Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1910-08-18
REBUKE TO BOWER
Winthrop Refuses To Grant
Appeal OF Naval Academy
Board
ANOTHER CHANGE FOR BOYS
Assistant Secretary Takes The Part OF
hidshipmen Who Failed - Politics
Behind Ii?

AIlIHS OCIItldi VI the NAVY w IN
throp has overruled Capt. John NJ.
Bowyer and the Naval Academy ad-
| ministration in a flat refusal to
grant the request of the academic
board that special opinion be asked
of the Attorney General as to the
legality of the failure to approve
the boards recommendations that
Midshipmen shall be dismissed for
flunking' on examinations.
Secretary Winthrop has taken
the stand that the Navy Depart
ment is in a position to decide
qu estions pertaining to the admin
istration of the Naval Academy it
self without calling upon the De-
partment of Justice for help. Cap
tain Russell, Judge advocate general,
has advised that such actions of the
department concerning midshipmen
are legal, and this case has been ac-
cepted by Mr.. Winthrop as final.
While no official announcement is
made concerning the situation, it is
understood that Secretary Winthop's s
letter to Captain Bowyer, inform
ing him that the academic boards re-
quest has been disappproved, is in
the form of reprimand that is more
emphatic and impressive than mild.
The members of the board include
the commandant and the heads of all
departments at the Academy, as fol-
lows:
Captain John M. Bowyer, superin-
tendent.
Commander +. Z. Coontz, comman-
dant of midshipmen and head of the
department of discipline.
Commander c. B. Britain, seaman
ship.
Commander II. X. Hines, ordnance
and gunnery. :
Commander G. o. Maxwell, naviga
tion.
Commander F. w. Bartlett, marine
engineering and naval construction.
Prof. S. j. Brown, mathematics
and mechanics.
Prof. N. M. Terry, physics and
chemistry.
Commander w. II. G. BulIard. cleo
trical engineering.
Commander G. K. Clark. English.
Commander H. +. Bryan, modern
languages.
Surgeon A. r. Wentworth, naval
hygiene and physiology.
Thus an even dozen of the highest
officers at the Naval Academy have
been met with refusal of their re-
quest on the part of Mr.. Winthrop.
BY the present regulations the
Naval Academy, like the Marine
Corps, is placed under the Assistant
Secretary. The only opportunity for
appeal would be for a communication
to be addressed to Secretary Meyer,
over Mr.. Winthrop's head. 1t is not
believed, however, that the issue will
come to this.
The board recently took exception
to the action of the Navy Department
in failing to approve the recommen-
dations of the board in several cases
of midshipmen who were recommend
ed by the board to be dropped or to
be called upon to resign for failing
to pass the examinations. The board
has long been used to politics inter-
fering with its affairs, although it's
markings of papers are supposed to
be final, and its recommendations
must, in accordance with the regula-
tions, be placed on the record of the
midshipmen question.
With the advent of the new ad-
ministration and reorganization of
the board, it appeared that the de-
partment would eliminate politics as
far as possible and give the board a
free hand. In fact, this was prom
ised to Captain Bowyer in person.
The board, accordingly, proceeded
on strict lines, with the result that
nearly half of the class of 1908 fail
ed to make their ensign commissions
in June. Several of these made
such poor showing that they were
recommended for designations. In
ONE instances the designations were
not called for, but the department
ordered that they be continued for
re-examination.
This naturally upset the equilibrium
of the board, but the members were
unable longer to remain quiet when
| the department ordered that certain
I VI Tic GLASS VI 4JOft VIII
should have passed for ensigns' COM
missions last year and failed again
this year, still be continued for an
other opportunity. 1t was this which
brought forth the protest from the
board. When this was received Sec.
retary Winthrop called upon the
Judge Advocated General for an opin-
ion as to the legality of the action
such cases. Being advised it was
| legal, the board was so informed.
Following this the board addressed
through Captain Bowyer, commu
nication taking issue with Captain
Russell's opinion and asking that ar
opinion be asked of the Department
of Justice. Since Captain Russell's
opinion had been approved by ths
department, the academic board came
near running afoul of the naval reg
ulaton in protesting against what hat
been made known as a policy of tn,
department.
The rebuke of the Navy Depart
ment hits hardest Captain Bowyer, a