The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1853-12-11

no longer delayed.
The great evil in present system is tina. neither
seniority of commission requisites promotion and
pay The gallant, chvarous men Of the Navy feel sub
aued, dispnad, discouraged; their ardor is chilled,
the fire OF their young ambition and pride is well nigh
extinguished Many are leaving the service to which
they have SO long ondly chung Many remain, only BE-
of the cherished expectation OF reform The officer
who encounters all tbs perks OF the Deep wins the ad.
mraton OF the world for his brilliant acl evsments and
makes his cosntrymen prouder than OF their
try returns to rest awhile from his tolls but to f. NOR
titled in seeing the indolsDt, the imbecile, who have
known no tolls and have never met the enemy, daily
promoted over him. 1t Is tue that tho Executive has
power, to some extent to interfere and exercise dis
erection as to- promotion but 80 fixed and well
since the organization of the navy, of promoting
according to seniority of commission that the effort BY
any executive TO eevate from it without the sanction Of
law cou only be made At the hazard Of charges Of
favort SIN and prejudice, produ tve Of discomfort
injurious probably the evil itself 1t is true, also,
Tat tire Secretary of the Navy has the discretionary
their pay II has frequsntly been done. have
cised he power myself But In the absence Of uni
form rule sanctioned by law the effort at Discrimination
however sincere and dsrts esed Is embarrassed with
difficulties by means diminished BY the interpreting
appeals of the friends of The parties that this power
not paraysed Invested almost entirely of it, tauary
and corrective virtue
70 illustrate the unfarness OF the present system, per
nit me to mention few facts-not with the view OF in.
vicious copari but solely to elucidate the subject
There officers who have been in the Navy more than
forty years. whose total service Is less than ten years.
who the pay With those Of their grade whose
service is fifteen, eighteen, and more than twenty
years These officers who thus receiving pay prevent
the promotion Of those below them and havs been more
than twice their service ., sea- and have helped to give
their county a There indifferent officers who
have not done duty shore for twelve fifteen and
twenty yesfe There suten who double
he service Of some of higher grade and receive but
hall their pay There are many passed midshipmen of
more than ten years. ses servoe, whose pay leave is
six hundred dollars and there their supriors in rank
OF less than ten years es service whose pay twenty
Ave hundred dollars
The pride Of rank and position is the animang element
that imparts vgor to the ARM courage to the heart,
buoysncy to the spirits Of the faithful officer and there
is peculiar tensvenes to the slightest neglect. But,
in country like full of rich fields inviting the
nerprisns-pressntins so many paths through which
the atpring may advance TO fame and rtune-what is
there In the above outline Of the picture which
sysem exhibits to attract the accomplished young
Of the day? The mid and tho Iaggari promoted
rapidly as the brave and the active The officer who has
borne hma well In twenty years. se,v vice amidst the
storms and Danger Of the beneath the tropical
and near unriendy coasts-on obtaining his few months
leave Of absence. finds himself only receiving the
pay with those Of his grade who have fingered smid
tie comforts home and rarely touch the deck OF
ship Bat AZ be said Tat pay skoas be lnS.eseea
with rank And ta The ocsr u the lower grade SHOULD