The New York herald., 1862-11-24

reaos. Dccatur, Porter, MacaonougA. Rsdxers.
Hull. Bainsridge and Biddle Thus do nations
rise and fall. Tho sun Of the old, worn out
monarohies Of Europe Is setting, while that Of
the American republic ascends to meridian
splendor. The civil war is only developing its
inexhaastible resources by land aad sea, and
when the conflict i Terminated in reunion, as
It cannot fail to be, she will como out Of the
6ery ordeal ten times moro formidable to tho
despots Of the Old World than whom she catered
upon the struggle which is to try tAc genius Of
her people and test the strength Of her free in
situations,
Our Legion or Honer-The Way Promo
tAons Arc Made in the Navy.
Some time since il was announced by the
authorities at Washington that promotion
shcsid be the result OF distinguished services
in either the army or navy, and al the same
time 1t was distinctly asserted that any officer
proved incapable of fulfilling the duties of his
position sh0uid be removed. We wish here to
review more particularly the proceedings Of the
Navy Department As regards promotion and
want Of capacity in Office, and will leave the
public ~ Judge. whether our .osnclusiens
are not lsteictly just and founded. ypon
fact& Commander W. d. Porter, who
rendered Important sep<ice/ to the govern
ment on the Mississippi, has justly BEEN pro-
mctcd 10 the rank Of commodore. We fully
concur ia the nomination, and deem the Com
modore most useful and brave officer one
from whom tho country may expect great
things His promotion followed upon his
destruction of che rebel ram Arkansas. and he
certainly did render thereby signal service to
the government and shed glory upon our arms.
We repeat that We fully appreciate the right Of
Commodore Porter to his present rank, and
that we deem him q useful and competent
officer. Rear Admiral Goldsborough, who.
James river, seemed over laboring under
chronic fear Of the rebel iron-clad Merrimac,
was then commodore. We should feel obliged
to any one who could point out for what
signal service the former commodore was raised
to his present high rank-that of rear admiral.
His fears of the Nierrimac. his consequent in
activity, no doubt prevented. or tended to pre-
vent, our successful advance upon Richmond.
The full cooperation that was expected
from hin, was never given, and the
successful movement of the land forces
was jeopardized thereby and it finally dc
volvcd or General Wool to rid Hampton Roads
Of the terrible presence Of the Merrimac. We
repeat that in this case we are not aware
what instances of unusual bravery or great ser
vices rendered to the country caused the sd-
vanccment Of Rear Admiral Goldsborough
Commander Preble has felt the power of the
Navy Department in another sense His has
been dismissal instead OF advancement, and
the cause, the fact that the Anglo-rebel steamer,
the Oreto, sailed by him, broke the blockade
and entered the harbor Of Mobile Ha did on.
deayor TO prevent her so doing; but. IS his YES
sci bore the same relation to the fast sailing,
newly built Oreto that a tub does to q steam
engine he was necessarily unsuccessful, and
the Oreto sailed into Mobile with the Confe-
derate flag unfurled to the breeze Was this
the fault of Commander Prebe alone. We say
not. Had we have had fast steamers, been pro-
vidod with such vessels as the OretO-we mean
the same class Of fast sailing, strongly built.
heavily armed and manned men-Of-war-he
might have prevented the occurrence which
the Navy Department IL first to bs blamed for
not having provided fitting vessels to blockade
the Southern ports.
We now come to subject wherein the Navy
Department has not acted at all. We refer to
Lieutenant Worden. the hero of the little Moni-
tor--the man who. with that untried cheese
box, saved our national credit, the millions Of
dollars worth Of United Ststes property which
Tic Merrimsc would have destroyed had he not
thrust himself across her path and beaten her
back He saved Fortress Monroe. He saved
Washington itself; for, had the Merri
mac not been checked by the Monitor, it
IL foregons conclusion she would have
sailed up the Potomac and sbelled our capital
Who can say that the huge iron-clad, flushed
with success, would not have paid us Q visit
and dist.srbed tho harmony Of our every day
Aifs by dropping a few shells in Broadway.
From all this danger, which ws are surely not
exaggcrating. lieutenant Worden saved us.
He remained in The turret Of. the Monitor until
desfened almost bllad.. and, with. blood oozing
from his nostrils, eyes and ears, he was con-
veyed out Of II a victor. the Merrmac having
withdrawn, baf1ed and beaten,
What has been tho reward Of this heroic
officer. The merchants Of New York, who ap-
probate that he saved thcm from great danger,
have given him purse Of ten thousand dol
lars, and the State voted him o sword. But
this is distinct from any action Of the ma
tonsl government. All that Secretary Welles
has done for lieutenant Worden has been 60
transfer him to the command OF another iron
clad We assert that no one person has deserved
more from the government than Lieutenant
Worden, and we demand, in the name of the
people, that due recognition Of his great and
gallant services he at once evinced by the ad-
ministraton And now what shall we say Of
Secretary Wcles, who dismissed Commander
Prcblc for allowing the Oreto to pass his ship