The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1907-12-31

Washington. DecemmOer -o-NoI
since The days preceding the passage
ot IN, personnel law ten years "So
has feeling between line anG stan u
the navy been SO acute as IL Is toudI
as the result OF the refusal OF AdnliAI (
provnson to transmit orders irom MS \
,,,narior officer, the president. assign
ing a naval surgeon 10 command d
vessel in the navy. In the case u
the personnel act Il was MT fNoose-
Welt. then assistant secretary Oh :"
navy. who acted the part oil pac'h'A-
for and succeeded in bringing the TWO
warning factions together In support
of the measure. In the pFesehN "a
n however, the efforts Oh 'he
president TO reconcile the surgeons
and the line officers has falleu ana !
is probable that the whole controversy
will be threshed out IN congress lh's
&c much deprecated by conservative Oh
6cers in both line and STAFF, as likely
IN proye preiudicial TO the naVys in-
terest as a whole, for they ofheNe
that in order to succeed In securing
from congress the four great ba''Ie-
shipS. the cruises, scouts ana SUD
marines which form a part OF the
wears naval estimates, In addition 10
1 securing legislation that Will better
! the lot OF naval officers personally. me
navy must present a united front
Through the published statement OF
Surgeon General Rixey, the merits OF
the doctors side Of the case IN thls
instance have been clearly set torth.
Line officers believe that in common
fairness they should also have n hear
ing. Admiral Brownson preceded his
resignation by a cold, clear ana Iosr
can presentation Of the reasons why
objected to the assignment OF phNk
clans to command a naval ship, eA2,
though that vessel were exclusively
devoted to hospital uses. That state
ment was submitted to the preSideR
and Notwithstanding the stan has had
it's say in print. applications at the
White house for the letter are
met with refusal. Now IL as clearly
impossible for Admiral Brownson or
any Of his lire officers TO make public
a copy of the letter without mourning
the risk of a court martial. SO they
can look for a change in the executive
mind or for the congressional investi-
CATION which will develop all the facts
Admiral Rrownson's objection to the
execution of the presidents order 10
place a surgeon in command of the hos
pital ship Relief was two-fold. In the
6rst place, like every officer, he be
lieved that the subordination OF any
line officer to a staff officer on, ship
board was bad policy and subEersiyC
of naval discipline. But a stronger
objection in his mind was that th'
proposed action was clearly Illegal
inasmuch a.; it is forbidden by law OF
naval regulation to assign a staff Off,
Ger to command a ship. II is only faii
: to the staff side to state that this Il
debatable ground and that it would
not be difficult to construe the naVa
: . laws and regulations in either way.
There was no developments toda1
lin the controversy. owing to the 1b
sence from Washington Of he Presi
dent. Admiral Brownson relinquishct
his position as chief OF the bureau q
navigation yesterday and the dutie
of hat office were today dischars"'
by Commander Cameron McRae Wins
low.
The difference between the line ant
the STAFF is something about which IN
' public mind is more or less confused
. A line officer is one whose sole dut'
is TO fight the ship. while the stat
officer is one who either provides IN
means for line officer to do 50 or act
under his direction in carrying ont o..
general orders.
Secretary Metcalf again TO-DAY ne
! clined TO enter into any discussion
OF the issues which prompted Admira
n Rrownson's resignation as chic! OF m
@ navigation bureau.