The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-11-14
MR.. GARRIsON.s ATTITUDE.
In a STRAIGHTFORWARD way the secretary
Corrects some NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS..

To THE EDITOR OF TIE SuN-Sir. Your
editorial headed Secretary Garrison and
Congress" In to-day's issue OF THE SuN
Is curious and Illuminating example OF
how things. at least some things. should
not be done. You begin by assuming I
occupy an attitude which / do not. and
end by condemnlng the attitude in which.
by your unwarranted assumption. you
have placed me I do not conceive that
you have any desire to he Intentionally
unfair, and hence l state the facts to you
exactly as they occurred.
The interview referred to arose out of
question put TO me by one OF the news
paper men at their customary afternoon
visit. The question was substantially as
| follows:
n Congressman Gardner requests you to
permit army officers to volunteer their Views
to Congress or a committee thereof, will you
| do so?
To which responded in substance as
follows:
No. II Congress or a committee thereof
apply to me for facts will give them all the
facts OF which the Department has knowl-
edge. l Will appear myself and produce all
the officers or officials who possess intimate
knowledge OF every detail II Congress or
committee thereof ask for the views OF
the Department upon any subject I will eN
press the views OF the Department. and II
the matter Is one properly calling for ex-
pert knowledge and opinion I will submit
such
l said that the policies which the De-
pdrtmont advocated should be solely
voiced by the Secretary. the responsible
| head thereof. and by those whom he au-
thorzed 10 speak in behalf OF the Depart
ment, and that did not conceive It
proper for subordlnates to volunteer their
Views as TO what the policies of the De-
partment we're l said that II was I'M
necessary 10 ada that Congress or a com
mttee thereof possessed the fullest power
to elicit the views OF any person in or out
Of the army upon any subject. ! did not
even Intimate the slightest possible OBJ
lection or criticism OF their doing So
What did object TO. and do most strenu
ously object to, Is to have subordinates
OF this Department volunteer their opin-
ions concerning the policies OF this Depart
ment TO Congress, either openly or COW
ertly, as the Secretary is solely RESPONSE
Bile In law and In fact for the policies Of
Att ~ phl AIllfllls II Ut'uS nv argument
TO demonstrate the propriety OF this posi-
ton and to demonstrate. further. that dis
organization. confusion and chaos would
result from any other course. You might
as well permit any and every subordinate
Of a newspaper to print his own Views
upon the policy Of that paper without
regard TO the policy as determined upon
by its responsible head
You say
The Secretary 1. represented a. holding
the position that he is responsible for the
military policy OF the country Is not this
a serious error Does not Congress control
the policy and the Secretary administer IT.
agree that there was a serious error
but I did not. commit IL, The error was
in so representing. or rather misrepre-
senting. my position.
or course Congress- Ia responsible for
the military policy OF the country. OF
course | never even intlmated anything 10
the contrary; in fact, emphasized that
very thing. AS stated above, pointed
out that Congress or It's committees in
determining this very question undoubt-
edly had all the power that was possible
to enable II 10 summon before 1t every
DOlH ana anybody II C0OSe IN order 10
get al the facts. opinions and views It
might desire to enable 1t properly to legls-
late on the subject matter Let Congress
determine what Il wants and who II wants
and II has full power to bring before 4
all that Il desires. But consider II i'm
proper for subordnates OF this Depart
ment 10 volunteer their views and mani
testify improper TO attempt 10 state the
policies OF this Department
In emitting TO refer TO so much OF your
editorial as assumes to describe my state
OF mind and 10 impute motives for my
actions I do not wish to be understood
as asserting TO the correctness OF your
assumptions or imputatons / refrain
merely because those matters, being pure
~ personal 10 myself. are not important
whereas the other matters that | have
referred 10 are vitality important, because
they affect the Department in its proper
attitude toward Congress and the country
and II left without correction misreprescnt
Its attitude. LINDLEY NJ GARRISON,
Secretary of War
WAR DEPARTMENT. WASHINGTON. Mo-
vember IL.