New-York tribune. [volume], March 12, 1920, Page 4, Image 4

About New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924

Image provided by: Library of Congress, Washington, DC

                
Ships Denied
To Sims for
Yigil at Kiel
Oe.tI.tjid frew asms ?<*?
?. m ?
gbsequent events established the
ct, that the execution of any other
plans depended absolutely upon first
meeting the submarine menace.
"At the present time there is no
Issue whatever as to the correctness
or soundness of my recommendations
during this critical period. There is
no truth whatever in the assertion
that I am now claiming that I was
right and every one elso wrong. This
fact is amply demonstrated by the
?extent to which my recommendations,
particularly in the matters of dis?
patch and employment of anti-sub?
marine forces, were ultimately
adopted by the department. As I
shall show later certain recommanda?
tions made by me were never adopted,
but, with one or two possible excep?
tions, every plan for the employ?
ment of onr forces in the war zone
?which was finally adopted was in ac?
cord with my recommendations.
"The primary fault of the depart?
ment was the initial delay in putting
into effect measures which they later
adopted, and which delay resulted in
the prolongation of the war and in
the unnecessary expenditure of at
least half a million lives and $15,
000,000,000."
Waste of Time Charged
Admiral Sims said he was prepared
to show that during all the time the
department was ignoring his recom?
mendations or failing to act on them
it "concentrated its efforts upon plans
which were either of minor importance
or were impossible of fulfilment in
view of the time element or were com?
pletely and entirely impracticable,"
The witness produced a message to
the department as far back as April
1-i, 1917, in which he suggested that
"two divisions of American dread
naughts might be based on Brest for
moral effect against anticipated raids
by heavy enemy ships in the Channel,
out of reach of British main fleet."
This was followed by a letter of
April 19, in which he quoted a British
Admiralty official as agreeing witn
others, "including the First Sea Lord,
that the addition of some of our navy
forces to those maintained in southern
Channel approaches by the French and
British would undoubtedly entirely
preclude the possibility of such raids."
"No answer was ever received from
the department to either of these rec
. ommendations," Admiral Sims testified,
"although, as I had specifically stated,
this assistance had been requested by
the Allies."
On Juno 15, the record showed, and
again on July 7, Admiral Sims warned
the department, in view of the critical
and uncertain situation, that the
American fleet should be kept in in?
stant readiness to be sent to Europe.
On July 19, following a conference
with Admiral Jellicoe, the First Sea
Lord, and Admiral Beatty, commander
of the British Grand Fleet, Admiral
Sims cabled, at their request, a mes?
sage to the department, asking that a
division of four coal-burning dread
naughts be sent across to relieve five
British dreadnaughts of the King Ed?
ward class.
"No answer was received to this
message," said Sims. "After waiting
four weeks, believing that an answer
to such an important recommendation
would ultimately come, I finally sent a
second message on August 17, as fol?
lows:
"deferring No. 120, need becoming
urgent for the four coal-burning dread
naughts and their six destroyers;
shortage personnel has necessitated
putting one King Edward out of com?
mission. One goes out next month and
five by end of year. In absence rein?
forcements requested, these vessels
must be replaced by older type dread- ?
naughts from Grand Fleet. Request
information on department's decision.
"In reply the Navy Department
cabled mo on August 20 their refusal
to approve this recommendation, as
follows:
" 'Replying to your No, 285, United
States believes that the strategic sit?
uation necessitates keeping battleship
force concentrated, and cannot there?
fore consider the suggestion of sending
a part of it across. The logic of the
situation would prevent the entire force
going over except in case of extreme
necessity. Tho department desires that
you discuss the situation with Admiral
Mayo upon arrival.
" ?ADMIRAL BENSON.* "
Sims followed this with a letter to
Benson, dated September 1, in which
he said in part:
"No man can tell what the outcome
of this war will be. But whatever the
outcome proves to be we must at the
end find ourselves in a position which
can be justified on sound military prin?
ciples. Can wo afford to have history
record that the Allies asked for rein?
forcements and that we declined to
send them?"
