Evening star., 1921-03-12
DR.. SAWyER'SRAN
| CAUSES COMMENT
Giving White House Ply
sician Outside Duties Starts
i New Criticism.
ny DAVID LAWRENCE.

President Harding has encountered
O phase of official life that is perhaps
little understood by the outside world
but which involves personal en-
barrassments and murmurs OF criu-
cism that make the problems OF
chief executive worrisome from the
start.
First and foremost is the peculiar
situation surrounding the appoint
ment of DR.. e. L. Sawyer as brigadier
general in the Army in order that ne
might serve as White House physi-
clan. Everybody in Washington mas
come to know in recent years now
necessary it is that there oe pny
stefan at the White House. not merely
to care for the President in the event
of illness. but to see to 1t that lne
chief executive apportions his tlne
between work and play so ne VIII ho'
suffer a,physical breakdown. <,oa
When President Harding was idcee
with the question he wanted, OF
course, to retain the services OF ms
family physician. Dr. SAWYER v.
Marion. Ohio, but there was no way
of attaching private indlvIauaI , -, ~
the White House staff. Admiral cary
T. Grayson was already in the Chileo
States Navy. and it was simple mat
ter to have him detailed as naval ald
to President wilson.
The controversy over DIR. Grayson.
however, had nothing to do with his
selection as White House physician
but republican senators sa1d IL was
wrong to give him the promotion "
the rank of admiral Since that time:
however. there has been change OF
feeling and the same republican SEN
atorS voted to man to connrm the
nomination of DR.. Sawyer to be brlsa-
dier general. The democratic sena-
tors, of course, feeling that the Gray
son precedent was justified, could OF
fer no objection.
Appropriation Desirable.
But beneath it lies the fact that the
President of the United States must
resort to the roundabout process OF
appointing a man either to high rank
in the Army or Navy to get the serv-
ices of the physician he desires. Mr.
Harding is not unmindful of the fact,
too. that there are lots of Army Off
GERS who served overseas feeling
pretty blue nowadays because they
have just been compelled to take the
stars of the brigadier generals rank
insignia of lower rank. But how else
was Mr.. Harding to get DR.. Sawyer
on the White House staff except to
make him a military or naval aid
The fault really lies in the failure OF
Congress to provide the White House
to take care not only of the Presi-
dent but his household.
The Importance to the country OF
the life of it's President is recognized
In the appropriation made for secret
service guards. The government.
moreover. provides money for serv-
ants at the White House. but there
10 no attache more important than
the man who sees to it that the Presi-
dent is kept in good health.
hlxy fhera has hppn
good deal of sensitiveness at the
White House about appointing DR..
Sawyer to be brigadier general. 1t
was not exactly known whether the
Senate would confirm. whether there
might not be a controversy similar to
the Grayson episode.
Then it was that somebody suggest
ed the idea of broadening the activi-
ties of DR.. Sawyer, and a statement
was issued that he would take charge
Of a general reorganization of well
fare bureaus in the government, in
cluding the United States public
health service, the children's bureau
and kindred organizations. but il the
move was calculated to offset sena-
torial criticism it was unnecessary.
On the other hand. it did stir up
controversy in an entirely unlocked
for direction.
Allopaths Disappointed.
DR.. Sawyer is a homeopath. while
the majority OF the physicians IN the
Army and Navy and public health
service belong to the opposite school
of medicine known as allopathy. The
clash between these two schools of
thought has been going on inside and
outside the government for years. and
il is naturally a source of disappoint-
ment to the allopaths to have a
homeopath put in charge of any re-
organization which affects them SO
vitality.
On top Of this is the usual difficulty
that is encountered in handling any
questions of health supervision by the
government. namely, the attitude of
the Christian Science believers who
insist that the government ought to
keep hands OFF the health question
and that no medical oligarchy should
reign in Washington.
Brig. Gen. Sawyer will have his
hands full with these problems. all
because it was deemed necessary to
make some further justification for
his appointment to the Army than
the simple announcement that the
President wanted a family physician
on duty at the White House. Some
day Congress will provide for the
place by statute and the chances are
that neither political party would OBJ
ject to such a proposal, for the health
of the President is not private. but
a public matter, and the demands of
his job are such that no money can
compensate for the energy lost or the
vitality that Is exhausted by the per-
plexities Of the presidential office.
Copyright, 1871