Daniels Condemns Navy Standpatters.

New York Times 100 years ago today, June 3, 1913:
Every Officer Must Be a Progressive and Show Initiative, Secretary Tells War College.
NAVAL FASHION CHANGES
Adoption of New Ordnance Styles Compulsory — Proper Instruction to Enlisted Men a Service Defect.
Special to The New York Times.
    NEWPORT, R. I., June 2.— The Secretary of the Navy, Josephus Daniels, delivered the opening address of the Summer conference of the Naval War College to-day before the officers attending both the courses and the officers of the Narragansett Bay Naval Station and the forts. The occasion marked the first visit to Newport of the new Navy Secretary. After the address Secretary Daniels was entertained at a luncheon in the college and later left for Washington.
    The Secretary was officially received on the parade grounds of the training station by Rear Admiral William B. Caperton, Commandant of Narragansett Bay Naval Station, and Capt. William L. Rodgers, President of the Naval War College. Then the flag of the Secretary was broken out on the U.S.S. Constellation and received a salute of nineteen guns. Before he left Mr. Daniels inspected the several stations and reviewed the naval brigade.
    "It has become somewhat popular to underestimate the glory of the victories won by the American Navy in the Spanish-American War," he said in his address. "This habit — for it has degenerated into a habit — was born out of the magnitude of the victory and the short-sighted men who thought it necessary to minimize the achievements of the fleet at Manila and Santiago in order to give strength to the arguments advanced for a larger navy.
    "An argument for an adequate navy is not helped by underestimating its strength or achievements. It must stand upon the needs of to-day. New styles in ships and new fashions in ordnance are almost as compulsory upon naval leaders as the latest creations from Paris are to our leaders of fashion.
    "What does this ever-changing, ever-improving construction and operation of ships and accessories teach? There are several lessons.
    "The first is that men who would command ships must be open-minded, quick to discover better ways of construction and control, studious and inventive ready to discard the old and test the new, and be on the lookout for what inventive genius may suggest. There is no place in the navy for the standpatter. Every good officer must be a progressive.
    "The second lesson is that we must put more emphasis upon initiative and less upon regulations. You can never get the best out of any man who feels that his only duty is to obey orders and who does not feel that individual initiative will meet with encouragement.
    "The third lesson is that there is no period when one can say that he has learned all that can be learned.
    "The chief lack to-day in the American Navy is a systematic and proper instruction of the young men who will respond to our calls to enlist in the service and who man our ships.
    "My ambition is to make the navy a great university with college extension, high school extension, and primary extension, all on board ship."
    Referring to the alluring advertisements of the recruiting stations, promising young men opportunities for learning all kinds of trades and vocations, Mr. Daniels said:
    "As a matter of fact we have neglected training them, and outside of the practical duties aboard ship they do not obtain the drilling and education which should be given them in order to keep the promise made as well as benefit the navy."
    He added that when men enlist they should be assigned to a regular course, being allowed to elect whether they study engineering or electricity, machinery, carpentry, or other trades, and classes should be organized to teach them all.