The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1907-12-28
DECLARES IT AN ERROR.
Army and Navy Journal Comments
on BrOwnsOn Controversy.

That the Navy Department erred in
not announcing the relative positions OF
the chief OF the Bureau OF Navigation
and the chief of the Bureau OF Medicine
and Surgery al the beginning of the re-
cent controversy between those two
officials as 10 whether the hospital ship
Relief should be Commanded" or merely
in charge" of a naval surgeon, is the
opinion Of many interested In the affair.
In touching upon this and other QUes-
tons relating 20 the controversy. the
Army and Navy Register VIII say to-day:
Rear Admiral Brownson adhered tenaciouslY TO his
position that line officer Of The navy should. or
as least that a naval surgeon should not command
the vessel and he preferred 20 withdraw from the
Navy Department than become a party 70 what he
regarded as an illegal act Nothing has come from
the chief 81 the bureau Of navigation on the SUD
jet. and similar silence has been maintained on
the part Of the Secretary Of the Navy and &C the
White House unless II Is proper 70 that the
statement given out by the Surgeon General. and
printed elsewhere, was countenanced or instigated
by the President.
The incident has evoked widespread newspaper
comment. much Of il based upon a misunderstanding
Of the situation and carried to ridiculous extrsm-
ties Of assumption. It appears that the President
heard both sides and was sustained by an opinion
from the Attorney General based upon the practice
abroad and under the War Department here regard
ing the status q the senior medical officer or board
hospital ship and took into account the rule laid
down by the Geneva convention that the absolute
neutrality Of hospital ship may only be preserved
by having a noncombatant officer in command. The
position Of Rear Admiral BTOUnson is approved by
line officers iustidahe protest against what is
regarded as an 9croachmeut uron the rights Of
command vested in the line personnel.
The relative positions Of the two bureau chiefs
not made as distinctly clear hy any information
in authoritative form as could be desired, II is in
that respect that the Navy Department has made
another Of is grieyous mistakes as It has so fre-
Guenuy done under the present administration.
which prefers SUPPRESSION and mystery 10 candor A
simple statement from the White House or the
Navy Department on Tuesday would have been a
9udicious communication to the public and would
have opportunely impaired some greatly needed IN
formation calculated 10 spare conjecture end avoid
Misrepresentation Of The situation with its at
tendant injustice 10 officers. II the President au-
thorzcd instructed any statement from one side
he should have granted equal privilege IN simple
fairness 70 the other side. Failure 10 do this has
only widened the breach between the line and the
stat Of the navy al time when Il seemed possible
as il necessary. that this trouble would cease.
Some Of the newspapers have confounded the
present incident with the disclosures regarding the
defects Of ships OF war OF course il has moth
ing 20 do with the bureau system Of designing.
building equippirg ships. but Il might well be
made the occasion Of some legislation which viii
render II unnecessary for questions Of this sort to
disrupt naval administration. give to the President
the duty and responsibility Of decision or lead 70
the resignation from the bureau ehiefshp q such
valuable officer as Rear Admiral Bfownson.
A condition which makes such thing possible or
necessary ought 20 be corrected and the sooner there
is adjustment Of the law relating to the naval
personnel 70 establish certainty Of the provisions
Of the statutes the better fer the service.