Benson Sought Plan of Action
Admiral Benson replied, September
24, as follows:
"Wo are not willing to send a por?
tion of the battleship force and do not
intend to unless very much stronger
arguments are produced than have so
far been set forth. It has been a sur?
prise and disappointment that no defi?
nite plan of operation of the combined
forces of the Allied naval powers has
been taken up and decided upon long
ere this. I consider this most urgent,
and it certainly should be done at the
earliest possible? date, and if nothing
can be done this fall or winter prepa?
rations should be actively under way
to carry out some definite plan of
operation as soon as the spring of 1918
opens."
It was following this, in November,
that Admiral Benson arrived in London
for a conference with tho British Ad?
miralty. Benson was at once ap?
proached by the British, according tc
Sims, on the matter of the American
dreadnought decision, and "within e
few hours" was convinced and sent a
cable back to Washington, dated No?
vember 8, indorsing the recommenda?
tion which Sims had made severa!
months previous.
Sims traced his experience in trying
to get the department to comply witr
his request, indorsed by the Alli?e
naval authorities, that American sub?
marines be sent across to assist ir
the anti-submarine campaign:, and a?
scouts for eonvoys. He had first pro
posed this as far back as April 19, 1917
but on June 28 specifically recom?
mended that all available submarine,
be sent.
This was followed by similar mes
sages on July 13 and 14, the one o:
July 13 urging that some submarine:
be sent to the Azores.
"I received no reply to any of thesi
recommendations," said Sims.
When Admiral Mayo, commander ii
chief of the Atlantic fleet, arrived ii
August for a conference with the Brit
ish officials, Sims said, the matter wa;
taken up with him, and he immediatel;
wired Washington indorsing the recom
mendation.
At the end of October, Sims testi
fied, five submarines of the K clas
arrived at the Azores, aproximately si
months after he had first called th
attention of the department to th
value of submarines and anti-subma
rine craft. Five submarines of the 1
class did not arrive at Berehaven unti
the end of January, or six months afte
he had specifically recommended i;
July that they be sent.
With regard to tugs, Sims showei
j that the delay was almost a year afte
I he first called for them, explaining tha
; had they been on hand they could hav
i made possible th? salvaging of num
' bers of merchants ships, struck b
? enemy torpedoes, that did not sink fo
hours after being bit, but coulld not b
| towed to port for -Jack of tugs. Fror
April 14, 1917, to August of that yeai
he testified, he sent twelve messages o
the subject which wetre never answerec
The only explanation he ever receive
for the failure to act was that a "lega
| technicality" prevented tho depart
ment from commandeering tugs.
Coal Board
Quits; Split
Over Wages
Cntlnuwt tram amas ?*<?
is confidently asserted that if the an?
thracite negotiations had not reached
an acute stage White would have
signed the majority report.
In view of the fact that President
Wilson, in appointing the coal com?
mission consisting of a representative
of the public (Mr. Robinson), a repre?
sentative of the operators (Mr. Peale),
and a representative of the miners (Mr.
White), expressed strongly the wish
that its decision should be unanimous,
the question is raised as to wether he
will acept it as satisfactory.
Wage Demands Modified
There is also a possibility that the
miners will reject it, though President,
Lewis pledged them in advance to
abide by the decision, whatever it
might be?on the ground that he had
a unanimous finding in mind.
Although the miners originally
asked for a 60 per cent increase in
wages, they modified it during the ne?
gotiations with Secretary of Labor
Wilson to 45 per cent.
However, in presenting their case to
the commission, they went back to the
original 60 per cent demand. It is un?
derstood that Mr. White insists that
the increase should be at least the
31.61 per cent that Secretary Wilson
adjudged to be right. He is supposed,
also, to be opposed to allowing the
operators to increase the price of coal
to meet the granted wage advance.
