The New era. [volume] ([Portsmouth, Va.]) 1845-1847, 1846-10-27

two or three weeks, but has been crowded out.
fr want Of room. We see tha, Major Howle
Q 'n,radicis the fact tina, 1, was a I" Marine' who
committed the assault on Lieut.. Taylor but that
does not alter the argument advanced below, and
we give i, as originally written.
APPRENTICESHIP IN THE NAVY.
The article which follows, from Mike Walsh's
Subterranean. must meet with the appreciation of
every intelligent freeman in the country. What
father, who bears any love far his offspring. would
condemn them to perpetual servi,ude and degra.
da''on, by putting them as apprentices to the
Naval Service of the United States, where they
are subjected to the lash Of an arbitrary ,yrant,
and forever deprived of an opportunity of rising
to an equality with their fellow citizens. M,
never will we vote for any man who will support
such a partial and unjust measure, as Naval
Apprenticeship for one portion of the children of
the Republic, while another portion are petted,
paid and honored as gentlemen officers. and have
high Naval Schools established Tor them. as al,
Annapolis.
II is not the mere fact, that those boys, who
enter the service as Apprentices, are condemned
forever to remain in a sphere from which they
positively can never hope to rise, but they are de-
prived of credibility their oaths are not taken
against an officer; and. in fact, if pressed upon
the Court, 1t would have no weigh hit with il, no
matter how direct. clear and positive was the tes-
timony. We speak of our own knowledge in this
matter, where the death of comrades was the con-
sequence ct the cruelty and oppression on ship
b"ard-but not relying on our own authority, let
us see what one of the bravest and most patriotic
officers ever in our Navy, Cum. Jesse d.. Elliott,
said, while living: " produced The man ,cho
received The canvass al Marseiiles, cut The tents
and made Them up-not hauing an epauteHe on
his shoulder, however, his iestimony ,cas NOT
BELIEVED" This witness was introduced to
repel a false and infamous cha rye which was
brought against the Commodore, which was han.
P'iy proved so by other Witnesses, although this
honest mans testimony was not believed, BE-
CAUSE "he did not ,oear an epauLette."
These Naval Apprentices may be whipped to
death, beat, abused and mutilaied by the "cat"
and colt" with immunity. by g epauletted ty.
rants" and there is no redress for them-but let
the 9 worm turn" and raise a hand AGAINST the
'yrant, and swift, speedy end extreme punish
ment is visited upon the offender. We have
before us the Washington Union of Friday night.
containing items of news from our fleet in the
Gulf. among which we find the following:
"a Marine on board the St.
Marys has been tried for mutiny,
committed in striking Lieut.. Tay-
Tor, and was sentenced to be hung
from the yard arm. The sentence
was approved by Com. Conner,
and he was to have been executed
on the day the Van Buren, left
This is the whole statement-what provoca-
tIon' if any, was given to the Marine to raise his
hand against his superior. we do rot know. Its
possible that the stern dictates of military law
demanded the death of the culprit but this we
do know, that if the officer, in a drunken debaucb
had killed the Marine. the extent of his punish.
ment would have been " dismissal from the SER
utce'-No MORE! In this case is verified the
humble adage, "One man may steal a horse
while another must not look in the stabIe.n
we have lnsuperable objections TO the Naval
Apprenticeship system, as tried a few wears aoo
on Thomas Coins plan, and we trust there is no
voter who will give his voice for its resuscit tion.
while the rich, or influential man, can place his
child in the Navy with a gold band around his
cap. we commend to the perusal of all he fol-
lowing from the " Subterranean: ="
NAVAL SCHooLs.-The city has been inun-
dated recently with a flood of little handbills
calling upon the working men of this city to vote
against such candidates for Congress at the an.
proaching election as do not pledge themselves to
use every exertion in their power, if elected IN
procure The establishments Of Naval Schools. for
the manufacture of Naval slaves. What an ex.
ceedlngiy modest demand! Why shouldn't tho
working men of this city gladly continue TO ex-
hIbIt their debasiDg subveIviency upon ali occa-
sIons where the mercenary aggrandizement of anv
OF Their pIunderlng oppressors shall call for in
by all means pledge Your Congressman to the
establishment of a number Of these slave nurse.
RES, and send your sons into them, to learn and
undergo The most vile and debasinp system of
serViiude and despotism that disrraces the noe in
which we live. Until the odious and infamons
system OF fugging is totally abolished in the
Navy, and every boy and man who enters i, is
guaranteed an equal chance for promotion TO its
highest position, any working man who wouId
willingly permit his son to enter a naval school mr.
a snip OF war, IS a cruel, cold hearted wretch.
utterly unworthy of the name Of man. The nh.
ject of these naval schools is said To be to raisc
American seamen for the Navy. What block.
heads must be the projectors and advocates of such
an ABSURD idea, when 1t is a well known fact that
not one IN twenty Of the naval apprentices hereto.
tore raised have ever stayed in the service a sinole
day after the expiration Of their indentures. This
is The cause Of the great scarcity of American
seamen in our Navy. There are young men
enough now in the United States. each Of whom
have been in The Navy a single three years
term, to man every ship we have got al least
ten times over, but nothing could induce them
to re-enier under lis present tyrannical manaOe.
ment. Indeed, a man must be lost to all sense
OF self respect-he must have degenerated into a
auionalon before he can calmly consent to place
himself a second time. for a few paltry dollars a
month, under a revolving despotism more absnIr,e