Show I em BROWNSON SIDE S IDE OF NAVY CONTROVERSY Statement of Rear Admiral Protesting Against Appointment Appointment Appointment Appoint Appoint- ment of Rixey LETTERS MADE PUBLIC Surgeons Surgeon's Belated Reply in Defense Is I Included in Official Correspondence Washington Jan Included 2 Included In Inthe Inthe Inthe the official correspondence over the controversy contro presented to the tho house committee on naval affairs af a- a fairs airs today was ns a letter written by Surgeon Surgeon Sur Sur- geon General Rixey dated clate January 2 22 This letter dated yesterday ester a was In reply to criticisms expressed by Rear Heal A Admiral on against allowing a n astaff staff officer to command a ship sent to th tho President more than four weeks week ago ogo It Is probable that the secretary of or the nov navy will be e called upon niton to explain why Dr defense de tie e. e was written at nt this late date clate and ancl Included in the official correspondence correspondence correspondence corres corres- between the President and ancl Admiral Brownson This correspondence eJ co was sent to tc the house bouse un under er a n demand made in a resolution introduced by y Representative tive thc GUI Gill and ancl passed several weeks T son sou directed to the President protest- protest ago Its principal object was to tomake make public a letter Jetter which Admiral Brownson directed to the President protesting against his determination to place pIneo Dr Rixey In iii command of or the Ito lle- lie lier Included Include l in this correspondence Is near Rear Admiral Brownson's sl side le of his controversy ersy with Surgeon General Rixey I I J Rear Admiral Brownson's reply Is largely levelled lo l nt at the decision of or Attorney Attorney Attorney At At- torney General Bonaparte who was ns secretary of or tho the na navy In 1905 ACl After AfUr r Bonaparte sustained Rixey the controversy controversy controversy contro contro- versy rag raged tl for Cor or several months as is shown b by reports In fn the volumes sent to gt congress BO Bonaparte decided as f fol follows dl- dl lows That a hospital ship when in commission com corn mission should be treated as us a a. floatIng floating floating float float- ing hospital and as such placed In fn lj command of DC a n. medical officer her navigation navi navi- gaLlon gation bolus bolus- controlled by a a. competent sailing master on ai S J I oiin W J cro i- i 1 i I fi Gt i not nit nott t is 19 a a. 2 goIng aea vessel ou and In order Lo o accompany the fleet teet to fulfill the purpose for lor or which hleb It 13 Is designed It must be bc navigated and handled In the same manner which Is r re required rO- rO of or all aU vessels o of s secure cure safety on the high seas Brownson asserts that there Is nothIng nothing noth noth- ing big In the training of or a 0 medical of officer officer or- or to fit tit him to command a seagoing vessel Ho defines the Relief this way A hospital ship is a a. sea going vessel having hn a large hospital on board Brownson says further HT Telegraph o operators or cable en engineers on- on are not put nut in command of or cable ships nor are arc postmasters put in command of or mail steamers A battleship battleship battle batUe- ship can cnn with propriety be called a floating fort but artillery officers aro are not fitted for or tho the command of or them Brownson then cites the cases of or the Iris and the which suffered accidents and Insubordinations b by rca rca- son of ot having on board mixed crews the merchant sailing ml master refusing t tobey to obey the line officer in command H He cites tho the act of or 1871 as follows Commanding officers of or vessels o or of orwar war and antl of or naval stations tho the Relief Belief being on a naval station shall take tak precedence over all officers placed un under under un- un der tier their ther command Admiral Brownson sums up as follos follows follows fol fol- fol- fol lows s It is contrary r to law for tor a medical officer to exercise a military command in other than his Ills own corps Second Divided letl responsibility leads to confusion confusion contusion contu- contu sion and antl poor administration Third Experience both with the tho Solace In the Spanish American war and with tho the Auxiliary on the Asiatic station shows conclusively that only administration of or an auxiliary fleet Jeet Is to have full tuIl naval crews 8 nn and l officers Fourth SeagoinG Seagoing Seagoing Sea Sea- going ships to be efficient must of ot necessity be commanded e by a seagoIng seagoing sea go ing lag officer Brownson also makes males tho the point blink 11 1 I statement that if It a a. merchant sailing Calling master be Le put ZUt on board boar as is c contemplated ho will be by law on only 1 i required to keep order and an l discipline as IlS regards civilians cl on boar board l |