The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1855-12-18
Our American C0ancil or Frrtcen-Its Claims
20 immortality.

Our American C0ancil or FIftcen-Its Claims
% Immortality.
Since the decisions Of the Naval Board have
been made public, we have been inundated
with certificates of mcritorious services and
photographed sketches from the officers af-
fected by them. to show the injustice and
harshness with which they have been treated
Some OF these cases, We need not say, fall short
OF the alleged amount of grievance; but a
larger part Of them, unhappily, furnish strong
grounds for the charges Of recklessness, par
TALLY and Indifference to the interests of the
service which have been preferred against the
board. We do not state this lightly, because
careful investigation of the merits Of each case,
thorough acquaintance with the history of
our navy during the brief but eventful period
Of its existence, and particular knowledge OF
many Of the facts brought under our notice by
the aggrieved officers, afford us, to say the
least of it, as convincing q body Of testimony
as that by which the board was guided to it's
conclusions. When we keep in view the pro-
fessed objects Of the bill under the au-
thority Of which this commission was issued,
and compare with them the results achieved
by its labors, we cannot help expressing
our establishment that fifteen respectable OFF,
GERS should be content to hazard their profess
sonal regulations and personal popularity on
document like that to which they have affixed
their signatures. There never has yet been an
instance, we will venture to say, in which such
important and solemn interests have been dis
posed of with so much indecent haste, indiifer-
ence to established facts and utter absence of
generous feeling as were displayed in this in
vestigation. The superficial, unsatisfactory
and illegal character of the testimony on which
the Board had to carry on its inquiries, should
have rendered its members all the more con-
scientious and careful in the discharge of their
duties. Instead Of that, we find that It only
afforded them pretext for hurrying through
their task with as little trouble as possible The
incredibly short time consumed in the investi-
CATION Of each case would be in itself conclu-
sive evidence that they made exceedingly
light of the grave and solemn responsibility
imposed upon them by the country.
The value of the decisions thus rendered
has been impeached not only by the aggrieved
parties and their friends, but by the sterner
evidence of the public necessities. 1t is no i'll
founded sympathy, or too compassionate
tenderness, that speaks for the sufferers but IL
is the fact now dAily made manifest that the
country cannot do without their services. We
will not lay any stress on the ungrateful fea-
ture which in more instances than one, marked
the sittings of the board, namely: that at the
very moment they we're deciding upon the
disgrace of some meritorious officer, that very
individual was rendering important services to
the nation. We will not in particular dwell
upon the case of that gallant young officer who
was fighting the battles Of his country in the
Chinese seas just at the very time when his
censors and judges were determining upon
his removal from active service. There are
other incidents which belong to what Mr.. Grad
grind would call the domain Of hard facts
that render unnecessary arguments that might
be looked upon as merely Of an ad captoadum
character.
The denomination by the President of few
old and deserving officers like Commodore
Stewart is regarded by many rather as an
of past than of present eff
cheney; but other cases are daily transpiring
which cannot be viewed in that light. No
act of injustice can be perpetrated
against a large body of men without its folly
and its Inconvenience being Immediately felt
This rule was never so manifest as in the work
ing of the new order of things created by the
action of the Naval Board. Let us take, by
way Of illustration, the following announce
ment from the Charleston Mercury of Dec IL
Abydrogrspb party und the command Of Lieutenant
NaAt consisting OF the schooners Crawford Gala
lin and Bancroft engaged In the survey OF st.
Helena Par and the oG shore soundings between thai