The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1921-05-18

, icism. Now, by constructive criticism
do not mean approval, It is as much the
duty of an editor to point out and con-
denim error as it is to point cut and cont
mend right
ABUSE OF OFFICIALS REACTS
why uont yOG answer your critics,
since YOU have such complete answer
was often asked by my friends, From
March 8, 1913, until March 5, 1921
| never stopped to return railing for rail-
| ing or to make any answer to the deluge
Of criticisms which at times was directed
at me,
There is but one effective answer a
public official can make to criticism OF
his policies, and that is the answer OF
results, II In the testing time what he
has done proves good, his answer Is SO
convincing that he need make no state
menti If results do not attest the worth
| OF his policies, nothing he can say VIII
change the estimate of the pubic, Az
TO abuse, which some persons showers
at me observe l say lat" and not ''upon"
me, for none Of It ever touched me), |
have learned in somewhat varied ex-
perience that bitter attacks in the long
run react upon their authors and help
rather than hurt, man in public ottlco
OF course that reflection gives no COM
fort to short-winded man,
"STARBOARD AND PORT"
My first official experience with.
criticism and ridicule came when !
issued san order that after a certain
cate the words "starboard" and port"
should give way to the terms right
and left"
Immediately the ,paragraphers and
cartoonists began to have fun at the
expense of a Secretary OF the Navy, 4
country editor, who had such little
reverence for naval tradition and ma
val terms as to put those nautical
words "starboard" and port" in the
discard. 1t was an evidence they
thought of a provincial mind, lack Of
knowledge of seafaring ways, and all
kinds of blunder, If not crime. At
| least 1t furnished acceptable copy to
SO resent 1T. Asked about it, my only
reply was that the order spoke for
itself; that young men coming into
the navy instinctively knew which
was right and which was left, but were
confused by port" and "starboard' and
the same thing was true of civilians.
And l let it go at that
One day newspaper friend came
into the department and said to me
II have just learned the history of
your port and starboard order about
which you have been critized and
ridiculed so much. It's a beastly shame
that the people will see you are not
responsible for that order"
BOARD is. FOR CHANGE
but / am responsible for it," L re-
Piled. THE truth is, as you have learn
ed. but not from me. that the order
was first CONSIDERED by the general
board before / became Secretary OF
the Navy, and after time they reach
ed the conclusion, only one. memb err
! don htincr
that right and left were better
| terms to be employed. At the. time they
made their decision / had never 50
much as heard that theqpestion was
under decision the order was drafted
/ IN the customary way and was pre-
scented to me in the regular course for
signature.
What is this%' I asked of the ad
miral who brought it In with a batch
| CT mail. He explained it and its his
tory. | deliberately placed it in a pri-
| vate drawer of my desk, told the ad :
riiral that hated to see old, naval
traditions and lingo discarded with
out good reason; that l. would not
sign it, He believed it was a good ord err
and could do no harm. A few days
a1terward L was talking with Admiral
Dewey and brought the matter up. He
SAID that holding onto old terms which
bad TO De taught and retaught to
every enlisted man was out of date, and
"hen 1t was so easy for the young
est to understand right and left. the
coard could see no reason why right
and left should not be substituted for
the ancient terms. That seemed SEN
siole to me, and SO / went back to
.he department, signed the order, gave
l'lt to the press and then the anvil
chorus begaht
DOESN'T pass THE RICK.
why don't you,' asked my newspaper
Ir1end-and am proud to have MANY in
my Professionalism tell the story as /
nave learned 1t. When the people know
tnat you acted upon the suggestion and
aoVlce OF Dewey and Rodgers and Win
ternaiter and Fiske, and the other ex-
perienced old sea dogs they will see that
an their criticism of you is unjust and
ridiculous. You owe it to yourself to
do this"
explained to him that without the
signature Of the Secretary Of the Navy
tne order could not have been issued
that the responsibility of signing rested
OF me alone. if I had declined to affix
my signature the order as drawn would
nave been mere scrap of paper, and
mat l mad never had any patience. with
a public officer who sought to escane
responsibility by passing the buck and
saying he acted upon the advice of my
advisers
NO. issued the order" replied IF
IL Is mistake, made it with my eyes
open. II could shift it to the general
board, then the general board would be
exercising the functions of the Secretary
OF the Navy. and for the nonce I would
nave apdicated my office. Moreover. the
chief defect in the navy-and it is In
the army and other. places, as WELLS. the
confirmed habit of passing the buck
may commit all the other crimes in the
criminal catalogue, but as long as am
Secretary of the Navy l will initiate nv
OLD military political hero and fellow
Tarheel. Andrew Jackson, who. when
some action Of his administration was as-
sailed, had habit Of saying: I take
the responsibility"
FUN OVER WINE-MESS ORDER
Do you remember. the FUN the paper,
had when / issued the wine-mess order
way back in 1914 Sometimes / have
thought the paragraphists and the car
toonists ought to have shared with me
the pay they received out Of the oppor-
tunity that order gave them to draw pic
lures and write poetry. But none OF
them offered. 1t was a common. almost
daily, occurrence to see myself pictured
as a long-faced and angular ancient Puri-'
tan old maid driving the joy out Of exis-
tence. Life, indeed, found my order and
subsequent actions SO amusing or ridic-
ulous or revolutionary. or all three
hot xrA- a. -