Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1920-10-26

these charges but publicly declared
they were entirely ''baseless."
Now Mr.. Rathom makes public a
letter from him to Roosevelt in which
he reviews the policy Of the Depart
meht respecting the management Of
the Navy prison at Portsmouth, n.
H. In this letter he declares:
Under Lieutenant Commander Os-
borne the Navy Prison at Portmouth
became a by-word and a joke in the
mouths of the bluejackets of the Navy,
even among those stationed in the
war zone. An s.gent of the Depart
ment of Justice found moral condi-
tons at the prison fntolerable.' but
to the inmates it was home" a
paradise compared with the life
aboard ship"
He supports the declaration with
evidence. that this condition of things
was undermining the morale of the
Navy. He then directly charged the
| assistant secretary with acts which
| the latter has disavowed and gives
the history of one case, that Of Clar-
ence A. Parker, as proof. Rathom
says:
While it has always been the Navy
practice TO return to active service a
certain number of men, convicted OF
purely military offences. the most
stringent rules were enforced in re-
gard to those convicted of crimes in
volving moral turpitude."
These rules you utterly disregard
ed. notwithstanding every appeal and
protest made to you. In order that
men guilty of crimes involving moral
turpitude and unnatural offences
might be returned from prison to ac-
tive duty, it was necessary, as you
well know, for an order to that effect
to be SIGNED BY THE SECRE-
TARY OF THE NAVY OR BY THE
ACTING SECRETARY OF THE
NAVY. There are now on file in the
Navy Department records of scores OF
men convicted of sodomy. scanda-
lous conduct. theft. perjury, forgery
and other criminal offences, ordered
returned to active duty on orders
signed by you or Secretary Daniels. !"
Parker, convicted by general court
martial of unnatural crimes tthree
I Ell colt r.at ID AL
| duct tending to the destruction of
good morals (two specifications). had
his sentence commuted by personal
direction of Roosevelt and Rathom
also charges the assistant secretary
with personally securing Parker's re-
enlistment.
| Now comes the matter Of veracity.
Rathom stating:
"ln the city Of Portland Oregon, a
few weeks ago you publicly denied
the charge previously made by the
Providence Journal that you had de-
stroyed or sequestered Navy records.
This charge was true. and you know
it to be true. II would be interest.
ing to every officer in the Bureau Of
Navigation, and to the public gen.
orally, to learn the truth concerning
the disappearanee Of the papers in
NE Parker e@se, especially that por.
ton Of the record which contained
the specimen Of your own handwrit.
ing permitting Parker TO re-snIist.
| You sent to the Bureau Of Navisa-
ton for those papers. They were abb
straeted from, the files by your peri
sonai opdsr and they have never been
returned to the files"
{; The writer then proceeds to offer
further evidence and to conclude:
"out Of your own mouth you con-
Wet yourself OF a wilful and delib-
crate falsehood- 1t was your own
personal act over your own sigma
ture that returned G.. A. Parker and
| other criminals, men guilty of un-
natural crimes. as well as others
guilty of criminal offences, to the
service in 1919"
He then proceeds to the white
washing" Of the navy prison angi
gives good example OF the use