The daily union., 1856-04-05
CONGRESSIONAL.
SPEECH OF MR.. IVERsOy,
OF GEORGIA.
Delivered in the Senate, March 81, 1856.

/
ons, Supltled by Mr. vERsoE the 29h OF February:
hs'oueaa That committee Of senators be appointed
by the CHAR with power to send for persons and papers
and that sid eoumer be, and hereby authorized and
ins ucted 10 sumuou before the men bers of the late
val ,elng board Or such OF them may be conveniently
brought osWe the committee and examine them upon oath
10 the facts and evidence grounds and reasons upon
which the action said board founded in each case OF
dr"pped from the servce that said be further
Instr aeea 10 pquire and obtain any other which,
their opinion bear upon the Aforesaid and report
| the th the Senate.
And be arthsr reaored, That said committee be author
zed sud- insaeied advise nnd wb President
oi the ped STATES in relation the of said retired
and d ed officers with the view OF Getting
or injustice which may have been committed by the action of
aaid retiring board BY the reappoinent by
the President Of such officers have been upusty or
improperly retired or dropped.
Mr. lVERSON Mr. President Il seems n be gan
orally conceded on all hands, far have been able to
gather public sentiment here much nus-
ce has been done by the action of the late board
and its approval by the President of the United States
The Secretary Of the Navy, although he recommended the
approval Of the entire action OF that board by the Presi
dent, seems 10 admit that individual injustice has been
done many officers who have been affected by it, The
Committee Naval Affairs, who have perhaps inyestga
ted this subject thoroughly than anybody else admit
that individual in justice has been done. Although they
have presented lengthy and elaborate report TO justify
not only the law but the proceedings of the board under
IL they admit that individual Of injustice exist and
have reported bill which is intended remedy fer
them Senators no have addressed the Senate vor
the policy and wisdom Of the law well the action of
the board, all to admit that injustice has been
mittad The officers themselves-manv of them least
complain bitterly C the wrong that has been done them
and the almost universal public voice condemns the pro-
ceedings OF this board.
Although do not pretend to know personally any case
Of injustice hch has been inflicted by this board yet in
common with many senators who have expressed a SINH
lar opinion in with The great mass OF the public
press and the people who have spoken their sentiments
freely md fully this subject believe much wrong has
been done SIR be true that nearly onethrd Of the
officers Of the American navy incapable of dischar vng
the dutirs apperinng 10 their respective grades that SO
many of our officers both physically and morally in
competent the discharge of their duties
The people OF the Untd States have been aught TO
believe that the officers Of The American navy for courage
fidelity official capacity and ability, inferior the
officers Of navy Of any nation the face Of the earth
They have not only been the PRIDE and boast Of their
countrymen but they have eh'Icuged the respect aud ad-
niraon of the world When aud where sir has il been
that the officers o. our navy have exhibited want Of ca
paciiy In the discharge Of their duties For than
forty years in all the vicissWdrs OF and of peace
TIN ough every trial and through which they
passed in The paths Of navigation and commerce. in the
eds science in exposiiious Of national aw in official
correspondence, and in the maintenance Of the rights
eresis and honor Of the nation, they have exhibited
courage fidelity, and capacity not surpassed-rarely
cquaet-hy the officers o. any nation n the world When
and where that the officers Of your navy have exhibit
ed Of sufficient capacity 10 discharge their duties
Many of those very officers who have fallen under the ban
naval board have been engaged in active and
actual srv,ce Of the country In the discharge Of important
and te.pons'ble duties for many years immediately pre-
cednR their condemnation BY this board and many Of
hose officers who have been by the naval board
incompetent discharge their duties actually
in the employ mrut Of the government at the very moment
when they we're denounced as worn-Out and wodhlrss
drones. do not believe that many Of our naval Off
ctrs incompetent and unit for duty. cannot believe
that such wholesale Judgment Of condemnation de-
served. do not believe that the American people have
bceu much mistaken the high estimate which they
have placed on their naval officers.
