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Show DENBY TD KEEP ; NAVY AT HIGHEST PEAK, HE SAYS Gunner's Mate in Sampson's; Fleet Has Roosevelt for Assistant APPOINTEE TO CABINET WIRES TO DANIELS Harding Leaves Tonight for Marion for Last Visit Before Be-fore Big Day ST. AUGUSTINE, Feb. 26. Edwin I Denby, gunner's mate in Sampson's fleet and sergeant of marines In the I war. accepted portfolio of navy today, with a fledge to maintain the naval fighting machine at "the hlgh- I est peak of power ready for battle , at any notice." As his assistant he will have Theo- dore Roosevelt, son of the former president, and he will begin his administration ad-ministration under a policy that calls for adherence to tho present naval program until tho nations may be brought Into a definite agreement to reduce armaments. i 'i.n. I ii 1 1, m ..i ihn HUiHtl mnn. itructlon program was announced as an administration policy by Presidentelect President-elect Harding when he made known the final designation of Mr. Denby as secret a ry. und of Mr- Roosevelt as assistant. as-sistant. GOING i M ki .Mi Harding will leave tomorrow night for Marlon, where his neighbors neigh-bors will give him a farewell OSle-bratlon OSle-bratlon Tuesday. He expects to reach Washington, Thursday, tho day before Inauguration. Confirmation of Mr. Denby's selection se-lection followed u conference in which he laid before the president-elect his opinion of what the next administration adminis-tration should do. Afterward he would not discuss detailed policies. Although he came into the cabinet nt the last mlnuto as a dark horse, Mr. Denby brings to the secretaryship secretary-ship an unusual background of naval experience. Besides having been an enlisted man In war time In both the navy and the marine corps, ho has served ns a member of the house naval committee and has gained through dose contact a knowledge of conditions beyond the Insular possessions pos-sessions in the Pacific. STRANGER in POLTTII S In declining to speak of specific naval policies. Mr. Denby reminded his fjuestloners thai he never had been In close contact with the larger policies pol-icies of the department and so might find himself a stranger to some important im-portant questions of policy. But ho added un aOsenco of preconceived opinion might not be entirely a detriment. in response to questions about the naval policy of tho present administration, adminis-tration, tho secretary-to-be only smiled and shook his head. He did take occasion, however, to declare his Unqualified approval of the autl-wlne order of Secretary Daniels. For Mr. Daniels, he expressed highest regard and one of Ins first acts as secretary designate was to send a telegram to the navy department depart-ment head thanking him for past courtesies. Ml -v.l PO lMl I - Going to a telegraph stand Lp tho hotel, he scribbled the following in load pencil: "Have read with great pleasure your kind reference to mo lu tho press. Please accept my cordial thanks. I shall sec you In Washington Washing-ton lu a day or two. I hope." Tho meeting will not DC the first between the retiring secretary 'nd his successor. DurliiK the war when Mr. Denby was serving at the age of forty-eight as a marine sergi-,mt, he broke a regulullon and went to Mr. Dunlcls In an effort to smooth some troubles of the men serving with him. "The secretary might have court-martialed court-martialed mo." he said, "but he didn't." I SDl R I ERE l PROS l Most of tho prospective sccretarv's service with tho marines was in tho morale department though he was sent abroad for a brief period as observer ob-server and was under firo on the American front. Before the .ir ended ho had risen from private to second lieutenant, serving with the latter rank as morale officer at the Paris island training station. Mr. Denby who Is a lawyer hy profession, pro-fession, comes of fighting stock, an undo and a grandfather having served as officers In tho American ns,vy. His father, a Democrat until he refused to support William J. Brj -en, in 1896. "wus American minister to China under Cleveland. Young J n by accompanied him end spent ,,),,, years in tho Far Kast. He wus in the nav) throughout tho Spanish-American war and as a gunner's mate, participated par-ticipated in the blockade of Havana ROOSEA KM llosi Mr- Roosevelt's appointment as assistant as-sistant secretary also falls in with a family tradition, his father having first come to national fame, while occupying oc-cupying that post und his cousin, Franklin D. Itoosevelt. having filled It until ho resigned to accept tho Democratic nomination for the v ice-presldcncy. ice-presldcncy. Mr Roosevelt also is a veteran of the world war, having served as a lieutenant colonel in France. He Is 33 years old and a I member of the New York assembl |
