Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1908-01-16
square DEAL" DENIED
Secretary Ms'ca'f Not To Send
DroWasOn Papers to House.
RIx(Y SIDE 70 Be PRESENTED
President suppresses erownson Memo.
randum as Personal" communi.
catlon-consress viii Have to Find
Some other Way.

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sentative GIL, of Maryland. will not
be successful in getting from secre.
iary Metcalf that part of the cores.
pondence bearing on the Brownsom'
Rixey controversy which explains Ad.
miral Brownson's reasons for his con
teniion in regard To command Of hos
pital ships. The House adopted Mr..
Gill's resolution calling for all cor
respondence bearing on the subject.
Secretary Metcali. after his return
from the cabinet meeting today. cali.
eh upon the various l.ireaus for mat
ter TO be included in his answer 20
the resolution. The missing state
mont of Admiral Hrownson. explain
Ing in detail his reasons for resigins,
was addressed TO the President. and
although II went through military
channels II Is not now in the Navy
Department and there Is no record
of II. MIR. Metcalf indicated his III.
tertion of sending TO the House only
snch information on the subject as
was on record in the department.
Yet, in failing to include the Brown
son statement, Secretary Metcalf IS
not falling 10 comply in any way with
ttc resolution. The resolution re-
questcd that the secretary send to tho
House all papers and correspondence
leading up TO Admiral Brownson's res
ifnation that could Bn made public
without being "incomratibie with the
public service."
Secretary Metcalf decided that none
of the matter he will send up Will
be Incompatible" for the reason that
nearly all of II already has been pub
lished. Already the papers are
being brought together, and
they will he sent to the House within
the next few days. accompanied by n
letter from the secretary explaining
the whole situation.
Representative Gill probably will
| have to take some other step In or,
| der to tTing out this one document.
which has an important bearing on
the controversy. Secretary Metcalf has
repeatedly denied that there Is any
such document; while the President,
admitting that there is such n memor.
Iandnm. takes the stand that Ii Is
purely personal and accordingly will
mot be placed on record in the case.
tbs SIN enncrarGum line officers hol
contains the key to The cnIire sitna.
ton. from Admiral BIownson's point
Of view. as in II the Admiral cited at
length the law. naval regulations and
precedents in the matter of placing
hospital ships under the command of
lraval surgeons. Admiral Brownson' s
statement and letter of resignation
were filed with the secretary, but
were forwarded to the President for
faction: the Presidents letter accept
ing the resignation went through the
departm to Admiral Brownson ac
cordlngly. Neither of these three doc
uments is on file in the department.
The Presidents two letters to Secre.
tary Metcalf ON the case, dated .Ianu-
airy 2 and January f. are on file In the
department and will be sent to the
House. The opinion of Secretary Bon
aparte December 10. 1906, indorsinp
the action of the medical board in
placed under surgeons. will be sub
mitted. There are also on file com.
lmunications from Surgeon General
Rixey defending his policy. which will
be sent to the House.
| Or. Rixey's Defense.
DIR. Rirey's side OF the case will BIZ
we'll defended by the secretary, who
s with the President In word and
spirit. and has little sympathy with
Admiral Brownson. DR. Bell. sur
gecn in DR.. Rixey's Office, has beer
detailed 10 look we'll into the history
If the case so far as the medical bu
reau Is concerned.
Admiral Converse and Chief Con
structor Capps are busily engaged
digging up facts concerning the his
tory of American ana foreign nava
construction in refutation of the crit
cisms of the navy that have beer
published recently These will h:
mainly in answer to the magazine ar
iclc of the artist Reuterdahl, which
was not written by him, 1t Is declar
ID. Mr. Reuterdahl is now a gues
If Admiral Evans on the fleet. by tho
Presidents order and he can hardly
reply to the departments answer fol
some time.
In the meantime the fight between
the line and staff of the navy for per
sonnet Legislation continues. Lieut.
Com. Albert Key. until recently the
Presidents naval aid. who engineered
the campaign before Congress last win
ter, has been recalled from his ship
the Salem, at Quincy, Mass, to spent
some time in Washington prosecuting
the fight
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