The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1841-01-09

commissioned officers, then this corps of reserve
may ne created and maintained ever afterwards
10 framing for the Navy, without the cost of d
single dollar TO the public treasury. The number
OF ''young gentlemen" necessary to the proper
performance Of duty on board any ship Of war. is
LAT greater than that which-is required merely TO
M up The vacancies that may occur within any
reasonable Time, among the commissioned off
GERS OF that ship. Thus the complement of com
missioned officers for frigate, as a Captain and
four or five Lieutenarts-~the complement of
Midshipmen, fifteen or twenty. When enter
ed the service, the usual quota Of the last was
between thirty and forty. Now, supposine
the number OF officers in each grade to be fixed
by law, SO as TO allow every ship in the Navy her
war-complement OF ofiiceTs--supposing also the
ratio which al present exists between the Mid
shipmen and Lieutenants of frigate, to be the
true proportion which ought 10 be maintained
between these two grades in the servce--then
every Midshipmen would, under such an ar
| rangement have TO outliye the Naval existence
OF at least three Lieutenants before he could ex-
pect promotlon,--a period, the average duration
olwhch would far exceed that wholesome term
or apprenticeship, which, in the opinion Of mill
| tary men, is necessary and proper 10 the profess
sion OF arms. To be qualified for this profession,
is clearly tho object Of the indenture by which
| in the service Of their country. And when they
a-44 -r--iifed, good faith and true policv re
| cure that they should bv allowed - aaa' ,be
badge OF apprenticeship, toput on the insignia of
higher order, and be regularly advanced to the
next degree in their craft for il is as little 10 be
expected as i IS to be desired, that the appren:
tice TO so noble calling as that Of arms, would
be content TO remain in the humble capacity Of
Mdshipman during the average period Of three
Naval lives. Unless therefore, a field out of the
| Navy be opened TO the surplus officers, we
should IN few years find them, even under this
supposed arrangement, again ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
| coming in short time sufficiently numerous to
| create peculiar interest, and 10 command nflu-
| ence In the obbies of our legislative halls And
thus we should again have the service burdened,
as we now have il, with non -descript class Of
officers with this difference however, the last
would be worse and more Injurious than the first)
sowing broadcast its seeds Of discord and insub-
ordination among all grades. One disconnected
spirit at sea Is enough TO destroy the peace and
harmony of a whole ships crew, and sometimes
even to threaten the safety of the ship herself
What then, among corps Of little more than a
thousand officers are two hundred and twenty
discontinued splrits-nearly one-fourth Of the
whole Navy proper-lmpatent for promotion
tired and dsgusted even TO loathing, of the tame
ness of a situation in which they have s'no par
ticular duties" to perform? This list is the
growth OF only few years, and is rapidly in
creasing. Ifthe system which nourishes it be
see some of the national evils which will arise
from the corrupting Influences Of masses of such
spirits, continually accumulating and fostering
on their corps, with all the indscretion and ardor
of youth upon them? Who has set bounds to
their numbers 2 Or where is the law that has
fixed a limit TO their growth? Like the gourd of
the prophet, this body of officers has sprung up
in the night; and, like that gourd, it chershes a
worm that is preparing to smlte and wither the
strong right arm of this good people. Let those
describe who may, the dangerous and ruinous
tendency of the policy which created and would
maintain such grades Of officers in the Navy.
Suffice it TO say, that its malign influence may
be neutralzed-nay, more-lndividual grievan-
ces and public evil may be converted into per
sonal benefits and national advantages, by open
ing from the school-ship a safety valve by which
all the young officers, who are not Immediately
required for the Naval, might escape into the
merchant service of their country-there to ac-
quire, in their peaceful pursuits, all the expert
ence Of the most skilful seamen. Trading to
every part Of the world their military education
in the school-ship would enable them 10 acquire
fund of information, not accessible TO regular
Navy officers, concerning the ports, harbors, and
resources of all nations, that in war would prove
invaluable. Should the practice Of warrington
prirdfeering) upon commerce be continued
among maritime nations at war, this corps OF
reserve with the well established reputation of
American merchantmen for fast sailing, would
place il in the power Of the United States TO
sweep from the ocean the commerce of an enc
nv and therefore tend to secure the continu-
ance of peace by making her so formidable an
enemy. For the destruction of commerce, a
small VESSELS as efficient large one. Strength
to overcome merchantmen, with fieetness to
come up with them, and TO escape from larger
men t-war, are the requisites TO be sought in
vessels for this purpose and the merchant ser
vice affords many SUCH which, with such corps
of officers to draft from the United States could
arm, man, and send TO sea by scores. AT the
cessation of hostilites, these vessels could be
again sold as merchantmen and these officers, |
ii not from choice, could readily be induced again
to enter the merchant service: and thus the Ma
Wv would at once, and without difficulty, fall
back upon its former economical peace establish |
ment.
Not the least recommendation in favor of such
an arrangement in the Scholarship, nor the least
important among the national advantages to be
thence derived, would be the bold and noble |
stand which that arrangement would enable tins
country to take against that most ancient and
barbarous practice Of prirdteering, in war. In
the early infancy of the Republic, it was the
opinion Of DR.! Franklin, and American states
men generally that I" the United States are bet |
ter situated than any other nation TO profit by |
privateerng" And though that great and good
man was in favor of its immediate abolition at
that time, and actually made efforts, in all the
treaties at which he assisted, 10 have a clause |
inserted to that ehect;' yetlegisators, the scope
of whose benevolence is less like the light of
Heaven, have generally, on the grounds Of ex-
pediency, RETAINED from pursuing the noble
policy thus early set on foot. But these grounds
can no longer be urged. We then weak
now we are strong. American commerce was
then making its first venture abroad on feeble
wings-now il is u-Aedged, sailing before every
breeze that rippes on the ocean. And the
United States now, so far from being in con
diton to profit, have more TO lose, and less to