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Show BAlllSK 6IH BIG OfflllOS i I Brother Officers of Army and j Navy Tender Banquet and I Criticisms are Answered i I NEW YORK, Jan. 21 Rear Admiral 'William S. Sims was given nn ovation : by several hundred of his brother offi-'cors offi-'cors of the army and navy when it llVns II Iirinilllnrwl n hnnnnnl inntlnrnil ' ""'"lu"i i.nuvn.u ,to general officers of the army and , flag officers of the navy, that Admiral .Sims, one of the guests of honor, ! would "in view of recent happenings,' (answer any questions which were put ,to him at the close of his address. Criticism Not Insubordination The admiral said there were "two distinct rows" on at present, one ovqr j medals and the over over his crlti-jelsm. crlti-jelsm. He declared the impression was ,that he is the aggressor, but having had some historical and practical (knowledgo of decorations he saw "this j trouble" coming for some time and : tried to avoid it. His criticism, he contended, was not an act of insubor- dination. "Let mo say It was nothing whal-over whal-over of tho kind, he continued. "The regulations of tho navy provide thnt any officer who can consistently and efficient)- criticise Ihc actions of the department; is to do so. But somo of them don't. It is not proper to publish these criticisms without the order of tho department." Secretary Invited Comment Admiral Sims declared that the secretary sec-retary himself issued orders Inviting criticisms, adding that anybody who did criticise probably interfered with his personnl comfort. "But an officer must consider the efficiency of tho navv." hi aniii "ir he doesn't make criticisms where he thinks they would do good, ho is not j worth the pay the government gives i him and not worth the powder to blow him to hell." Admiral Sims asserted that medals are of no value unless discretion Is used in distribution. He caused much laughter when ho remarked men in the navy didn't want their grandchildren grandchil-dren to say to them in later years, "Granddaddy, what ship did you lose during thev great war?" In answer to a question as to what I effect present conditions In the department depart-ment had on the morale of the navv. tho admiral said: Public Pride in Navy "Public pride in the navv is justified. justi-fied. The navy, you may take it from me, Is solid to the core. The officers ore supporting each other and during the war were loyal to the common causo of the allies. There is no possible pos-sible complaint at all about tho navy itself." In the United Stalos navy and army public criticism by officers is "muz-izled," "muz-izled," Admiral Sims said, bocause they aro forbidden by regulations "from publishing any criticism of the army or navy." H0 said the American navv is tho only one in Uie world that was bound by such regulation, explaining that in other navies public criticism was permitted as long as it was done Referring again to his criticism of the navy department, the admiral de-I de-I clared that for the navy to be successful, success-ful, the executive at its head must Iplay nn efficient part. I Navy Administration Blamed The trouble with the navy, lie added, was in "administration and not operation." oper-ation." "If we have a row on our hands it has been brought about by errors of ! administration," Admiral Sims assert-ied. assert-ied. "The mistakes of tho administra-tion administra-tion have been a serious handicap." In closing his address Admiral Sims made an appeal for "fair plav for the Inavy" declaring that the American spirit calls for "a spirit of fair plav," which he said the navy officers have never received. "Every man ougbt to have fair plav to make his office efficient," he added, "but he won't get it until you people ask for it. Raise the ban. It ought to be raised. Allow them to ox-! ox-! press their opinion." I oo l . |