Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1862-10-07
TT NN ~|FI"F 81
PROMOTION; III THE NAVY.

Daring the lag. session. Of Congress q laS
was enacted by which the President "as re-
ou;red to nominate, among the officers to hs
promoted in the Navy, Il limited number, for
gallant and me-itrrious service.
Those WIN are not cOnv.Tsant with naval
affairs, will he, perhaps, surprised /" learn
that until the passage ~ this at, promotions
IL the Confederate Navy were inada without
regard to anything but the date OF 0rlglral
entry into tho service, except tia! the ieiaii"e
rank of those VINO entered in The same year
wa deter mined bya board Of examiners after
& servce If five or six years, as mi!>hipme',
,nl E brief canrss of instruction NJ ,ae Naval
School.
The effects nj this system. The longey WHY
system. as i. wes called. were npfurcnt IN
the old pary I! the Uo::rl S!atec; but the
.c.- Of introducing, With lhe recognition Of
;urrif by promotion, ~yoi,iical influence and
ta"oritisln pTe7ent-'i any attempt TO Change
the system. In time Of peace it VAS tolera-
hle; opportunities TO attain distinction were
rare; and those who asplred &c distinction in
paths allied to the service, were generally
regarded with jeslou'y as innoTstors. NO
ministry, no talent. no effort could hit An Oh
t;cera single number ahhvs tho position ne
occupied in III. ME. There are probably eu.
few naval officers who have not in curly HE
a..d middle age, hoped for the recognition OF
tue principle of promotion by merit; hut they
have have At length not only Ceased Ia aspire
70 rank out of turn, but have cnIils 10 regard
promotion Ill turn ~ an uuquestionable right.
1T il hard that having Tenchrd positions N
.heir respective grades oy which their speedy
! promotion, fit or unfit, under tho longevity
system, would bs inevitable, they shoaii he
chilled upon to cutter into competition with
thnsr whom they have always regarded as
lrrrvoca!'ly their Interiors, mel in rho prime
of life. embracing among their numbers many
exhibiting the characteristic features of merit
md ability.
Eur all such considerations ahouli Yield TO
the conviction that the country in this, her
hour Of med, has right 10 The hest services
Of her sons. in WHATEVER capacity .he may
choose to employ them. All personal feeling
should b. discarded in the consideration Of
this question, bearing on the future efficiency
of the navy-pfecttnC the degree md char
acter of the service whIrn nil otn1crs are, in
tue main, DESTROYS Of rendering. Who would
be willing To feel that M had permitted per
sonal feeling, p~crrauaI estimatr OF his own
worth, or the clajtn Of uirrs length nf service,
to star nd in the wsy nf tn exercise of abilities
possessed in & higher degree by others than
himself.
The apparent certainty Of eventual SUCCESS
in this war should not prevent or doing p J
in our poSer to ensure il, or TT least doing
nothing 10 peril it. And what do we require
mere than the full Development Of slct talent
and ability as the government may haze at its
COMMAND.
The principle Of rrVn"tini by merit is re-
cogulzed aud applied in the nnvics Of England,
France aDG Russia, and is considered essen
tial TO Their efficiency.
It is thought by some, who oppaSs its in
PRODUCTION into our service, that the esprit de
corps may DC injured. But this would be
contrary |, the ex ~ierle,lce uI the whole world ;
for esprit de corpSIs never stronger than when
those who cnmnsnd. direct rr lead. are Sc
lscted for thelr tb lity. Where has esprit de
tor0s been stronger than in the ARMIES OF
Napoleon; aid IL those armies promotions
were made to high command from the very
ranks On the ether hand, true esprit de
corps can scarcely be said to eyist when rank
depends On ~accilent al: longevity. l. strue
that the ccrporativn spirit is encouraged; bur
that is not the spirit we want.
L is said that ~inius'icc mar he committed
because Ill have not equal chances; and that
in certain cases where men have distinguished
themselves, al did Bnchunan, others would
hsvo done as wei: 1t would, of course, he
impossible to place all in the same circurn
etaucrs or to promote tn" whole Navy. For
tune has necessarily U:ucn to do with oppor-
~tunities of gaining d,st;nctinA. But be who
applies himself steadily to ti:o cultivation CT
his pow crS; ind seeks Distinction ii rreking
to serve his country, viii be far more apt tn
obtain it than be who regards it as the result
of chance and waits for il.
Some admitting that merit should TIC En-
element Of promotion. fear that political in
~tluencs will be brought 10 bear, and that ia
voritisn may BIO shoGn; bur every one knows
that such fears always haunt tnose who afe
more inclined TO theoEi1e ard imsgine posi-
bilit.es. than to consider this and similar sub
iects in their true aspect
Let them sirc dus weight to the prscticAi
illustration afforded by the results flowing
from the appointment Of the Confederate
Generals. No reasonable person can deny, that
but for the judicious exercise of the power Of
the President to appoint, our cause would DO