The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-07-23
, JL SHORTCOMINGS or THE M w
DEPARTMENT.

Up have received polite note from one of
the gentlemen connected with the Navy De
partment enclosing several documents refer
ring to the points which were alleged against
the management of the navy in these columns
few DAYS ago. These we're, specifically, Ad-
miraI Porter's administration of the Naval
Academy, the contest between the staff and
the line officers, and the changing of the
names of the national vessels, and we see moth
ing in any of the evidence furnished by the
department to refute what has been said
With regard to the administration of the
Naval Academy, we have the report
of the Board of Visitors who
attended the annual examination, and saw
nothing but what was highly commendatory
Did any Board of Visitors ever see anything
to find fault with on such occasions? Their
position is esteemed complimentary one,
and they are expected to be complimentary.
No examination of any school is a fair test of
its efficiency, and there is yet to be found the
person, who is at allinformed upon the matter,
who will assert that the Annapolis School will
at all compare with West Point in the
thoroughness of its course, the efficiency of
its discipline, or the competency of its
graduates improvements and additions
have been made to the buildings and grounds
since Admiral Porter has been in charge of
the Academy; but has he advanced the stand.
ard of scholarship so that it will compare
with that of the Military Academy?
The squabble between the line and staff
officers is of long standing: it was commenced
many years ago by the surgeons, before there
were any paymasters or engineers in the SER
vice, and it has been continued with unre-
mitted bitterness ever since, to the injury and
discredit of the navy. There have been many
foolish things said on both sides, and the con-
troversy on the part of the staff officers has
not always been carried on in that courteous
spirit that should influence such matters. At
the same time. the line officers have arrogated
to themselves the position that ''the gradu-
ates of the Naval Academy are the navy, and
the officers of the staff are looked upon as
outsiders and interlopers, who have ''crept in
at the hawse-hole, and who consequently are
not to be considered as having any specific
rights. Admiral Porter may not be respon-
sible for the recent changes that were made
in the status of the staff officers but it is GER
tainly remarkable that such marked changes
should be made just when he obtained
the control of the Navy Department If we
understand this question, the staff officers
OF the navy, surgeons, paymasters and en-
gineers, ask to be placed in exactly the same
position as the staff of the army-nothing more
nor less. They do not ask or wish military
command, but they do ask that no invidious
Iictin cho11 ha 10 -, 41,o;n
and that they shall be accorded equal social
rights and privileges with the line. This
matter ought not to be left to the discretion
of the Navy Department, but it should be
regulated by an act of Congress that will pre-
scribe exactly what the duties and privileges
of each branch are. If this is DONE there will
be an end to a squabble that is discreditable
to all concerned.
In reference to the change in the names of
our naval vessels, our correspondent refers us
to very remarkable article on the subject
which appeared in the Washington ChroRicle
yesterday. This explanation of the change in
nomenclature is curiosity in its way; and
the most that can be said for it is, that if the
Navy Department can make no other defense
for the new nomenclature, the sooner it COM
plies with the emphaticaly- y-expressed wishes
of the country, and resumes the discarded
names, the better it will be- The Chronicle
says:-
'"The fact is a most senseless uproar was made
about changing the of some of our vessels OF
war Seventeen OF the number changed to con-
form to the law OF Congress, and Others had their
names altered to reintr0duce into the service old
names connected with the earliest traditions OF the
navy.
"The Navy Department is soundly berated because
IT has in some instances adopted the names of
heathen gods; but in answer to this it may be said
that u would sound rather sacrilegious to name
1ronclads after the prophets, other holy person
ages mentioned in the Scriptures.
"FOr instance the name OF the TonaWanda was
changed to Amphtrite a well-known name in the
UniCod states navy. No one will venture to saw that
1t would nave been better to name the vessel Jere-
mah, Daniel, or Joshua, the son OF Nun and SO with
the others. The name OF the Waxsaw was Changed
TO Niobe, who is known to everybody as the lady
who had all her and daughters shot to death by
the children OF Latona, and is supposed in conse
quence to be continually weeping. II would moi
sound well to call the WaXsaw Rachel although
that lady was in somewhat OF a like predicamen
with Nlobe, viz, weeping for her children" L
must strike any directly now beautiful 1t woul(
be to have the Yankee Niobe drop one of her fifteen
inch tears into the bosom OF the British frgate La
tona; for the Waxsaw TO perform such feat wOul(
signify nothing,
"The opponents of the present names claim tina
they are English. SO are the names OF Jones, Smith
and BrOwn-so are Shakespeare, Milton, Byron, etc.
and because of this are we not TO read them CLAIM
some property in them?
ave have as much respect for them as John Bul
0There is rather too much fastidousness among tn
newspapers folks about the gods and goddesses
Would 1t not have been better to have been NOR
saueamish when the names OF ChOctaw, ChickasaW
and Cherokee were given to our gunboats?
'The ChOctaws as a nation, went bodily into tn
Rebellion, and, although some OF the Others left tn
Rebels and joined us, they never 80 FAR redeeme