps Fighting
 As was the case in his attacks on the gunnery, the new series of re- ports went unnoticed. The Navy even continued to contract for more ships precisely like those which Sims had pronounced useless.
 Finally, he decided upon course ever more insubordinate and audac- ious than his letter to President Roosevelt. He would take his case directly to the American people. He communicated with his friend, Henry Reuterdahl, marine archi- tect, and aided him in the prepara- ton of a series of articles pointing out the defects of American naval ships. The first instalment ap- peared in a publication of national scope at a dramatic moment-just as the American navy started on it's historic cruise around the world in 1908. Probably no single article ever published in this country caus- ed such a sensation.
 Sims achieved his purpose. For weeks the newspapers of the eoun- try talked of little else, and the magazine received tons of clippings referring to it's "unpatriotic article.s Suspicion immediately settled on Commander Sims, and even the United States Senate took note of the situation and started an inves- tigation.
 Publicity Great Cure
 But while all this was in pro- gress, there was something of a comedy going on under the surface. President Roosevelt, although not actually inspiring the Reuterdahl articles, knew that they were being prepared. He had realized long be- fore that publicity was the one cure for naval lethargy. es
 When Sims received a letter from the department demanding an ex- planation of his unheard-of con- duct, he immediately t ook it to President Roosevelt.
 Apparently they intend to court martial me- he said.
 Well, don't you deserve it?" ask ed the President. Haven't VOL been insubordinate?
 Yes" Sims replied, just as in- subordinate as you were on a fla nous occasion" H Drop Court Martial < The reference was to Roosevelt's $ Round Robin" of the Spanish American war, and brought laughter loud and long from the Chief Exc cutiye. After Sims had left, Roe>e- welt sent for the Secretary of the