The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-12-29
CONGRESS- WILL GIVE
 HELP ID NAVY MEN
President Roosevelt Has Already se- cured Control of Several Bureaus and Added Another When He
 Forced Brownson Out.

President Roosevelt is determined complete reorganization of the burea complete reorganization of the bureau with the exception of Rixey, who just won a notable battle by the ident's aid; Cowles, head of the bul of equipment Che Presidents brother
 law). and Commander Wnslow, ma
 by the President to succeed Adn,raI
 Brownson Uetred), will fight the whole 2
 plan and will be sustained by strong con-
 gressional backing.
 Already Senator Hale, chairman of tho Senate committee on naval affairs has taken up the fight for the bureaus. Rep- reseutative Foss, chairman of the House
 committee on naval affairs, is said to oe thoroughly in sympathy with Senator Hale.
 It is said to be the plan of the Pres- dent to have complete reorganization of the bureaus to bring them more com pletely under executive domination. 1t is known that the heads of the bureaus of
 the navy, assuming an attitude of great technical knowledge, and the aloofness of experience, have always treated sugges- tions from the White House with some-
 
 the mind of the President. By placing his friend, pr. Rlxey, In command of the surgeon generals department the President has gained control of that im- portant branch of the service.
 Control of Departments. The elevation of his brother-in-law to the place of chief of the bureau of equip
 ment brought him in control of that de- 1 partment, and when Wlnslow was placed | in charge of the bureau of navigation 1 the President added ansther bureau to I his list. There are, however, many others where the Presidents orders are treated | with more or less indifference, and 1t Is | said to be his determination to wipe out | all signs of bureau independence, re- 1 organize the line and staff, just as the ] army was reorganized, and completely l dominate the whole department. | The President is now i'll Pine Knot, Va. | and Is not expected back here until Tues | day. Dr. Rixey Is with him. Admiral Brownson is here, but his lips are sealed. 1t Is considered sgnihcants | however, that the order assigning Dr. l tSokes to the command of the Relief is | l unsigned It was said tonight that the
 order will not be signed until the Presi- | dent returns.
 | According to well informed persons this l break has been coming for long time. l The question of Dr. Stokes Is merely a | trivial detail, but is said to have been l welcomed by the President as con- | venient peg upon which to force the issue. 1 It is understood that he will now formu- l late plan and try to have 1t carried l into effect which will wipe out all the | old independence of the bureaus and | make them mere clerlSly annexes to tho ] administration.
 Against Bureau System. | Roosevelt is against the bureau sys- | tenn, and finding 1t neoessary to take a l stand somewhere, he avaied himself of i the hospital ship question as one that ] could bring about the situation he de- l sired. The talk of congressional inves- : tigation of the whole naval establish
 ment, the President had anticipated, and 1 he is now in attitude of inviting such ! an inquiry The bureau system has l proved a defect in the work of the navy,
 so he thinks, and he wishes that defect | disclosed and remedied If possible. | Tine mere fact that much of the work 1 performed by the bureau chiefs of the
 
 1 placed these chiefs in position where they
 have felt competent to defy criticisms | and efforts to restrain them Objections i to the manner in which armor plat l placed upon vessel, even if they i from the President, were ignored on 1 ground that no one but a man traine 1 the science of naval construction had 1 right to criticize.
 l So in the matter of steam enginee
 of equipment and of everything else | taining to the efficiency of a naval 1 sel, the bureau chiefs have arrogate 1 themselves the power of determining hf ! questions regardless of criticism or l vice.
 l The results of this system have bee | plored whenever 1t has been disco' 1 that in government warships there ha arf i isted defects of the material or mach l inferior to the best and was being use | cause some bureau chief insisted on
 Reorganization Favored. | For iong time the President has been l in favor of a reorganization of the navy | similar to that effected in the army and l ii is understood he has started his fight 1 in the manner most certain to make it 1 effective. It is expected that when the 1 President returns from Virginia he will 1 make public Admiral Brownson's letter of resignation, his own reply and state ment that will outline his purpose. Con-
 gress will be asked to make an investiga- | ton and the President will point out the l lines upon which the inquiry should be l conducted. | It Is now definitely understood that l when this statement is published 1t will | be seen that the dispute over who should 1 command a hospital ship was merely
 used as basis for such action as the | President has decided to take. The hos | pital ship question was one the President | felt could be judged by a landsman as 1 well as by bureau chiefs. It Is simple l matter, and therefore it was seized on by l the President as an issue that could lead l to the accomplishment of greater things.
 So the President has made his stand on the hospital ship question, and the bureau 1 chiefs have accepted the challenge to bat-
 tie just as the President had expected
 thcm to dc,