The San Francisco call., 1901-12-23
ARMY AND NAVY DISSENsIONs.

II TNOLLOW1NG closely upon the CenSure pro-
r nounced upon Rear Admiral Evans by the
Secretary of the Navy comes the censure upon
Lieutenant General Miles by the Secretary of War
Extending the whole period from the first act
of censure to the second ran the controversy over
the conduct of Rear Admiral Schey during the San
tiago campaign. Thus there has been disclosed to
the country and to the world condition of affairs
in the highest ranks Of the army and the navy which
is dscredtable to service whose honor ought to be
above reproach.
The very existence of such dssension is itself an
evil great that it matters little upon which side
most of the blame rests 1t is inevitable that the pub
lie will take sides in these controversies. We may
be sure that while some persons will approve the
ton of the Secretary of War in censuring General
Miles there will be others who will approve the ut
terances of the lieutenant general and regard the CEN
sure pronounced upon him as a wrong done to his
honor These partisan differences of opinion will
tend to subject the army and the War Department to
popular criticism which will always be fair, and
which will certainly tend to weaken the esteem in
which both have been hitherto held throughout the
country.
For long time past there have been frequent re-
ports OF dssensions in army and in navy circles at
Washington but while these reports have been in
directly confirmed by circumstantia1 evidence they
officials of the Government There has been a care
ful and considerate effort to keep them hidden
from the public and to prevent them from blazing
into open scandals. That cloak of decorum has been
withdrawn by the Secretary of War In pronouncing
censure upon General Miles the Secretary throws
aside all pretense of an existence of harmony and
says frankly: "The present facts are that for sew
eral years there has been unfortunate and bitter
troversy in the Navy Departmental controversy
generally deplored by the participants as tend
ing to bring the service into disesteem at home and
abroad and destroy those relations of mutual con-
fdence and friendship among naval officers which
the interests of effective service require"
That statement from the Secretary of War en-
bodied in official censure upon the lieutenant gen
era OF the army is the most significant that has been
made in any document bearing upon the Schley
controversy. It is express declaration from the
highest source that the Navy Department is torn by
dissensions which so far affect the minds OF officers
OF the highest rank to prevent them from cor
daily cooperating to render the service effective
to the country. In the light of that statement many
facts brought in the Schley court of inquiry take
a meaning 1t will be useless for high off
cials at Washington to any longer make denials of
the existence of jealOusieS and antagonisms which,
however petty in themselves, have proven sufficiently
serious in their results to justify the Secretary of
War in saying they destroy those relations of mu-
tual confidence which are necessary to effective ser
vice
Such being the condition of affairs, it becomes
duty of the administration to take steps to remove
the mischef-makers from the positions they now
hold That such eaousies did not bring disaster and
something of disgrace upon the country during the
late was due solely to the weakness of our foe.
What would happen should be involved in haz-
ardOus struggle with frstclass power with one
set OF officers trying to prevent another from achev-
ing success?
The story is ugly one. The country is ashamed
Of it. Such dissensions disgrace the service in peace
and endanger the republic in war. Something more
than censure is needed. The men who cause them
should be dismissed from the service