Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-12-26
at Masdalena bay, more than three


months from now.
Il have only asked that the Relief be
put In commission just as every other
hospital ship has been, and that the navy
medical officer be given exactly the same
status as that accorded to his brother Of
ficers in the army who have commanded
this identical ship. Not to do this would
be unfair to our medical officers.
AS this Is a matter pertaining entirely
to the bureau of medicine and surgery
and is decided by the Secretary Of the
Navy, it is hard to understand how Ad-
miral Brownson could be specially in
volved, as his duties pertain entirely to
another bureau not directly responsible
should not interfere unless directed by the
Secretary"
Surgeon General Rixey's statement was
shown to Admiral Brownson last night,
but he declined to make any comment
whatever in regard to 1t.
Feeling in the Navy Acute.
Not since the days preceding the pass
age of the personnel law ten years ago
has the feeling between line and staff of
the navy been so acute as 1t is today, as
the result of the refusal of Admiral
Brownson to transmit orders from his
superior officer, the President Of the
United States, assigning a naval surgeon
to command a vessel in the navy. In
Roosevelt, then assistant secretary Of the
navy, who acted the part of pacifcator
and succeeded in bringing the two war
ring factions together in support Of the
legislation which for a decade past, though
a makeShift, ha& served to maintain peace
between the two factions in the navy. In
the present instance, however. the eff
forts of the President to reconcile the sur
geons and the line officers have failed,
and 1t is probable that the whole con-
troversy will be threshed out on its merits
in Congress. This is much deprecated by
conservative officers In both line and staff.
as likely to prove prejudicial to the navy's
interest as a whole. for they believe that
in order. to succeed In securing from Con-
gress the four great battleships the
cruisers. scouts and submarines, which
form a part of the years naval estimates,
in addition to securing legislation that
will better the lot Of naval officers per-
sonally, the navy must present a united
front. which cannot be done If Just at
the beginning Of a session line and staff
are to engage in a fierce strife.
Through the published statement Of Sur
geon General Rixey the merits of the
doctors side of the case in this instance
have been clearly set forth Line officers
believe that in common fairness they
should also have a. hearing. but they are
in an embarrassing position in that re-
spect. Admiral Brownson preceded his
resignation by cold, clear and logical
presentation of the reasons why he OBJ
jected to the assignment OF a physician
to command a naval ship even though
that vessel were exclusively devoted to
hospital uses. That statement WAS sub
mitted to the President, and. notwith-
standing the staff has had its say in
print. applications at the White House
for this letter are met with refusal Now
it is clearly impossible for Admiral
Brownson or any of his line officers to
make public copy of the letter without
mourning the risk of a court-martia1 on
charges, of disrespect toward their supe-
rior officer, the President of the United
States. So they can only look for a
change In the executive mind or for the
congressional investigation which will de-
velop all the facts.
Admiral Brownson's Position.
1t may be stated in the absence of the
text of Admiral Brownson's letter that
his objection to the execution of the
Presidents order to place a surgeon in
command of the hospital ship Relief was
two-fold. In the first place, like every
line officer. he believes that the subordi-
nation of any line officer. no matter how
low in grade to staff officer on ship
board was bad policy and subversive Of
naval discipline. But stronger objec-
ton, in his mind, was that the proposed
action vas clearly illegal. inasmuch as it
is forbidden by law or naval regulation to
assign a staff officer to command a ship.
1t is only fair to the staff side to state
that this is debatable ground, and that 1t
would not be difficult to construe the ma
val laws and regulations in either way.
So it is not to be doubted that when the
subject comes before Congress for con-
sideration the lawyers in that body will
find material to support either contention.
Views of Line officers.
An officer Of high rank and long ex-
periehce in the navy, whose name is with
held for obvious reasons. has made the
following statement of the views of line
officers on the official differences be-
tween Rear Admiral Brownson, chief Of
the bureau of navigation on one side, and
the President and Surgeon General Rixey
on the other, over questions of naval pol
icy:
Rear Admiral Brownson has covered
himself with glory In the opinion of the
navy. After strong persistent protest
against the ordering of medical officer
to command a naval vessel af1oat. he has
done tthe only thing left for him to do
that is, to resign his Office at the head
been battle royal, waged by the chief
Of the bureau of medicine and surgery
to procure command for medical officers
and has been as strongly opposed by the
present and former chiefs of the bureau
of navigation. The opinion of this one
man, the surgeon general Of the navy
has been taken and acted upon instead Of
that of the combined opinion Of practical
ly every officer of the navy from Admiral
Dewey down. Then there is the further
fact that during the late Spanish war
the hospital ship Solace was commanded
by naval officers. with the same Dr.
Stokes in charge Of the hospital portion
of 1t, and the conditions existing on board
that vessel as a hospital ship, but not
under command of the doctor, were re-
ported as ideal.
How the Dispute Began.
1.-THE dispute commenced by changing
the designation of medical officers from
in charge of hospitals to in command
of or commanding hospitals and is