If the coal commission's majority
decision is rejected by the bituminous
miners it is considered that there is
little likelihood of the ? anthracite
people adjusting their dispute. In
! that event a combined strike of the
| 400,000 bituminous and the 150,000
i anthracite miners is a possibility for
! April 1. On that date the old agree
j ments expire in both fields by limita
! tion, though the bituminous miners
contended that their agreement was
so modified by the fuel administra?
tion's direction during tho war that it
really expired with the signing of the
armistice.
Miners Defer Decision
Secretary William R. Green of the
Union Mine Workers said to-day
that the union would wait to see what
Mr. White recommended before stat?
ing the position of the miners anent
the majority report.
The premature publication of the
salient points of the majority report
' caused much perturbation. The White
House blamed the Coal Commission and
the latter blamed the former for the
"leak." The generally accepted ex?
planation is that Mr. White tipped it
off to President J. L. Lewis and Secre?
tary Green of the miners, so that they
could advise the anthracite men in New
; York, and that they later communi?
cated the facts to the news associa?
tions. It was the intention to release
both majority and minority reports
simultaneously. The texts may be
i given out to-morrow.
Tremendous piessure has been
brought to bear during the last few
days to iret Mr. White into line. It is
understood that, am?no; others, Secre
, tary Wilson labored with him. It is
j denied, however, that there was, as re
I ported, a bitter altercation between
! Messrs. Robinson and Peale on the one
! hand and Mr. White on the other.
i The majority report consists of find
I ings, decisions and recommendations,
i nd is said to be remarkable for the
! firmness and aggressiveness of its tone
! throughout its hundred-odd typewrit?
ten pages.
President Robinson left for his home
in Pasadena, Calif., at 6 o'clock this
evening, and Rembrandt Peale went to
i New York this afternoon. They con?
sider that they have established the
i basis of lasting peace in tho coal mines
if their decision shall be accepted. It
is understood that they are not greatly
exercised over Mr. White's dissent.
The price of soft coal is now fixed by
the fuel administration. The oper?
ators cannot increase it without the
consent of the fuel administration,
which, now that Mr. Garfield has re?
signed, roajly means the President until
the war is proclaimed at an end.
125 Face Trial
In Coal Inquiry
Special Dispatch to The Tribune
INDIANAPOLIS, March 11. ?In?
dictments charging 125 coal operators
and miners with conspiracy under the
Lever act to limit the production of
coal, and offenses against the United
States as defined in tho criminal code,
were returned in Judge A. E. Ander?
son's Federal court here to-day by the
special grand jury which has been in?
vestigating the coal industry for the
! past three months.
1 The names of the men indicted will
not be disclosed until after their ar?
rest, it was said. The indictments are
sweeping in character and con?
viction on the charges made would
entail a fine as high as $10,000 and
i imprisonment up to two years, or both.
Judge Anderson fixed bail at $5,000
and $10,000, and announced that the
men would be arraigned May 4.
It is understood that 70 per cent
of the persons indicted are coal oper?
ators and that these include some of
the largest operators in America. All
will be forced to stand trial. Nearly
all the indictments are in the cases
of men operating in the central com?
petitive field, embracing Illinois, Indi?
ana, Ohio and western Pennsylvania.
Few if any retailers were indicted, it
was understood, and there is only a
small number of miners or mine offi?
cials named.
It was understood also that the op?
erators charged with criminal con?
spiracy all coma from the bituminous
coal fields, and nono from the anthracite
| region. Although the heaviest coal
i producing in the central field embraces
the four states mentioned above, the
bituminous field also includes a part
of Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, Ala
. bania, West Virginia and other atatos
| in the middle section of the country.
The special grand jury called for the
[sole purpose of investigating the
i affairs of the coal operators and min
? era has been in session forty-nine
? days, the longest session in the his?
tory of the Federal court in this state.
The jury was convened December 17,
but was adjournpd on several occasions
to give the. officials in charge oppor?
tunity to obtain witnesses and to pre?
pare records.
