The daily Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1841-1845, 1842-12-12

ton upon Tue SUBJECT but THIS proportion Is wholly
destroyed by the proyiso aforementioned 50 that il
will Be impossible, under that law, to furnish the
proper officers for the several stations of our ships OF
war, supposing any considerable number Of our cap
tains and commanders to be employed. The incon-
venienco OF TINT proyiso is already felt in regard to
the medical officers In the service. hal the honor
to represent at the last session. the pressing
Tor Increase Of the number Of surgeons and assist
ants. There not in service enou ,h to afford
the aid which il is the acknowledged duty of the Go.
vernmen to afford, TO those who engaged in her
service at sea and yet whatever may be the neces-
slty For them their numbers cannot be increased Ia
regard to the forward warrant officers, such boat
swain, carpenter gnnner &c the restriction scarcely
less inconvenient. They are appointed only as their
servce required that there is no danger that
their numbers will be inconveniently great. At all
events they should bear due proportion to the other
! Off
| 2 There should be established proper naval schools
| on shore. Little attention has hitherto been
| paid to the proper education of naval officers
Throu "a long course of years, the young midship
| men were left TO educate themselves and one
ther and it is creditabe to them that they lost few
| opportunities Of doing Suitable teachers
are kept in receiving ship, and cruising
uessels, in the midst of thousand inter-
| ruptions an impediments which render the whole
system OF little or no value. Under such cur
cunstances, the fnundition of solid and useful edo
| cation can rarely BIS laid. This subject brought
to the attention Of Cpigress at its last session. AMI
bill, establishing naval school, passed. the Senate.-
1t not acted by the IL use of Representatives
| for want of tins. 4 again earnestly reco nmend it,
convinced, as an that its effect upbn the Navy will
DO in the highest degree beneficial Ii adopted, Con
gross will Of Sc prescribe such rules and regula
tons in regard to it, may seem to them proper but
3poctfuy ggest the following the outline OF
the system:
The schools shall be established 1T su;h of the old
military Notifications on the seaboarI, may afford
suitable accon 'iations and may not b, required
| by the War D,panm,nt.
| The officers and teachers shall be supplied from
those actually in the naval service; and all nautical
insru meats, boats for practice Sc, shall be furnish
ed from the Navy. This will nearly the whole
| expense of the schools.
Instruction ia the schools shall be given to cand-
dates for admission into the Navy and to miishpnen
actually in the service.
| The admssioa Of candidates shall be regulated by
law AS Is done IN gard to the West Point Academy
No boy shall receive an acting appointment in the
| Navy until he shall have passed certain period of
diligent study at a naval school; unless he shall
produce the necessary certificates from his officers
and instructors of his good conduct capacity, phys-
| cal ability, and general fitness
Among those who shall produce such certificates
appointments shall be made according to such rule as
| Congress shall prescribe.
| These precautions will afford a reasonable assu-
rance that no boy will be admitted into the Navy,
without bsins qualified for, and worthy Of, that sta
| ton. But the watchful care of the Government
over him. should not stop here. He should receive,
in the first instance, an acting appointment, is
| the practice, and not be- entitled to full appoint
men uatl he shall have at least years
vice at sea- and made suitable progress in The science
and practical duties of the service After receiving
his full appointment he should pas not less than five
years in active service at sea- beore he should be
titled to examination for a warrant as 'plssed mid
shipnan." That examination should be rigoro Is and
thorough, and none should be entitled to it who could
not produce the most satisfactory proofs of good
duet attain nsnts, capacity, and general fitness. By
| tins t'me the boy will have attained period Of
| life whea the character is generally we'll de-
| veopei, and, in some de gree, fixed so that the
country will have good reason to trust him in the
| higher grades of the service A corps Of officers,
| formed of such materials, would probably present
few instances of misconduct or incapacIty and would
reflect honor the country, while rendering to it
| the most valuable services.
| This system could not fail to relieve the personnel
of the Navy. after time Of all its present incum-
| brances, and would certainly tend to keep it in
healthy condition. Bat it would be too slow in its
operation, for the cure of existing evils. Probably
there never was similar institution in any country
INTO which abuses have not crept, after so long
p;rol as thirty years of prololnd peace and Of con-
| seq lent ne elect. Governments and their people
too apt To overlook the military arm when thers is
40 Immediate need Of its protection forgetting the
wise u,xin, tl,t in psAce wc sh,nd prepare for
Oar Navy has experienced its full share of those
favorable nhaences and the natural consequence is
ia the al nittel fact that it contains officers
waJ do no credit TO their Commissions. Their nu
| Der, however, Is much snaer than Iht have been
justly cxpsctcJ, unler the operation of many dis
c)uray.ng and rfuping causes. Every nation Il ads
II necessary, after partlcu intervals OF peace, to
wise AMI reform its military esabl SHIN and the
tine has now arrived, waen such corrective may be
,dvantageously applied to the Navy Of the United
States The only difficulty is in adopting the right
process. To dismiss from the service officers who
have onnittel no positive offence, would DO unjust
and cruel. The of their profession i, such
TO dquaIify them for nearly all the pursuits of indus
try Oh shore. Most of the have been kept iong
! probaoa, aud have been thus encoura Iel expect
that they woud re main in the service. Many of them
NV ave families dependent on them, who wou be
expose to great sufering il tbs public support should
be eneiy wthifawn On the other hand it is to be
b)rnc mind that In Off spulae, with his coun
try, that he will BE- both willing AMI able to perform
all the dutie of the station which he ,ciis and re-
ceivcs at her hand; and he has thereto e. right
comp ain that she 70 ecs him when he proves either
neglectul or incompetent. Perhaps more just rule
can be adopted than to compel the oti GER retire.
up,n certain prop)rion of his annual pay. A sys-
tenn Of CO npllsory firlough, properly yulatel AMI
qua de against abuse, would have IN, most saluary
elect. TO lodge sucl power in the Secretary Of the
Navy would probably moi be generally accept able. Tne
natural ,aolsy which every feels of whatever ap.
proaches to arbitrary power, would Presenta s,rong OBJ
Ject,n with most persons to lntrlng much I, the
discretion of any man. For myself, however, have
no doubt that the only niger would be that the power
would be too cautiously and too seldom exertcd
Public opinion, in this country is corrective of
all abuses of that sort; and no man, who valued
either his reputation or his comfort, would hazard
the the other by challenging that public OPT
Mon for the indulgence of any feeling nnbccomny
the impartial justice of his station Still, however,
is desirable, not only that the Department should be
in fact just and implrtal but that the public and the
Navy officers, should beliepe it to be so. PROPOSE
therefore, that whenever the Secretary of the Navy
shall be of opinion that officer is unfit for the ser
&C, he shah be equired to present his the
Senate for furloush stating fully, frequred to do
the reasons for that opnion If the Senate, after
such inquiry as it may choose to institute shall
eur with him, the officer shall be put furlough
upon certain proposition-say onehalf his pay and
be considered out of the service. In this way, the
same power that appoints, will remove and the act.