Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1841-12-23

service; and in great variety OF cases It altogether
uncertain and dependent upon the aroi'rary wiz o.
courts martial in what mode and to what extent o!
fences. real or imputed shall be punished. A shor
review of our legislation on this subject will serve 'e
present it in its proper light eoo
By the act of Congress approved 2ad April, iooo
certain general rules and regulations were enacted EN-
bracnr the most prominent aud important suoects re
latino 10 The service These still in force; but, al
,houeh they are of character to apply TO the navy
in whatever condition il may be placed, and were deem
ed altogether sufficient for IL in It's then infant sla.e
they are few in number, and enter too niue INTO NC
tails 20 answer their purpose at the present uay
;nu upon this idea the Board of Commissioners sooi
,fier i,s establishment in 1915, compiled Rues' hee
lations and Instructions for the naval serV..e VI m
United States "with the consent OF Tue %
of the Navy in obedience TO an act oil congress
-b February 1875 entitled act to alter ana aucn'
The several acts for establishing Navy Depa.'unrn
NV adding thereto Board OF Comm,ss'oneis -
compilaton commonly called The Blue DooH ,s So
practically force, and, together "'tn 'iie aJ S
constitutes the only system Vi Fuies az" -
The Government of the navy. cu;s
ps The act establishing the Board OF Navy Somn's
sioners il is provided "that the sao Doa,o % r Tho
a;oners by and with the consent OF tue Secle'oy -
~ no md are hereby authorized 10 prePafe sue"
- e,ulatons as shall be necessary tor securing
nn;e,rmtv in the several classes OF vesseis ana tue"
comments and for repairing and renting 'neAr: as
for securing responsibility IN Tue nsd hv The
unhan
ps;dsnt Of The u s., shall be respected and ooeyeo,
mil altered and revoked by the same authorly' ah'
,b said rules and regulations thus prepared anu p
nroved shall be laid before Congress al he'r hes.
r.; Whether or not the Blue Book (whch derives
-, authority from this law aone) was ever approved
~ The President of the u ST. or laid before Congress,
I'bave no means Of ascertainIng me Procao'ny -
,b., was not approved, as the DOCK 'tsei, cohns
a;dsnce rpon the subject But, even II both these
..u,,es were observed, it is altogether clear to my
;nd that the Commissioners acted without authority
- mrsscrbing many Of the rules and regulations con-
tanned in that book ..,. =; ~
,.te the NAVY Commissioners the Ministerial agents
of The Secretary of the Navy, for certain purposes
has no authority 10 employ any 0the' agents ,o 49,
purposes Among other things rs tnei. NY CON-
Tho second section ofthe act "by and win the con-
con, nf tho Secretary of the Navy, TO prepare sucn
mic. md reuua,iops shall be necessary 10 Tue 90
ecution Of the specific duties therein assignee " e
and for "securng responsibility ~ Inc sun Tbere "a
aas. and agents Employed in those duties. mere 10
,h; in the terms ofthe act, and notnIhg III 's Pa'"
no.e and intention, to authorize the 0on,ui'ssohers
r. repare gensyui code of rules ana regulations ioi
the government Of the navy iney were s''ie.y uo'i
6,ed 10 the purposes mentioned IN the act, 10 WIZ
uniformity in the several classes OF vessels and
49,; eon,ouents and repairing and rehtting them
FER these purposes and for no Other they had authority
- n,enare by and with the consent OF The secretary OF
~ N.vv such rules and regulations as they might
deem proper and necessary incident OF this autho
80 ~ nrepare additional rules for securing responsible
Ito in their subordinate agents
That this is the true meaning of the act OF Congress
is so apparent that deem it wholly unnecessary 10
enter into more critical examination in order TO prove
But the Blue Book is not confined to these objects
tcon.ains great variety of rules and regulations ap
plying every department of naval Duty and to every
officer aud man connected with the naval service IL
IL designed as general code of rules and regulations
for the government Of the navy, and as such 1t is unit
versaliy received, and daily acted on
Hinder this code, thus questionable in its authority
and aopelh insufficient itself, the navy has been
nyernsS for twenty.three years There is in truth
no law upon the subect-no obligation rule whatever
except hat found in the act OF lo00 and That IS III
together imperfect and inadequate. ,o,
This subject was brough. before Congress in 1882
law was passed in that year authorizing the fres'
dent 10 constitute board Of naval officers TO be com
posed of the navy Commissioners and two post cap
tans whose duty it should be, "with the ana ana as
ss,ance of the Attorney General, carefully to revise inc
rules and regulations governing the naval service wiii
the view to adapt them to the present ana in'ure e*
eences of the service; which rules and regulations
when approved by him and sanctioned by Congress
should have force Of law and stand IN eu OF an
convened IN November of the same year. In No
yeber 1885, they submitted the result OF their labor:
10 TIE Secretary of the Navy, and on the 2d OF the
following month the rules and regulations thus pre-
nared were approved by the President OF the lnltec
%s's's submitted to Congress. On The 9TH Feb
iIaryl tJ 'Ra ehasaap 81 the q
ona copies be printed, which was directed on the fol
lowing day. On the lst May, 1884, the Pfeslden
submitted TO Congress certain proposals Tor amend
ing the present laws relation to the naval serv ice
Whsther or these the same proposals which III
had previously submitted, wiz on the 23d December
1897 am not informed nor is it OF any Importance
in itself The probability is, that some amendment
the rules originally prepared was presented III MAY
1s24 On :he 9th OF the same month, the chairman .
The Naval Committee of the House Of Representative
reported resolution for the printing OF ooo addition
nj copies of the amended rules and regulations Tor TN
government of the Navy No further action was nas
upon the subject, and congress aoJoufheo oh ''e '
OF the following month.
From this statement it appears that this importan
.ubiect has been before Congress since the yea
1882 and that nothing efTeciusl has yet been done Z
accomplish the object of the Of that year Soon at
ter the appointment of Mr.. Pauding as Secretary Q
the Navy he took the subject up, and urged with nj
proper zeal Such however, was the pressure oil ohe
duties upon the Board that it was Impossible Tor the
10 attend the revision Of The naval code as Mr. paud
ing desired, until December, 1880. On the l9th
February lS4l. they submitted their report 10 the Be
cretary of the Navy, who approved thereof out ao no
lay it before Congress, the act OF 1857 drected.-
Neither this done at the called session OF May last
have the honor TO lay this report before you, ahe
TO ask that it be submitted to Congress-
cannot recommend the approval of these rules ane
REGULATIONS believe them TO be Objectionable n
many important respects; and, as the further &C
lion of Congress in regard 10 them IS necessary,
recommend that they be again submitted 10 REVISION
woul respectfully suggest that the preparation o
rules and regulations for the government of al classe
and grades in the navy ought not to be entrusted IL
any ono of them exclusively. mixed commission
embracing the civil as well as the military department.
of service would, it is believed, be best qualified t.
adapt to every part of the service the proper laws an
rules for The government and regulation OF IT, Such
commission might, with the aid Of the rules now sub
ned, easily report to Congress IN time Tor It's actoi
during the present session
The evils resulting from the want of proper nava
code are of the most serious character, and WILL If no
remedied, ultimately ruin the Naval service of on
country. What can be expected of community o
men living together under circumstances tending L
constant excitement and collisions with fixed law Il
govern them, and where rank and station are i'm
perfectly dened' The necessary consequence Of sucl
state Of things must be- disputes contests disorder
and confusion. Sometimes unauthorized power wi
be assumed and at other times lawful authority will b
dsobeyed 1t is impossible thata wholesome discipln.
can prevail in this uncertain condition OF official tant