William Crawford Gorgas / [Franklin H. Martin].

  • Franklin Henry Martin
Date:
1923
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: William Crawford Gorgas / [Franklin H. Martin]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    country; its service overseas where the distinguished members of our medical profession, serving as majors, were working side by side with their distinguished confreres of Europe who, while performing the same duties, were colonels, brig¬ adier generals, and major generals, thus outranking our own men and bringing many unnecessary humiliations to bear upon them. The story was so convincing, so unanswerable, and so pleadingly told (the names of well-known civilian doctors serving as illustrations), that the General, obviously, had won his case. Finally, the general appropriations bill, of which the Owen-Dyer bill had become a rider, was passed by the House and the Senate, and was in the hands of the conference committee, appointed by the two Houses of Congress, for agreement. The conference committee was to report that day, and at a given hour in the afternoon the completed bill was to be ratified by both Houses. At this time (Secretary of War Baker having returned from overseas) a desperate, vicious attack was inaugurated against the bill by the subtle propa¬ gandists. A conference between the secretary of war and Senator Owen much disturbed the Senator, who was one of the authors of the bill. It appeared that there was much opposition, especially to the creating of the higher ranks of brigadier general and major general. The argument was urged that if the opposi¬ tion of the secretary of war, and of the War College, represented by the chief of staff, should induce the President to veto the bill because of this rider, the whole general appropriations bill would fail of passage. An appeal to the patriotism of those supporting the Owen-Dyer bill, asking them to abandon the essential features thereof, was adopted as a ruse of the opposition in an effort to gain its point. At nine o’clock in the morning, after an interview with Senator Owen and a conference with the official advisors of his own department, General Gorgas came to the writer’s office, much depressed. The conference committee was to report early in the afternoon and the two branches of Congress were to take a final vote on the ratification of the bill. They had urged that he should consent to abandon the superior rank and be satisfied to retain the lieutenant colonels and colonels, or otherwise he would lose all. Before deciding the matter, he wanted to obtain my reaction and advice, inasmuch as we had always been in absolute accord on the subject and had consulted each other on all changes of policy. He recited the whole story and, instead of asking my advice as to what his attitude toward a compromise should be, he asked me what I would do under the circumstances. I was deeply concerned at the turn of affairs, and appreciative of the sense of responsibility under which the General was laboring. He had been urged to compromise further. What should he do? He had fought so hard and so long for his precious bill, and by holding out he might lose all, whereas by yielding he might spare something. But he had asked me a question: What would I do? Finally I said: “ General, I would not yield another inch.” He rose from his chair, rushed over to me, grasped my hand, and said: “I hoped you would say that. In my own mind I had already decided on that course.”
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