The Washington herald., 1913-12-23


The most singing words ever ad-
dressed to officers of the army and
navy by their commander-in-chiefa are
contained in a letter of President Will
son, made public yesterday, bring to
an Official end the affair of the Cara
bao dinner. References to the admin
istration policy in the Philippines and
to Secretary of State Bryan. which
were a feature of the humorous pro-
gram of the dinner. were responsible
for the Presidents severe rebuke OF the
officers Of both services.
Secretaries Garrison and Daniels an
nounced last night that they had de-
cided that the reprimand which the
President directed they should admin
lister to those responsible for the fea-
lures OF the dinner regarded by the
the President as offensive should take
the form of sending to each member
of the dinner committee a copy Of the
Presidents letter. This letter was ad-
dressed to the two secretaries. in re-
sponse to their report on the Carabao
dinner, made by direction Of the Presi-
dent.
AS a matter of regulations, it is likely
that the fact of their being reprimanded
will be entered upon the record OF each
officer who is to receive it. 1t will not
be published in the orders Of either serv-
ice, thus saving the officers concerned
from being held up to the entire army
and navy as being under censure Of the
President. It is understood. however,
that there is no intention of letting the
fact of the reprimand have any weight
when any OF the officers concerned is up
for promotion of his record under scrutiny
in connection with assigning him to duty.
Comnittee Held to Blame.
It is felt here that the severest punish
ment of the officers held responsible for
the Objectionable features of the dinner
lies in the publication of the Presidents
letter with its most caustic reflections.
Many were of the opinion yesterday
that the President. in his comments upon
the ideals of duty and their loyalty, had
gone much further than was necessary
in furnishing the officers for what has
hitherto beer regarded as a harmless
lark. The fact remains that many of
the officers who are to receive the repri-
mand are among the most prominent in
Washington, and are men of unquestion-
ed devotion and loyalty to their respec-
tive services.
The officers who will receive the repri-
mand are the members of the committee
which arranged for the Carabao dinner
held December II. 1t was admitted by
one Cabinet officer last night that un-
doubtedly there were some officers on
the committee to whom the reprimand
would come as an injustice, while Others
not on the committee, were really among
those most deserving Of the rebuke, be-
cause OF their more active participation
in the Objectionable portions of the din
ner program.
Letter of President.
It was explained that the dinner COM
mittee appeared to be the body chiefly
responsible for the entire affair, and that
IT would be undesirable and impracti-
cable to attempt to go behind the COM
mittee to ascertain responsibility.
The Presidents letter, addressed to
Secretaries Garrison and Daniels, was
as follows:
My Dear Sirs: Allow me to thank
you for your report on the action Of GER
tain officers of the army and navy at
the recent dinner Of the Military Order
of the Carobao. The officers who were
responsible for the program of the even
ing are certainly deserving of a very
serious reprimand, which / hereby re-
quest be administered; and I cannot rid
myself Of feeling Of great disappoint-
ment that the general body of officers
assembled at the dinner should have
greeted the carrying out OF such a pro-
gram with apparent indifference to the
fact that it violated some of the most
dignifed and sacred traditions of the
service.
'I am told that the songs and other
amusements of the evening were intended |
and regarded as fun What are we ia |
think Of officers of the army and navy
of the United States who think 1t fun i
to bring their Official superiors intoI
ridicule and the policies of the govern
ment which they are sworn to serve with |
unquestioning loyalty into contempt? If
this is their idea Of fun, what is their I
ideal of duty? If they do not hold their |
loyalty above all silly effervescences OF
childish wit, what about their profession |
do they hold sacred?
Ship s'PIme" Onends,
My purpose, therefore, in administer
ing this reprimand is to recall the men |
who are responsible for this lowering of |
standards to their ideals; to remind them |
of the high conscience with which they |
ought to put duty above personal indul- i
gence, and to think of themselves as re-
sponsible men and trusted soldiers even
while they are amusing themselves as
diners out"
What seem to have been the features
of the dinner program held most OBJ
jectionable by President Wilson were the
song known as Damn, Damn, Damn the
and the burlesque of one of
Mr.. Bryan's suggestions. One of the fea-
lures of the dinner was the bringing on
of three miniature battleships, labeled
the ~. S. s. Friendship ''U. S. S. Fell
lowship," and "U. S. S. Pifie," recalIing
Mr. Bryan's famous twin squadron and
the third invented by a newspaper car
toonist Each of these battleships had