The investigation has been In the
j charge of Dan W. Simms, of Lafayette,
', special assistant United States Dis?
trict Attorney, appointed to enforce
? the injunction order of the court
! against the officials of the United Mine
Workers of America, and of L. Ert
Slack, former United States District
i Attorney, who was appointed special
; assistant district attorney to assist in
the case.
The full operative strength of the
, government will be used in bringing
i the alleged conspirators to justice.
r~
C
,J?i?us"??m!
GLOVES
Tan,
Gray,
Kid,
Buckskin
?Orfoo* For Men and Women
?*?>.? Hit?*
The World's Greatest Leather Stores.
?104 Fifth Ave., New York; 253 Rroadway
Boston?345 Tremont Street.
Ijondon?89 Resent Street.
it^^s^^g
s
?J
'i
<
y
SteinBlochSmart^lothes
Broadway at 32^ Street
Facing Greeley ?Square
-<^r
John David Presents
Spring Derbies And Soft Hats
In His Prior And Private Blocks
Procurable At This Shop Alone
Not Just The Approved Fashions Of
To-Day, But The Anticipated Fashions
Of To-Morrow. Spring-Season Hats In
Our Own Prior And Private Forms. Rib?
bons And Embellishments Of Our Ex?
clusive Authorship. Colors To Tally
WithTheSmarterSpringSuitings. Prices
More Than Fair For Qualities Than
Which None Are Finer. Compare!
EXCLUSIVE,
EXPENSIVE
Mh**^^>^^
>l
m
Sister Slain, Says
Girl, During Their
Struggle for Gun
Marie Tucci Accus?e Dead
Relative of Trying to
Force Her and Own' Child
Into an Improper Life
Special Dispatch to The Tribune
ATLANTIC CITY, March 11.?Two
frightened Italian girls, one nine, the
oth?r twenty, stood before Inquisitors
to-day and sobbed a ' broken talo ex?
plaining the murder charge which con?
fronts the elder.
Marie Tucci, the elder, declared in
outbursts of alternate English and
Italian, that her sister, Mrs. Angelina
Conte, had been killed in New York in
a straggle which ensued when she tried
to force Marie to act improperly. The
nine-year-old child, Conjettina Conte,
is the daughter of Mrs. Angelina Conte.
Late last night Mario walked into the
office of the Captain of Detectives
James M. Malseed and gave herself up.
Clinging to her hand was the fright?
ened Conjettina. The little girl re?
fused to leave her side and remained
with her in jail dsuring the night.
Marie explained she was wanted for
the murder of her sister late Monday
night in Mr3. Conteos apartment, 99
West. Houston Street. Captain of De?
tectives Malseed detained both girls
and wired to New York. To-day Louis
J. Commomeuosi, of the staff of Deputy
Police Commissioner Lahcy, questioned
the girls. He will take tlncm back as
soon as requisition papers aro granted.
Marie, a strikingly pretty girl, said
that on Monday night her married sis?
ter ordered her to accompany a man
friend she had introduced. Marie re?
fused. A bitter argjument followed be?
tween the sisters. Then Mrs. Conte,
said Marie, declared she would force
Conjettina to take Marie's place. Ma?
rie's indigation prompted Mrs. Conte
to draw a revolver and to threaten to
shoot her, she said.
The two struggled for possession of
the revolver. It exploded in Mrs. Conte's
hand, Mario said, and two bullets en?
tered her head. Marie, frightened,
snatched her niece, who had been a
witness to the tragedy, and fled with
her to Newark. They walked the -streets
for twelve hours, and then went to At?
lantic City. That night they slept on a
bench in a deserted pavilion.
With the aid of an Interpreter, Marie
told her story. She called upon hei
mother in Italy for forgiveness. The
girl is held on the charge of murder.
Little Conjettina shows no hatred
for tho girl who killed her mother.
-a????? ? ?
London Busmen to Strike
Against Straphangers
Refuse to Carry Excess Passen?
gers so as to Reinstate ?500
Discharged ?Drivers
Prom The Tribune's European Bureau
Copyright, 1020, New York Tribun. Inc.
