The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1850-12-05

q the supervision of public officers. And it may
J. we'll be doubted whether, If system were now
: TO be projected, without reference TO what has
$ been heretofore done, the number Of our navy
yards might not be considerably abridged. With
u these Establishments however, now capable OF
o use, and with the inconsiderable amounts neccs-
. sary to preserve them, | cannot recommend that
: any of them be abandoned The system Of de-
t pendence on private contracts, moreover, would
:, deprive the Government Of any convenience OF
. location for repairing and building vessels, and
: concentrate all such operations in the CONNER
: cia cities, where private as well AS public pa
4 tronagc might be expected. 1t IS, moreover so
:, Indispensable, that ships OF war shall be con-
!, structed on the most improved plans, to be dc.
r yiscd ouly by practical knowledge Of naval
,, warfare, as well as of naval architecture, and
/ shall be thoroughly built Of the best materials,
! that it would be hazardous TO resort to new
D method of supplying them, where the chief Sc
, curity for their effectiveness would be the profit
to be realized by the contractor. In a time of
: war, wien every expedient might be necessary
to add to the navy, our private ship yards would
e doubtless be found most important auxiliares
! for the supply OF vessels, but it would be most
= injudicous to depend OH them as our only re-
: source in preparation for war;
j. Such being the condition of the vessels Of
the navy and our facilities and preparations for
= augmcntiug their number, the question natural
t ~ presents ITSELF what naval force do We require
:, The answer to this question must of course vary
o with the varying circumstances of the country.
h Having been organized on its present basis by
+ the act of 1898, and considerably enlarged, in
J. consequence of the state of hostilities with
) France for the two or three years succeeding,
It the naval force was reduced in 1901, and the
d number Of vessels and officers limited by law,
n the supernumerary officers being discharged and
h the vessels sold. The Tripoitan war, which
l. soon succeeded, required speedy additions to the
e force thus reserved and with our extended and
D. increasing commerce. with the obvious necess-
j. ity for its protection and the protracted dispute
j. with Great Britain us to the rights of our flag
N on the ocean, and the brilliant achievements by
e which those rights were indicated by the navy
l. in the war which ended this dispute, it gained
ID the public estimation that at the close of the
l. war, instead Of reduction of this arm of the
e. national defence, as was the with the army
in the annual sum of 100000, for eight years
was appropriated for the gradual increase of the
of navy. Although this appropriation was reduced
rs to 100000 per year in 1920, the policy Of grad
III ual increase still continued to be n tavorte oh
e- Jet with Congress and the country. In 1926
its 1896 and 1927, the question of a proper nava
H. peace establishment was much discussed AM
he considered, but left undecided by the lcgis
of lature, and appropriations for increase AS wei
n. as maintenance and repair have continued to b.
le made, with some irregulary as to intervals anC
n, amounts until the present time, but without an
to definition by Congress Of the nun Der and des
I'd crptions of vessels deemed necessary for th
IN national marine.
I'd The numbers in the various grades Of thu
" personnel of the navy has, until within reeen
.e period, been left still more underlined than thu
number Of ships. Since the reduction of thu
e number Of vessels and men, after the re -cstab
r. Iishment of friendly relations with France by
j. treaty in 1901, no statute fer more than fort,
e years ever limited the sum total of pers rs tt
l. be employed in the navy, or in its several rank
" and officers. The number Of commissioned
h. officers in any grade up to and including cap
taincy, depended on the President and Senate
- and the number Of warrant officers on the Pre-
sdent or Head Of the Department alone. BY
provisional clause in the annual appropriation
6 bill, approved August 18th, 1912, the number O.
officers in the respective grades Of the navy was
6 directed not to be increased beyond the number
n in service on the lst OF January, Is II and any
cr further appointment OF miiahpmen was forbid
; den until they should be reduced to the numbc
err in service on the lst of january, 1871. In thi:
retrospective proviso of an appropriation bill til,
IS number Of officers fixed by standard no
Is then before the eye of the Legislature, but to b.
49, searched for in the roster Of the service for t
mt two preceding years, and by this, after being
ut thus asceraincd. it continues to be regulated.
ID The personnel Of the navy, thus established
I'd comprises SO captains, 81 commanders, 337 Ecu
IN tenants IS surgeons, 81 passed assistant sur
lr geons, 43 assistant surgeons, g. pursers, 2
le chapiains q professors Of mathematics, mas
is tiers in the line Of promotion, and AGA passed
lie and other midsljpmcn to which is to be added
rk besides other warrant officers according to tn,
nc annual appropriation for pay and subsistence
en- 1900 petty officers, scAmcn, Ordinary seamen
T. landsmen, and boys.
to The capacity of the country to enlarge thi
force whenever desirable, may be readily per
he ceived by Stain" that We have now in the mcr
Is camille marine 100000 Of tons Of shipping al
I'd amount greater than that Of any other nation o
s. the world; and, according to the ordinary est
<: mate of six men to every one hundred tons
T. there are in our merchant service 100000 sea-
men. In this array Of hardy mariners to recruit
rs FROM and in our vast resources for building
ID cquippng, and arming ships. of war; We possess
At the clements of n naval power unsurpassed il
ii the history Of nations. The problem to be sol
,e we'd by the statesman is, how FAR these elements
la are to be brought into u.r. Whether the prcsen
q establishment, with its accustomed regulation
l. and direction, is adapted to our present necessi
l. ties, or whether It may be retormed regulated
l. and improved so rs better to answer the great
Y ODpcLS Oh lis institution -tllu III collSlueTlllI
If these questions, We must bear constantly il
II mind that we have arrived at new era in oui
d history arising from our occupation and vast cX
tension of our territories on the coast Of the Pa
d ciic.
e. 1t is not matter Of surprise that system
Il which has grown to its present dimensions with.
d out any law OF Increase should BE- found un-
n shapely and disproportioned. An obvious
+ fault Of the present organization of the personnel
Of the navy as above set forth, is the disparity
|, between the head and the subordinate parts
Il The natural desire for promotion has brought
y into the higher grades greater number of otli-
GERS than is required by the present force Of ships
n and men, or than will be required in any state of
$ things likely soon to occur
$ The shore stations comprehendng navy yards,
8 receiving ships, and naval asylum, and including
It one of each for the Pacific coast, will require
e g captains, 9 commanders, 56 lieutenants, 81
J. surgeons, 10 passed and assistant surgeons, IA
d pursers, II chapains, 60 passed and other mid