Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1908-01-06
REsuKE FROM PRESIDENT.
Continued from Page One.)

question Of possible breach Of neutrality.
In our own service at the close of the
Civil war by general order Of Feb. 6. 1865.
hospital transports and hospital boaits
were placed exclusively under the con-
troll of the medical department.; the hos
pital ship on the Mississippi being under
the command of q feet surgeon with the
sailing master under him as a navigat-
ing officer. In the Spanish-American war
the hospital ships Vigilancia, Relief. Mis-
souri, Fay State and Olivetta were placed
under the charge of. or the command Of.
various army surgeons, the order some
times reading that the surgeon will take
charge Of the hospital ship, sometimes
that he will assume command Of the
hospital ship, this last being the form of
words used in connection with the ship
Relief, the one that we are now corSid-
ering The manual Of the medical de-
partment Of the United States army for
1906 provides that hospital boats shall be
exclusively under the control of the med
ical department. and that the order Of
the secretary of the navy Of Dec. II. 1906.
puts hospital ships under the command
of naval surgeons. At present two pay
officers are serving in naval hospitals un-
der the command of medical officers Of
the navy and the present paymaster gen.
eraI Of the navy served under the conf
mand Of a medical officer of the navy in
1872
Military surgeons, including naval
surgeons, have special knowledge of hos
pitaI ships. and they have in addition
certain military duties. just as do officers
of the line.
THE command of a hospital ship
should unquestionahly be vested in a med
ical officer, and no line officer should be
aboard it. The medical officer in such
case is simply the responsible head of 4
large hospital plant which. by reason OF
his training. he is peculiarly fitted to
command. 1t is not his province to nav
igate the vessel. should be left to a CT
william sailing master; but he and he alone
is best qualified to respect and guard the
neutrality Of the ship. The absurdity OF
appointing a line officer to command a
hospital was shown in the case of the
United States hospital ship Solace during
the war with Spain, when the line Off
| Ger in command actually attempted to put
| in q claim for prize money for the part
the Solace took in the capture Of the
Adula, while the Solace was flying the
Red Cross flag and processing neutral
| fly.
I'm the Russo-Japanese war Russian
hospital ship violated her neutrality and
was captured and confiscated by the
japanese. In time of war the presence
| of combatants-that is. Of line officers
or crew-would certainly cast suspicion
no Of 10 chin and
line officer worth his salt would wish to
be on such a ship while 1t seems incred-
ible that any line officer should desire
to have another line officer on board such
ship. Hospitals afloat or shore should
no more be under the command of line
officers than regiments or warships
should be under the command of sur
geon; one kind Of appointment is quite
as inappropriate as the other. Hospital
ships should be maintained in time Of
peace exactly under the same conditions
as in time OF war. The system has been
| tried in the army and tried in foreign
navies. and has worked without hitch.
| 1t Is the only system that should be tol-
Grated; and If it fails to work we'll this
failure can only be due to lack of desire
to work we'll on the part of those con-
cerned
| II direct that unless Congress provide
otherwise the practice In the navy be
similar to that now obtaining in the ar
my. In the army the hospital ship Is
treated as general hospital; and Article
1857 reads as follows:
General hospitals will be under the
exclusive control of the surgeon general
and will be governed by such regula-
lions as the secretary of war may pre-
scribe. The senior surgeon will command
the same
(signed THEODORE ROOSEVELT -
| Admiral Brownson was shown the Fres-
ident's letter today by a representative OF
Tho Associated Press and was asked If
in view of the fact that Mr.. Roosevelts
side of the subject had been stated in
these communications he did not feel at
liberty to say something in his own be-
| half
| Not word" was his prompt reply
and this attitude he maintained TO all in
quiries.