Bot SIR II these u ers have been unft for duty as
justly TALL under the condemnation which has been
passed upon them ask how IL il rhal they have been
poyrd in the Plhiic ses,c by the distinguished WHO
have presided the Navy Department. Many Of thesc
yrry only by
tars the Navy Ia important ana responsible trusts but
hr c cru selected aud employed by the present dis
uu -u.slrd and able who Is the head Of that de-
pa Th'u. II rhc Judgments Of the naval board BE-
a. only the prsrut Secretary OF the Navy, but
mAny hi predecessors have been guilty Of gross yio-
ltou az uth1nI iuiy N cuumtng Important and
siCc mmauds mod trusts incapable and iucompe
uI,.. Hos that lhc - rttary Of the Navy has it,
tru,n npc com uani " shps-oi-war and of squad
rut ouruaua5 aud duIts involving the rights, and in
t,r.t- .ud huaur ~ the cuunr5-hOR dare he commit
So important incompetent and incapable Off
,rr,7 Sr an unwilling to adopt conclusion which
,.u' Glus lhr"h ai Intelligence and integrity OF the Navy
u pertinent clOosc rather 10 supposr tht the naval
ord have red, and that rank njust,e hs bcn done by
thru
Nurs u At all surprising Mr Presd.n, that injustice
s,ld hn,r Icy1 done hy TIC hoard, cunsdcrn. th, cir
cumsrnurs u, whch they were SURROUND T. Putting the
charitable consuuciu tber motives and conduct
nc that inJusnce vas inevitable Wrh the very
h uunuoDs 70 90 gh they could not have avoided the
contuNs.Ou ut VrOuE.
The duy th oard, under he law and the regulations
pr, r,rd bY the Secretary Ut the Navy, 10 iusttuc
aC,rc o. iIptun INTO the Of every uGC,r The
American whe her each officer capable
incapable oi dscharRing, promptly aud efficiently all the
dus WhrCh nppsrtanrd to bts respective grade This
the duty IT the unva hoard There seven hundred
and Urrs OF the navy uhuse ought have
bpyn-ii trrv nut-ysucfully examined Bat there
fltepu officers uf this board do suppose that
they made any examination INTO their cases for
apprrbcud that their capacity ~ least forr-
gone conclusion Bot will Say that u they had in
sutuied caCrul examination their and ap
ped the tCst Ia Themselves which II Is understood
aud believed they applied 10 others there s
member 81 the board who Noud probably be staud
ing side by side with he ofsrs HON Ihcy have retired
dismissof. sin. leaving these fifteen, there sE
huudred and ninety cSses to be CNamued-cases in
vnluuR the right the interests the feelings the conduct
aud the character o every mruher Of The navy and bow
much time taken up in this important and delicate
proceeding We informed by official communications
that the hOard in session thirstK daystbat Il 70
saw thgre thrg days Intervening between tho
oI their assembling and adjournment. Five Of these
dsJ were Sundays days lost by the attend
Of Wrrptcrs 50 that they were in fact only twenty
d 10 actual session which al the average Of Eve
hours per day-thc IIne generally computed and ! be
hrvg ausfuuucd have ne'n spent hy themwould make
hundred aud forty 6ve hours spent in this examina
ion. THIS amount divided amongst the six hundred and
n,uety-sey ctsrs which to he examined by the
board IT, indeed they discharged the duty they ought
to have done would give twelve minutss aud wenyeght
seconds to each
Bot SIR il is alleged thai they made examination in
regard to large batch Of those officers The president Of
the board himself IN his communication to the Committee
Naval Affairs sttC IN substance that IN about hve
hundred cases examination was made The Register
called, and " memhtr OF the board objected any
particular officer his down snd laid aside the
officer pronounced competent n therefore they spent
every Of their time in the examination Of the two
hundred and one officers hon they did try and condemn