Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-09-03
defends GUSHING
| OF 4 M|DSH|PMEN
Rear Admir-. Upham SAYS
Navy Leaned Over Back.
ward in Dealing With Men.

Answering criticism that the virtual
dismissal Of four midshipmen, accused
OF having liquor In their possession
while on the recent European cruise,
was too severe. Rear Admiral Frank B.
Upham. chief Of the Bureau Of Nayiga-
ton. said today, the department
leaned over backward" in permitting
the quartet to resign. instead of dis
missing them out right
There is a great difference, youA
know" he said.
These men showed a fragrant hout-
ing OF the law Of the country and of
naval regulations and thereby proved
they were not At to be leaders, because
they could not learn to obey.
Says They Knew Better.
ut would be different if these bows
were just new at the academy, but they
tlao oeen three years at the game and
were on their second cruise abroad and
had had time to learn what discipline
means
There are thousands Of boys in this
country who would make splendid
officers. Therefore, why should we
educate. give salaries to and then offer
a lifetime career to men who have
clearly shown their unltness to lead
because they couldn't learn to obey?
For three years we have been drill
ing into their heads the need for dis
cipline, but they have said, In effect,
To hell with your regulations
Praises Admiral Hart.
Declaring that Rear Admiral Thomas
G. Hart, superintendent of the Naval
Academy, has the milk of human kind
ness in his heart" the chief of the
Bureau Of Navigation defended him for
his recommendation and added that
six junior classmen would be given
ent had taken into account their youth
and the fact they have been at the
academy a comparatively short while.
Answering q question as to whether
smuggling liquor aboard is considered
the most serious offense in the Navy,
Rear Admiral Upham said there were
others far more serious, but asked, How
long would civilian establishment put
up with that sort of conduct?"
Political influence was brought to
bear upon the department, It was
learned, in an effort to have the four
men retained in the corps of nnidship-
men, Politicians have said the resign
ing OF the four men was too severe
punishment.
Favors Discipline.
Recently Assistant Secretary Ernest
Lee Jahncke was quoted as saying he
favored disciplining erring midshipmen,
instead Of diSmissing them, thereby
casting q cloud over their careers.
Secretary Adams said the quartet
given opportunity to resign included
Colwen Edward Beers of Keysville,
Mo; George Richards Fink Of Haddon
Heights. N. j.; Earl Snowden Schweit-
ger of McKeesport, Pa, and John Rob-
Mr.. Adams revealed there were sew
eral cases not handled in this way"
and that half dozen cases are still
pending. One of these, the Secretary
asserted, may require dismissal. The
names Of these midshipmen were not
divulged.
The exact nature Of the charges was
withheld. It was learned, however, that
they included bringing liquor aboard
the training ships intoxication, the tell
ing Of falsehoods and conduct unbe-
coming future officers. Secretary Adams,
asked about a published report that
some of the erring midShipmen had
waved swords around in Denmark, to
the chagrin Of police, asserted he had
heard nothing of it.
The infractions of discipline occurred
in Europe during the cruise, in which
the battleships u S. S. Arkansas and
U. S. S. Wyoming participated. The
cruise was in charge of Rear Admiral
Claude C. Bloch, until recently COM
mandant Of the Washington Navy Yard.
Schweitzer, one of those going out,
stood high on the scholastic list, be-
ing placed tenth, last year. Beers is
said to have been a member of the track
team.