Evening star., 1908-01-11
views Of other Speakers.

try with navy on both Oce ans that VIII
be strong enough"
Views Of Other Speakers.
Addresses were also made by Commits
sioner Macfariand, former Secretary Her.
bert former Secretary McAdoo and Rep
resentative Weeks. The latter touched
upon the contest between the lire and
staff of the navy. He said:
Il do not believe that man who is
surgeon or a man who is a paymaster
should have charge of a ship of a fleet.
Such men should not be called either cap
tain or admiral. A captain who is sur
geOn should be called a surgeon captain,
and an admiral who is surgeon sur
geon admiral. do not believe in permit
ting a. doctor to command a ship.
The criticisms Of our navy. i believe,
in most instance. have been unjust. But
in one instance. when we were compelled
to carry coal for the cruise OF our fleet
to the Pacific. in foreign bottoms. was
not to be thus lightly dismissed.
Mr.. Weeks said that this action on the
part of the authorities was indeed to be
deplored. He AIDED that when the Panama
canal is built it may not be necessary for
this nation to maintain two navies. but it
will be necessary for it to establish a
naval base in the Pacific 1t will not be
requisite. he said. for the nation to put
in so many naval stations and drydocks
as are to be found on the Atlantic side Of
the country.
Hawaii, the speaker argued, must be
fortified. Hawaii must become our base
commercial supremacy Of that part of the
world.
Names of Those Present.
Among those present were:
Gen. Horace Porter, Mr. ard Mrs Louis
c. Hay. Colgate Hoyt. Charles L. Poor,
Charles L. Poor. jr.. Mr. and Mrs.
James Stokes. Mr.. ard Mrs. Thayer.
Miss L. Harland, Mr.. F. H. Newberry. ].
j. F. Mulcahy. Burton Holmes, Mrs
Glynn, J. +. ]. Archibald Lady Dun
Gordon, Miss Rogers. Mr. and Mrs. L. r.
Brown. Mr. and Mrs H. II. Ward. Mr.
II. B. Kane Capt. and Mrs. r. c. Buh-
ner, Mrs. Rfdgeley, Mr. J, W. Weeks. Mr.
Hilary A. Herbert. Justice ]. NJ Harlan,
Mr.. George e. Foss, Fred C. Knapp
George II. Owen. Mai. and Mrs. William
B. Wetmore, Gen. James Allen. Gen. Ar
thur Murray. II. B. F. Mcfarland r. p.
Hobson. Mr.. and Mrs. Ross Thompson,
Mr.. and Mrs. Cooper. Mrs. Madison, Gen.
George F; Elliott Lieut.: Comdr. and Mrs.
F. K. Hill. Hayne Davis. l.. A. Osborne,
| f. h. Roden. Mr.. Brigham. Edgar d.
Shaw, Mrs. J. w. Weeks. Mrs A. L..
Wood. Mrs. FELTON,. Capt. j. w. Miller.
r. e. Prendergast, f. B. Dean, Rev.
Graham Shay. Capt. w. G. Barnette, Mr.
| and Mrs. McAdoo and Gen. H. c. Mer-
riam.
Command by staf Officers.
An effort was made at the annual con-
| vention Of the league yesterday to place
| that organization on record in opposition
| to the policy of placing staff officers of
| the navy in command of a vessel CARRYING
line officers and enlisted men. The matter
arose in the form of a resolution offered
| by Capt. j. II. Miller to the effect that
q Vna aJr,a y10ta 49,
! a policy. He contended that since the
purpose of the navy is to fight upon the
seas in defense of the country an officer
I, who has been trained TO command its
| fighting men is the chief factor of it's
personnel. and he. rather than those who
have risen in the service through scientific
| achievement. should be placed In the COM
| mand of its vessels
| Former Assistant Secretary of the Navy
| McAdoo opposed the adoption of the reso-
| luton on the ground that the question al
| ready had aroused strife In naval circles
| and the adoption of such resolution as
| that framed by Capt. Miller would tend to
| defeat the object of the league whose aim
finally referred to the board of directors
/ for action.
investigation of Bureau System. -
| An investigation of the 'bureau sys-
tenn in the Navy Department was asked
for in resolution introduced by Herbert
| /. Satterlee. which provided that the
President of the United States should be
asked to appoint a committee with that
| object in view. After much discussion. in
| which Representative Hobson of Alabama
| participated the resolution was so amend
| ed as to provide that the naval affairs
| committee of the two houses Of Congress
| should be asked to make the nvestiga-
| tion.
The action of the government in send
| ing the battleship fleet to the Pacific met
| with the approval of the Navy League as
/ expressed In resolution offered by Mr..
| McAdoo.
/ The following were elected directors of
the league: George de Forest Barton,
| Wade Dmeck. ]. Frederick Tams, Aaron
/! Vanderbilt and Louis G. Hay