Los Angeles herald., 1907-12-26

SILENT AS TO
MA ROW
SURGEON GENERAL RIxEY IS
INVOLVED
NO EXPLANATION COMING FROM
WHITE HOUSE
President Declines to Give Any Reason
for Retirement Of Head Of
Bureau Of Navl-
cation
By Associated Press.


WASHINGTON, Dec. 25.-Rear Ad-
miraI Willard H. Brownson, whose
resignation as chief of the bureau OF
navigation of the navy department was
announced at the White House yes
terday, turned over the affairs OF his
office to Captain Cameron MGR Wins
low, who has been designated to take
charge of it's work. He then said
goodby to his late associates in the
office and returned to his home.
Admiral Brownson declined again to-
day to discuss the reasons which led
to his resignation. Again he made 1t
manifest that any information bearing
on the subject must come from those
higher up in authority, to whom he
referred all who asked him for news
on the subject. He said it was with
the greatest regret that he took leave
OF the navy department in an executive
capacity after forty-six years of SER
vice.
At the White House efforts to secure
Admiral Brownson's letter of resigna
tion or the reasons for his leaving the
service were met with the positive
statement that nothing beyind the
bare announcement of the admiral's
resignation and the selection of his
successor would be given out from that
quarter either today or in the future.
the bureau of navigation and the bu-
reau of medicine of the navy, involving
the question of responsibility of the
latter bureau, was made apparent to-
night in statement issued by Sur
igeon Geenral Presley M Rixley of the
navy, In which he touches upon the
circumstances leading up to the prob
able selection by the president of a
medical officer to command the hos
ffaI III. - q
Brownson.
While disclaiming exact knowledge
as to the cause of Admiral Brownson's
resignation, the surgeon generals
statement leaves little room for doubt
that the controversy he reviews was
a potent factor.
Sprgeon- General Rixey maintains, that
hospital ships, as a rule, always have
been commanded by medical officers. with
a sailing master and civilian crew for
purposes of navigation. This particular
vessel, he says, formerly belonged to the
STmY and was always commanded by a.
Medical officer when used as a hospital
sMc,
InN attempting to unity the medical
servioe, of the army and the navy, he
says th2t joint army and navy board
or medicsI officers, which was convened
by executive order more than year ago,
recommendS5 that hospital ships should
be commanded by medical officers, and
that that recommendation was approved
by both the secretary of war and the sec
retary of the navy in general orders.
Since the civil war, he says, all hospital
ships and medical transport of the army
had been placed under the surgeon-gen-
eral of the army.
Medical Officers Command
He says that Japanese hospital ships
were commanded by medical officers, af-
ter having tried line officers. These ships.
he says, are simply floating hospitals,
properly under the control of the medical
department. and should be conducted in
peace exactly as in time of war. This is
especially SO, he adds. because during
times of war line officers cannot be
spared and do not and should not desire
to command these ships.
He maintains that it always has been
a doubtful question If the Geneva and
The Hague agreements could guarantee
the neutrality of these ships If comSatant
Qine) officers and crews were aboard,
and 1t was this doubt which prevented
the Japanese during the recent war with
Russia from using line officers on the
ships
The internal administration of the bu-
reau of medicine and surgery, he says,
has been in my opinion, too much inter-
ferred with by the bureau of navigation.
This interference has at times caused
grave concern as to how could meet the
needs of those under our care"
The ship Relief, he says should be now
with the battleship fleet. on it's cruise,
bit, he adds, 'the bureau of navigation
tnoS S,ht otherwise, and the fleet of $1,000
men, with it's auxilaries, is without
hospital ship and will be until 1t arrives
at Magdalena bay, more than three
months from now"
Rixey adds that he cannot understand
how Admiral Brownson should he espe-
cially interested in the differing of hospi-
tai ships, as his duties lie in another
direction, and that he should not inter-
fere in a matter pertaining entirely to the
bureau of medicine and surgery and
therefore to be decided by the secretary
of the navy.
Rixey's ctatement
The surgeon generals statement in full
follows:
II have been called up on the telephone
many times today in regard to the resig-
nation of Admiral Broynson.
admiral Brownson and + have been
friends for many years, and when on duty
In Washington as naval attending sur
geon / was his family physician.
His resignation as chief of the bureau
of navigation has been assigned to vari-
Gus causes, among others to a difference
of opinion as to the command of the ship
Relief. While I do not know that this
is cause, it may be interesting to know
the status of this question.
Hospital ships, as rule, always have
been commanded by medical officers, with
sailing master and civilian crew for
purposes of navigation.
'oThe Relief, formerly belonging to the
United States army, was always COM
manded by medical officer when used as
a hospital ship.
"a joint board of army and navy med
ical officers, convened by executive order
more than a year ago to attempt to unity
the medical service as much as possible
reports that such ships should be COM
manded by medical officers, and the
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