The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1852-12-10

cruise, TO perform the extra work which the re-
ductiuh of the force OF the ship inevitably throws
upon them. So oppressvely 10 this evil felt. that
| have reason to believe, il the best seamen, who
have heretofore been accustomed To man our ships
could find an occasion to express their wishes tn
Congress, majority Of the whole number would
be seen to prefer restoration Of that form Of pun
ishment which has been forbidden, rather than
be subject to the seventies imposed upon them by
the present condition Of disorder in the naval dis
cipiine.
Looking at this state Of things in the navy,
think the occasion propitous To the adoption OF
new system for the organization and government
OF the whole material constituting the crews Of our
ships; and take advantage Of the present time to
submit to your consideration the outline OF plan,
which trust will engage your attention, and re
ceive the appreciation Of Congress.
| The supply of our navy with seamen has hereto.
! fore been obtained by system of enlistment,
modelled, in itsPrincipal elements, upon the plan
| adopted in Great britain, from which nation we
| have derived, by old habit and national descent,
! the general features OF our marine. Like Fog
| land, we have looked to our commercial navisa-
ton for the reinforcement of the men Of the navy.
| We enlist the mercantile seanen for the national
cruise. discharging and paying them off when
1t 10 hnished, and returning them 10 the mer-
chant service. The navy, in general, has been
sufficiently attractive to the sailor TO be abe TO sc
cure his service when needed and this mode Of
enlistment being an easy and accessible resource,
but little consideration has heretofore been be-
slowed upon its effect either on the navy itself
or upon the seamen. To the navy 1t has given n
large and meritorious class Of mariners, not IN
mixed, however, with many OF different charac-
ter and from that mixture itself requiring prompt
and effective sys EN- OF punishment adapted to Sc
cure ready disc barge of duty in every emergen-
cy. The effect of the system upon the men Of the
navy has been overlooked or, If regarded at all it
has not attracted the attention of the public
authorities. The sailor is, in general, upon
shore, helpless being. Between himself and all
around him there Is palpable incongruity.
He has come off long cruise and has earned
/ k,,-I Inlt. H. o.
home; often friends but his comrades He
knows no thrift, saving economy; has no ad-
wiser. His only outlook is for some pastime and
his idea Of that is confined to sensual enjoyment
Every one is familiar with his history in his brief
sojourn on shore. He is Il victim to that class of
persons who Pander to It's appetites and who plum
der him of his earnings. Necessity and incna
ton very drive him back TO the sea, where he
finds his natural home and the only friends who
can understand his character and sympathze with
II. II Ia very apparent that man 80 organized
and crcumotanccd stands very much in need Of
better culture than this course oil life affords. A
discreet attention to his condition by the Govern
ment with few saluary regulations that may
| teach him more thrift and furnish him guidance
| and encouragement, will make him more useful as
a citizen, or ut least more self dependent and
| spectacle in his individual character, and render
him at the came time certainly not less useful in
| his profession.
plan for the reorganization of this portion of the
| navy, which. if matured by such experience as the
future practice of it may afford, will, am conf
dent, enhance the respectability and value Of our
seamen,a and secure to the country most efficient
| corps OF men permanently devoted to the public
| service.
| think it cannot be doubted that the successful
application of the navy to the purposes for which
it a designed would be better assured by the SER
| vices Of a well disciplined and carefully main
| tained body Of seamen permanently attached to
the public naval establishment and incorporated
with it, than it ever has been or s ever likely to be
| by the fiuctuating and variable resource of fire.
| quent enlistment and discharge. The constant
changes which this corps undergoes is unfavora.
bic to the growth of that sentiment essential to
the service, which makes a sailor proud of his
flag. II s still more uuiavorable to the acquire.
ment Of that peculiar adaptation Of habit and
training to the duties belonging to the employment
| of man-of war, which all officers regard as the
test and indispensable clement of an efficient sea-
man in the navy. In large navy like that Of
England, where all the eeamen of the mercantile
marine, in a certain sense, belong to the govern
ment, the difference between the man-of-war's-
man and the seaman OF civil employment ia not
apparent or significant it is in service, in
which the seamen bear SO small proportion to the
whole body OF mariners OF the nation. Every Eng.
lsb sailor has generally less service in the
navy and passes go frequently from the private TO
the public employment as to give him to a great
degree an actual incorporation in the national ma
rine; the service Is 80 connected with the other
that the seamen of both assimilate more in their
training and education than the correspondent
classes in THE country. Our navy, for obvious
10,
more dependent upon body of men nurtured by
the Government and attached to the service than
that of England. 1t ia, therefore, a Fundamental
purpose in the plan which submit to Congress to
provide for the ultimate establishment of perma
nent and recognized body of seamen, connectcd
with the navy by the strongest and most durable
bonds Of attachment and interest.
Whilst providing for the gradual and eventual
organization Of such body, my attention has been
directed also to the procurement Of men OF the
highest character in personal aud professional
i,fu uhna rood e..
servce will be found the most satisfactory reasons
for protecting by legal enactment their whole class
against the form Of punishment which has of late
q much excited the eensibility OF the nation The
successful accomplishment OF such an object, |
trust, will commend the plan to the regard OF all
who desire to preserve that exemption, and who
have hoped to find 1t in practice not incompatible
with the highest efficiency Of service shipboard
The general outline OF the plan may be exhibited
in the following regulations:
With view to the commencement of this eva.
tenn and to organize body Of efficient sea men of
the most mertorious class, propose that every
commanding officer Of a squadron, or of single
ship when OF with squadron, shall on his return
from a regular cruise, report to the Navy Depart
ment, in the muster roll of the men under his com
mand, statement of the good or bad general de-
portmcnt Of each man. with a special desig nation
OF thoee whose conduct has merited that degree of
appreciation which shall entitle them to be admitted
into the navy.
That this report be submitted by the Department
TO the President, who sha thercupon issue n gene.
raj oTuer 10 auHlt IulO tne navy tue EeoTnen who
have been distinguished IN the report for good con.
duct. And the President shall transmit with this
order to the commanding officer Of the squadron
or ship certificate TO each seaman, written on
parchment and stamped with the signature of the
President himself, expressing his appreciation of
his conduct and his permission to admit the sub
ject OF 1t into the navy; which certificates shall be
delivered Ivy the ommandng officer of the squad
ship TO the men entitled to them before they
discharged from the chip. This delivery to be |
made in the presence Of the crews and with suit |
able formality TO attract public notice.
That each seaman TO whom this certificate shall |
be awarded shall, If he accept it, register his name
in book to be provided for that purpose and kept
on board OF the ship, by which registry he shall be-
come a registered seaman Of the navy of the Uni
ted States and be entitled to all the privileges nd
be bound TO al the obligations of that character.
Tbis registry book shall be transmitted to the Ma
Wy Department, where il shall be preserved, and |
the entries made in il copied into general regis
try, alphabetically arranged, and kept in the De-
par,ment.
The obligations incurred by every seaman who |
signs the register shall be those of faithful service
and due performance of all seamanIike duty un-
der the flag of the United States, good moral de-
pertinent. and prompt obedience to all orders that
may Issued by his lawful superiors so long as he
ehnI tO be n M rph her f he