Life — December 17, 1914 — page 10: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

“Pg - Walk Ashore, Mr. Daniels! During the last twenty months, ever since Sec- retary Meyer left the Navy Department, there has been in our navy a great falling off’ relatively to other nations. It was quite impossible to avoid this while our national affairs were handled as they have recently been handled. The Presi- dent who intrusts the Departments of State and the Navy to gentlemen like Messrs. Bryan and Daniels deliberately invites disaster in the event of serious complications with a formidable for- cign opponent.—Theodore Roosevelt. E hear a great dea especially to its morale, proceeding out of the activities of Secretary Daniels. Specific depo- sitions covering the whole case are hard to pro- eeause the men who know best about the navy are its officers, and they cannot talk for publication, The navy is an instrument for the preservation of peace, effec- of damage to the navy tive in direct proportion to its efficiency for war. The duty of being efficient for war is by an overwhelming preponderance the main duty of the navy. That Mr. Daniels is devoted to keeping the navy in a condition of the highest possible efficiency for war is almost universally doubted. It is thought that his desires lead him to work directly for the pacification of the navy, rather than for the maintenance of peace through the efficiency of the navy as a fighting instrument, But we do not want the it to be a militant organiz sober, disciplined, sane, wholesome, obedient, but militant. We do not care that the navy should he a floating kindergarten. as Mr. Daniels is supposed to desire. It costs too much for that. We would rather have our kindergartening done ashore and ep and train the navy for possible use primarily as a fighting machine, though useful, too, for certain peace jobs as they come along. Ii Mr. Daniels has the confidence of any considerable number of our citizens as the President's agent to manage the navy, it would be nice if those citizens would rise and le counted. It is certain that there is a great company of citizens who have no such confidence in him, and who. deplore his continuance in his present position. Why his particular talents should ever have seemed to the President suitable for the guidance of the navy is one of the deepest mysteries of current politics. It seems to have been something that just happened, just as it hap- pened that Mr. Marshall was selected to run for Vice- President. But Mr, Marshall was selected by a convention, and conventions are usually haphazard about picking Vice- Presidents. And besides, Mr. Marshall had a reputation until he became Vice-President, whereas no one knew Mr. Daniels but to be sure he wasn’t a fit man to boss the navy. The selection of Mr. Bryan to be Secretary of State was quite a different matter. Mr. Bryan, from the stand- point of executive efficiency, is probably the worst Secretary avy to be pacified. We want of State we ever had, and was expected to be the worst. But Mr. Bryan, in his peculiar way, amounts to something and the administration needed his support, and has had it, whereas the support of Mr. Daniels would have been more valuably secured by leaving him to conduct his newspaper in North Carolina. It is a grievous thing to see a man of Mr, Daniels’s jacilities wasted on the navy, and to see an institution with the possibilities of our navy wasted on Mr. Daniels Here are a pair who do not belong together. It should noi he necessary to scuttle the navy in order to rid it of Mr. Daniels. A way obviously more suitable would be to pur out a plank and let Mr. Daniels walk ashore. Guaranteeing the News UR neighbor, the Tribwic, announces a Lit of progress in that henceforth it will guarantee its readers against loss or dissatisfaction due to the purchase of any wares advertised in its columns No one could possibly object to that, but if the Tribune really wants guarantee its ri clion due to incorrect news items or illogical editorials or insane finan- \ paper like that do the handsome thing. why doesn’t i: ers against loss or dissatis cial reviews appearing in its columns? would certainly he worth having. RE not who fights the battles « I see the moving pictures Tommy (to himself): 1 voN’T SEE WHY THE VISITORS SHOULD GET ALL THE BEST MEAT. IT’S OUR TURKEY