LONDON, March ll.?A unique strike,
Ln which the usual victim, the public,
will not suft*er but actually will bene?
fit, is scheduled for next Tuesday, when
London omnibus and tramway workers
will refuse to carry straphangers.
As a patriotic measure the war-time
executive of the United Vehicle Work?
ers' Union agreed to permit the men to
carry excess passengers. The company
recently discharged BOO old employees
and announced that it intends to 'dis?
continue running buses that do not pay."
The men met Wednesday and decided
to strike. By refusing to carry extra
passengers and straphangers, they will
provide a necessity for enough extra
nuseB to furnish employment for the
fiQO men who were discharged, and at
'the same time the public will benefit
iby having greater comfort and better
?ervice.
Anthracite Miners' Plea
For Wage Increase Heard
Sub-Corn m iltee of Operators
and Men Begins Session at
Union League Club
Mine workers yesterday began the
task of proving the rapid upward trend
of the cost of living to support their
demands for a 60 per cent increase in
wages in the anthracite coal fields.
Their arguments were offered at the
opening session of the wage conference
between a sub-committee of operators
and miners at the Union League Club.
It is expected that several weeks will
be consumed in the discussions.
It was agreed that little could be
done in the way of reaching a definite
decision until after the bituminous coal
! commission, now in session at Wash?
i ington, hands down its decision on the
wage demands of the soft coal miners.
Nobody here could offer a gues3 as to
the time that might be consumed be?
fore such a decision was reached.
Because of the possibility of a sus?
pension of operations in both coal fields
I unless a decision is reached before
I March 81, both miners and operators
, are hopeful of an early decision by the
. Washington commission. The present
McCreery's
Cnglt?ft
Clothes
TA ILORED IN AMER ICA
FOR JAMES McCREERY St COMPANY
/
Wkens^SSSH'XBtCWBSai.X&i. 'AT
wage agreement of the miners expires
on the last day of March. One of the
first acts of yesterday's conference was
to agree that this supplementai agree?
ment should continue until a new scale
is drawn up.
John L. Lewis, international presi?
dent of the United Mine Workers,
opened the conference for the miners,
but was called to Washington during
the afternoon. On the resumption of
hearings this morning Philip Murray,
vice-president of the organization, will
act for the workers.
Canada to Bar IVon-Essentiali.
Due to Exchange Situation
WASHINGTON, March 11 .--Ca?ad,
is expected to issue in the n^ar futo?
a decree placing dra;*,:ic restriction,
on the importation of non-essentiali
according to an official dispatch t*
day to the Department of Commerce.
The unfavorable foreign exchtn?
situation was said to be the reaiaa
for the proposed action.
1
J
!
Established 1766
"Waipole Mkqks
1
Catalogne on request
FIFTH AVENUE, Corner 35th Street,
Also 5S3 Boylston St., Boston, Mass.
.LONDON & DUBLIN
Factorv: Waringstown, County Down, Ireland
NEW YORK ?
??flffiHrap
Fifth Avenue at 35th Street
Established 1879
o?
that we are il?w 5th Avenue distributors of
SHIRTS
"KNOWN AS THE BEST-THE BEST KNOWN"
FOR OVER FIFTY YEARS
IN selecting Manhattan merchan?
dise? we have been guided by the
desire to offer our customers the best
that money can buy.
Manhattan Shirt Quality
is pest & Co. quality. The distinctive patterns, originated
m the Manhattan mills and exclusive with them?the
beautiful fabrics, specially loomed by the makers of
Manhattan shirts?the faultless tailoring?urn all details
of perfection which we have sponsored and will continue
to sponsor for the lifetime of this business.
Manhattan Collars and
Va
Manhattan Underwear Also
The entire collection selected by men of good taste for
men of good taste. With such a choice women may
shop for their husbands with every assurance of mascu?
line approval.
SILK. SILK MIXTURE, MERCERIZED FABIUCS & MADRAS SHIRTC
FOUR TO FIFTEEN DOLLARS
Gentlemen* s.Haberdashery