Waterbury evening Democrat., 1907-12-27
CONGRESS ID PROBE
War Between Line and Staff of
 Navy Will Be Investigated.
OFFICERS WANT RIXEY TRIED

Senator Hale Is Preparing a Resou-
 ton For introduction In Senate That
 Will Go Straight to Root of Trouble
 ConvuIsine Navy Department.
 Washington, Dec 27.-It is evident that the war between line and staff of the navy will be carried into congress Already Senator Hale. chairman of the committee on naval affairs and the real arbiter of the fate of the navy. is preparing a resolution for introduction immediately on the reassembling of congress which will go straight to the root of the trouble. His resolution will call for an investigation of the reason i for putting a staff officer in command of ship of the navy.
 It begins to look as if in no other way will the side of the line reach the { public. In his letter of resignation to the president Rear Admiral Brownson made what is asserted to be cold clear and logical presentation of the reasons why he objected to the assign ment of physician to command na- val ship, even though that vessel were exclusively devoted to hospital uses. That letter the president refuses to make public, although he has allowed l to reach print what is taken to be an answer to it-Dr. Rixey's statement, printed yesterday morning.
 1 It is clearly impossible for Admiral i BrOwnsOn or any of his line officers to make public copy of the letter with out mourning the risk of court mar | tial on charges of disrespect toward i their superior officer. the president Of the United States. That Rear Admiral Rixey will be court martialed for his criticism of another bureau chief mo- body considers seriously, although the line officers favor such action That i the surgeon general had the backing of the White House in giving his state ment for publication is clearly under stood by all who understand the strength of Dr. RiXey at the executive mansion.
 It 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 sur geon in command of the hospital ship Relief was twOfOld. In the first place, like every line officer. he believed that the subordination of any line officer no matter how low in grade, to a staff officer on shipboard was bad policy and subversive of naval discipline. But stronger objection in his mind was that the proposed action was clearly illegal. inasmuch as it is forbidden by law to assign staff officer to com mand a ship
 It is only fair to the staff side to state that this is debatable ground and that it would not be difficult to con strue the naval laws and regulations in either way. The reliance of the line officers is upon n provision in the na val personnel act of March 3. 1899. giv- ing positive rank to staff officers. which declares that said officers shall not be entitled in virtue of their rank to command in the line or in other staff corps Line officers understand this to mean that no surgeon. engineer paymaster or constructor shall he plac. cd in Il position on board ship where he may command the movements and actions Of any person not of his own staff corps. The staff officers hold that this act does not abridge any privilege or rank formerly enjoyed by q staff officer.
 Commander WinslOw has taken charge of the bureau of navigation. He said that if the place were offered to him permanently he would accept only if ordered to do so. He wants to take command of the New Hampshire when he gets his captains commission. Jan. 2S. HOS Commander WinslOw was not designated or appointed chief of the bureau. but signed all of his mail as acting" chief.
 As this controversy threatens tO or. cupy attention for some time. it may be proper to state the difference be- tween the line and the staff \ line officer is one whose sole duty is ta fight the ship. while a stan officer is ono who either provides the means for tine line officer to do SO or acts under his directions in carrying out his gpn. eral orders. Thus the engineer when of the staff looks closely after the ma chinery and stars and stops it when called upon to do so by the line officer. He has nothing to say as to where the ship shall sO or at what speed or when it shall move. Likewise. tine surgeons aboard ship look after the health Of the crew in time of peace and heal their wounds in time of war. but they have nothing to dO with tine move meuts of the ship. and tho same rule applies to the paymaster and to the constructor.
 5lsine's Friend ezrtlstt Dead.
 Gardiner. Me. Dec 21-I0Seph ".