The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1910-08-04
A Fractional Fight.

He has ideas about the administra-
ton Of the navy. When he went to
the head of the department. he found
two factions there. The existence OF
factions had wei nigh demoralized the
naval organization. The head men Of
both factions deplored the condition but
it had sprung up, fundamental ideas of
naval administration We're at issue. In
brief one idea was a virtual continua
ton Of existing conditions: another was
reform in methods and administration.
One was for the old navy Of the last
twenty years; the other was for a new
er navy, more closely following the de-
velopments of the great fighting navies
of European powers. The advocates of
the two lines of procedure fought to
the finish and the advocates of the
older and settled conditions have been
ousted.
Some good men have gone down.
ROBBERS and Capps are two Of them,
No ADLER and more conscientious naval
officers have served under the flag. As
far as the navy is concerned they are
consigned to the scrap heap, although
they 60 upon the retired list with the
rank of rear-admirals of the lower
grade and with three fourths pay Of the
grade Their thirty years service and
recent provision of congress makes
that possible But with all their ability
and acumen in administration and con
struction. they were out of sorts with
the civilian head of the department,
were virtually defying his authority
and military discipline prescl hes but
one remedy for such a condition. The
men had to be gotten rid of. Whether
Secretary Never is right or wrong. mat
tiers not in the first instance. There
must be harmony in the machinery of
the navy department. The responsible
itv IS with Secretary Meyer. If he Is
wrong, sooner or later the country viii
find it out. Congress viii find It out
and then Secretary Never and he alone
will he given the blame.
And, on the other hand, If he IS right
the credit VIII all be his. The service
will be improved materially. \ new
order of things viii he established.
And in any event two distinguished
bureau chiefs win find their navy ca
reers blemished by refusal to cooperate
fully with their superior officers. Any
way one can look at it there has been
reprchensihle insuhordination. This has
| been toward the secretary OF the navy
directly. and also indirectly in cooperat-
| ing with opposing forces in congress to
| the secretarv's embarrassment. In a
| sense. congress is superior TO the navy
| department and to secretaries Of the
navy. 1t holds the purse strings, and
| the navy can not lie maintained with
| ont money and lots of It. Congress
meaning the head men Of the naval
| committees. who shape the approprla
| ton bills aud fashion naval sentiment
upon the Hill-has not approved of the
Inevfa0gled naval ideas nor Of the
naval reformers. whom President Roose-
Welt encouraged by very unml]tarv
methods,
Sided With Congress.
The naval bureau chiefs whose heads
have fallen sided with congress and
| gave aid and comfort TO senators and
| representatives who were resisting the
| so-ealled reforms In the earlier and
better DAYS Of the republic the nava.
| bureau chiefs in question might have
/ been able 70 so this with comparative
! .nr-r-+v. Their powerful friends uror
! the Hnr would save tham from condigr
/ punishment. Rut with the growth at
/ the navy discipline IS being admins
. tered severely. ard with the eur~ert
/ decentralization some very exemplary
faction seemed Indispensable.
Newfangled Schemes.
! There were bureau chiefs who did
/ not svmpathize with the newfan-lel
-af--...- g-,T VII, l---- ~0r-1-rf -A9-