Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-02-10
HURLEY ENDORSES
HOOVER ACTION IN
|. SELECTING CROSBY
War Secretary Says Retire.
ment Would Make General
Available as Commissioner.
DECLARES TRAINING
ADDS TO HIS VALUE
Cites Number of Military Men Who
Became Civil Leaders in
U. S. History.

Secretary of War Hurley today came
to the defense Of President Hoover for
his selection of Maj. Gen. Herbert B.
Crosby as successor to Commissioner
Proctor L. Dougherty with statement
in which he said society had found
many of its greatest civic leaders in
men Of military training.
The statement was given to news
paper men as Edward j. Murphy, presi-
dent of the Washington Board of Trade,
continued arrangements for a united,
city-wide protest against the Presidents
plan to substitute a retired military
man for a civilian on the Board Of
Commissioners by inviting the Central
Labor Union to participate.
Gen. Crosby, according to Secretary
Hurley, would be just as available for
appointment as a Commissioner after
his retirement as if he were a Reserve
officer or a National Guard officer,
He Is no more subject than the lat
ter to being returned to active duty"
he said.
Text of Statement.
Secretary Hurley's statement fol-
lows:
Let me speak briefly upon a subject
that is now being given considerable
space In the local press. I refer to the
Presidents selection of Gen. Crosby an
a District Commissioner.
Gen. Crosby retires on March 81
next. After retired he will be eligible
for appointment as a District Commits
sioner. He will be just as eligible and
just as available for that appointment
as II he were Reserve officer or a Ma
tlonal Guard officer. He is no more sub.
ject than the latter to being returned
to active duty.
Il am speaking on this subject because
some Of the press comments reflect, per-
haps unwittingly, upon the profession
OF the soldier. They raise objections to
the selection of Gen. Crosby on the
ground OF his military training. From
the earliest times society has again and
again found many Of It's greatest civic
leaders among men Of former military
training and distinction.
Military training instills leadership,
discipline, unquestioned obedience to
higher authority, the entire submergence
OF self in the interests of the common
good. These qualities are as admirable
In civil as in military officials.
In the generation that followed the
civil War, civic leadership, both North
and South, came more and more into
the hands of the men who fought in
that struggle. So also in the present
period 1t Is coming largely into the
hands OF the veterans of the World
War. The military training did not inn
pair the civil leadership of Hayes, Gar
tield, Benjamin Harrison, Mckinley and
Roosevelt.
Cites National Leaders.
"It may be said that these men were
not professional soldiers; that their mill.
tary service was too brief to unit them
Tor civil tasks. Let us then call the roll
OF some OF those who served in the Reg
ular Army and later gained high dis
tlnctlon In civil ltfe-George Washing
ton, James Monroe, Andrew Jackson,
William H. Harrison. Zachary Taylor,
y. 8. Grant, Jefferson Davis, Robert
E: Lee. To these may be added many
who have been governors of our States,
Senators and Congressman, heads of
our universities, and presidents of our
great corporations.
The welfare Of any community, city,
state or nation, depends largely upon
the qualities of its governors. No citi-
zen can rightly deem himself too emf
nent to serve his community. Nor can
any rightly ask that in his own inter-
eStS or in that Of his group, he be given
public place On the contrary it is obvi-
Gus that the public good will be served
best If selections be made only from
men of proven worth, regardless of their
Affiliations.
ITO suggest that his military serv-
ice has untitled Gen. Crosby for the
Office of District Commissioner is to
ignore the accepted facts of history. To
oh e. l1te
lions, though admitting his Qualifica--
tionS, Is to be unmindful of the public
good"
While Mr. Murphy sought the as
siStance Of organized labor in the city,
wide protest, q check-up at the White
House on the reaction to the Presidents
selection showed that for each protest
received against the appointment Of
Gen. Crosby there are 20 Endorsements.
Murphy sent special invitation TO
Howard Colvin, president of the Central
Labor Union, to unite with the heads OF
other representative organizations in
conference Wednesday to discuss ways
and means Of making effective q citi-
zenS' protest against the appointment OF
Gen. Crosby. Charles w. Darr, presi-
dent of the Washington Chamber Of
Commerce; Maj, Gen. Anton Stephan,
president Of the Merchants q Manu-
facturers' Association, and DR.. George
G. Havenner, president of the Fedora
ton of Citizens Associations, already
have accepted MufphyS invitation TO
the conclave.
Retirement Held Technieality.
Whatever form of action Is taken will
center around the contention that the
appointment of two Army officers out
Of three Commissioners is carrying the
idea of campaigning too far, since
the organic act of the District specifi-
cally provides that two Of the Commits
sioners shall be selected from civilian
ranks. The fact that Gen. Crosby is
to retire from the Army before taking
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