Evening capital and Maryland gazette., 1913-03-28
DANIELS JOLTS
THE NAVY AGAIN
Order Makes Sea Service by Grades
Necessary for Promotion.
BLOW AT FAyORITSM.
Plan Stops Officers Near Capital
MonopoIizing Shore Duty.

Il
naval service Wednesday by Secre-
tary Daniels. The first was the dis
missaI If Rear Admiral Philip An
drews as chief of the bureau of navi-
CATION and the appointment of Com
mander Victor Blue in his place.
The second came Wednesday in an
order to the Examining board that
henceforth officers are not to be ad-
yanced unless they have had abundant
sea service in the grade from which
they see promotion.
| The SecretarY's chief purpose is
| to break up the practice OF offlcers
establishing themselves close to VAST
ington to avoid serving at sea. BY
this announcement of policy he hopes
| to dispel the impression that has
long existed in the Navy that pre- fer
ment il given to those officers who
are detached from the fleet and serv-
ing at the Navy Department.
1.-The business of the navy, said
/ Secretary Daniels, sis to be ready to
fight when occasion requires. This
| Department amounts to nothing ex-
cept a ii promotes the efficiency of
the service at sea. / want to lay the
| emphasis hereafter upon sea service
| rather than on shore duty, especially
| shore duty close to this desk OF mine.
81 do not expect to fix hard and
| fast rule for minimum sea service be-
fore promotion will be granted from
| a given grade, but do intend that
| officers shall not be promoted until
il is clear beyond all doubt that they
have had adequate service for the
proper performances of the sea du-
ties cf the next higher grade.
1t is underst ood that this policy
was decided upon by Secretary DAN
ieIs after consultation with President
Wilson. The President is understood
TO be heartily in sympathy with the
order. 1t also is expected that Mr..
Daniels action will meet with in
slant approval in Congress, especial
ly in the House, where there has been
an agitation for legislation fixing
the minimum sea service.
1t frequently has been charged
that groups of officers have been al
lowed to feather their own nests
comfortably in Washington, while
their colleagues not so close to the
powers that be, served at sea. In
this connection two cases came up
Wednesday that may afford the first
instanc of the application of the
ne W rule regarding promotion.
Commander Andrews, who loses
his rank of Rear Admiral with the
end of his term as chief of the bu-
reau of navigation, and Capt. Templin
M. Potts, aid for personnel at the
Department, went bs fore the exami-
nation board as candidates for promo
tion to the grade of Captain and Rear
Admiral respectively.
Commander Andrews has had just
two months of sea service since he
achieved the rank of Commander.
Captain Potts has had no sea service
in the grade of captain. Therefore,
if Secretary Daniels means business
with his new order il difficult to see
how Commander Andrews and Cap
tain Potts can be promoted consist
emily with his order. Therefore it
seems as though Secretary Daniels
has given a double blow to Command
err Andrews, first removing him from
/ Office and then disbarring him from
promotion. :.
Commander Andrews was assigned
tn temporary duty with the General
BOARD of the Navy. Commander, now
Rear Admiral Blue, was drafted from
the General Board to his new posi-
tioa. He has been sworn in. Com
mander Andrews will be assigned to
some sea duty at an early date and it
is expected he will get a desirable
assignment.
The two chsnges inaugurated by
Secretary Daniels caused great stir
at the Navy Department. fhe re-
moval of Andrews recalled the fact
that the Bureau of Navigation has
been the focus of a hot controversy
ever since the Roosevelt Administra-
ton. A year ago naval circles were
stirred by the removal of Rear Ad-
miral Reginald M. Nicholson as chief
and the appointment of Andrews.
| Anmiral Nicholson's friends greatly
| resented this and it has been ex-
pected that they would try to have
Andrews displaced at the first OPP
portuuity.
Admiral Nicholson is North Car
GILMAN and, of course, enjoyed the
support of the members of Congress
and naval officers from that State.
This is Secretary paniels's own
State. The new Secretary is not
at all unacquainted with naval per-
sonnel matters. Mrs. Daniels is a
member Of the Blgley FAMILY, dis
tinguished for generations in the
navy. Victor Blue, the new chief.
is from South Carolina, and has
long been we'll known to Mr. Dan
iels.
1t is reported that other changes
are to be made by Secretary Daniels.
1t is predicted that there will be a
change in the superintendency of the
Naval Academy, a position now filled
by Captain John Henry Gibbons. He
has not had any sea service since
reaching the grade of Captain.
Commander Twining and Lieut.
Commander Hutch Cons chiefs of Du-
re aus at the Navy DEPARTING Mt, are
also mentioned in the gossip. Com
| mander fwining has had 40 sea SER
vice in his present grade. but Lieut.
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