The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-05-12

w. leeusaFH asuess go t,esea ~ NaVa,
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wtsHfsafus, NAY N Wills ths Houas
~ Representatives sas Considering the
Naval Appropriation bli odav, NJ Hep
hufn N lows replied ~ the ftlciana ~
W.. VESTS n Massachusetts upon Ne
lftspbrgn' ~ y statements mads ~ou,s
time aso refecsina upon tte eNsteaey
and capacity ~ naval uRceSs and Tho
faliufe N epirt4.msFtai ~ administer
adSruats pubishmsn, In cnsaa submitted
~ them,
Mr. Hepburn referrei Ia the list ~
twenty ssven naval vessels named ~
Mr, Weeks ~ having l'esn spriously In
turrd or destroyed IN the he, forty years
and Questioned IL comple,ene~a. lie be-
llsysd there wers many other accidents
that should be added 60 the list, especially
among tho more modern and expensive
ships, and he mentioned tho collision and
grounding ~ tho squadron coming out %
New York harbor q few months ago.
we are spending millions Of dollars
he continued. "to build up a great pavy.
I think IL IL part OF patriotism TO do this,
but there ought to be sDme guarantee,
sons assurance, that when ~ secure such
vessels they will not he reckleauly destroyed
by incomptency and ~ineffcency. The
gentleman criticised me. I thought with
some acerbity. because I said that In my
Judgment there was not proper punishment
meted out to those who I thought had
recklessly. carelessly and wantonly put In
jeopardy thess great interests Of ours.
| still believe that our system Of administer
ing criminal Justice in the army and navy
IL lamentably faulty: that 1t 10 Utmost i'm
.--.lI- " ..H. Nnie0AAa ~ tIHRWWAnN
on the part Of those who try criminal
malefactors.
Think Of il! The courts are made up Of
the classmates, ron the companions In
arms, from the friends and associates, from
the military family Of which they are all
alike members. 1t would be strange indeed
il under these circumstances of association
and a cauaintance and community Of interest
il did not ave its effect; and / say that II
is the truth, that the punishments that have
been inflicted, some OF which the gentle
man referred to, have been uncomfortable
indeed in comparison with the offence.
There are other countries where the
naval officer Ia loses his vessel feels 80
Overwhelmingly a sense OF disgrace that
suicide il his only remedy, his only relief,
and II is expected hat that will be his self
inflicted punishment. The gravest pun
ishment that the gentleman could lind in
all the annals OF colrt5-nlartlal OF onenceS
Of this kind, il | mistake not, was the sus-
pension from the active duties and active
pay T. three years.
Mr.. Hepburn quoted the rebuke ad-
ministered by Assistant Secretary New
berry to the court martial that tried Lieut.,
J. A. Schofeld for its failure to impose q
suitable punishment upon him for running
ii torpedo boat destroyer ashore, .publlshed
to-day and suggested that il Mr.. Weeks
would continue his investigation he would
find many such cases..
Il will suggest TO the gentleman from
Iowa" said Mr.. Weeks, that II he Will
pursue the investigation as l have done +,
he will find that there have been just eight
such cases in the last forty years, and that
there have beer four times as many. cases In
which the revie wing authority, always a
civilian. thought the sentence was too severe
and reduced It as those in which he thought
the court too lenient. This just happens
10 Ea ma ~ thasa cases.e