The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1856-02-27

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81 Congress 10 the judgment Of the Secretary Of the Navy
"a evneed in bis annual report and bis regulations as
vel a. IN the Judgment of the board itself throughout It's
debehions Il regarded honorable retirement
provided BY grateful country IN remembrance OF past
MOST GENEROUS PROVISION MADE ron TG PLACID
The report dwes considerable length upon the gem
erous provision made for the retired oeersuch no
maritime power in the world has ei made for It's retired
naval officers The report gives table showing the saia
res OF the governors aud judges OF sixteen
States In the Union, and adds;
From this il will be seem that while reserved captains
receive 81 commanders 800 and iieu'enants $1,000
per for life in grateful remembrance OF past ser
vices the foregoing sixteen States pay their governors an
average salary OF $685. and their chief judicial officers
average salary Of Si662 per annum, while employed.
In view OF these facts Your committee have not only
failed perceive the preprety justice OF the allegations
of certain of the memoralis that by being placed upon
this reserved list their fame and honor have been impair
ed' their degradation adjudged and their Humiliation
decreed &C. committee perceive in them strange
Misrepresentation Of the best interests of the country and of
the naval service well Of the generous legislation in
their behalf
rue CASE OF COMMODORE STEWART.
"Your committee disposed to enter into the
animation OF individual this time and reseryng
70 themselves the right and the duty Of reporting specially
upon before them hereafter they advert TO the
mortal Of Commodore Stewart only illustrative of their
views This officer has been placed upon the reserved list
with full pay for life and has been continued in the posi-
ton and command held by him at the date Of his retire
men and upon salary Of 81, 500 per annum. Not the
slightest change in his duties responsibilities emolu
mens produced by hs retirement, with the sole
cepion that he is ineligible further promotion and
he was already the senior captain and higher rank
position in the service is atanable this cannot be regard
ed as an appreciable disqualification
AcrUArEp SELFISH CONSIDERATIONS
But, If the members Of the board be presumed
been selfish and corrupt in thus voting and to have yield
ed 10 desire dspace those above them in their
specye grades that they themselves might be advanced
and that they did suggestion which your committee
repndate 1.-THE presumption is at refuted by the fact
that with reference the grades of passed mdshpman
MASTER lieutenant and commander constituting ninetenths
of the whole corps of officers and constituting too the
great of the active and efficient of the navy their
power thus corrupty TO net did not exist candid
animation viii show For example, neither passed mid
shpman master, lieutenant could he retired Tor
dropped by less than majority of the board by eight
of lis fifteen members and had the five cuenanis upon
therefore, conryed with witESat proper cause
tire member of such grades the of least
three Of the members of the superior grades have been
essential and had the five commanders combined corrupt
~ 10 retire member of their grade they would have been
poweess effect it, for could be retired
Cor dropped by such combination by less than
HAVE THs MEMoRALIsrs TINE RIGHT 10 A rnIaL2 a.
The ortcontnues:
Nor your committee with the memorialist
allegation, that under the act ia question, they had
right to hearing, trial. defence before the board
No such right exists by the terms of the law,
he inferred IRON any iar construction of which they
suse, piible.
In the judgment of your committee the assertion OF
such claim presupposes for the memoriass such
qualified vested right in their commissions equally
consistent with the theory and the practice of
nei and cannot be sustained without ignoring the evil
dent distinction between the authority of the appoin ting
poser 10 determine for ITSELF in its and its
discretion the qualifications of candidate for Office
and the night OF The came powen to- deprive him of his
property without hearing trial. defence IN Ia
The Offices held blythe memoriats created for the
people, their incumbents hold private estate
become incapable
performing their duties they should be displaced the of
fees themselves should be abolished The right to remove
ID incident TO the power of appointment and essential
TO the power to appoints and without entering upon dis
custom OF The me,uorias assertion Of the right ques-
ton, your COMMITTEES do doubt the power the Ex
ecuye TO every officer of navy and to cancel
every commission the power of Congress and the
Execur or of Congress in defiance of the Executive
abolish the navy altogether and all without Aearing
: trsot or a dsfsnce,' Of single man.,
Previous 10 1901 no legislation limited the number of
officers in the several grades Of the navy the
OF March Sd Of that year the President directed
Teain IN the naval service nine captains thirty lieu
tenants and one hundred and City midsbiPmen and he
was authorized TO discharge all the other officers the
nayy and ii provided for four months extra pay 10 all
who might thus be discharged
The grade Of captain then consisted Of twenty eight
and the delicate duty OF scrunzipg the corps dis
charging those least worthy OF being retained deyoved
upon Mr. Jefferson. Some discrepancy between the limit
Of the law and the action of the Executive seems TO have
existed for learn of but sixteen who thus dis
charged instead Of eighteen contemplated by the
but these sixteen embracing worthy gal
amopg them--were discharged without hearing,
trial. or defence
by the act Of April L. 1914 Congress authorized the
President by and with the advice consent of the SEN
ate TO appoint four captains aud twelve to be
employed 10 the ola service Of United States with
the same relative rank and authority In the ota service
IS officers Of the grade wee entitled TO the
navy Of the United Staies'
This act was repealed by the act Of 27h February
1919 and by such repeal these four capnins twelve
entenants held be discharged from the service
and were so discharged" # eaa +. !
INA PLEA OF "wAsr rRKcKDEsr" ANSWERED
The marine corps branch OF the naval service and
Congress having by the of the I'd March ls4I prov
ded FOR the reduction of the corp the officers TO be drop
ped were determined by board.
LETTER COMMODORE sHupRIoK
A letter Is published from Commodore shubrick the
senior officer OF the late naval board in reply to certain
questions propounded by the committee The Commo-
dores answers plain explicit and the point and are
calculated to any impression such an
impression exists TO the motives and conduct Of the
late board
RECOMMENDATIONS or rHE COMMITTEE.
The report closes with the following recommendations
"Concurring with the Secetarys slggestscs your
mtce recommend the passage Of the bill herewith reported
which will, In their judgment afford the relief which the
nemoralis's seek with for the public in
terests.
The bin provides for court OF inquiry to ali Of the
dropped officers who may desire one with view their
restoration 70 The service and rpcas much OF the Of
the 2Sh Of February 1885, renders officers in
eligible to promotion II provides for temporary repeal
OF much Of the act Of ls42 ms the numbers in the
different grades with view resiorafiops from the