Daily national Republican. (Washington City [D.C.]) 1870-1872, 1870-04-22
ATTACK ON THE HOUSE NAVAL
a,nnIn IrnEE.


ITntnindTuI of the wholesome advice given
him in our issue of Wednesday, the shoe
maker Is again abroad, aud in the Chronicle
Of yesterday filings 'his ldst' in the faces Of
the Naval Committee, when he accuses Of
a want Of forethought and an attempt to
produce great Generalization In the navy.
With those who are cogulEant Of the pain
ful elaboration and thorough, patient inves.
tigation Of the subject which have charac-
terized the action Of the Naval Committee
In preparing this bill, the first charge will
ind no footing and as to the latter we are
afraid It will require some one better &c.
quaintcd with the needs Of the navy than the
shoemaker 10 establish such position.
Respecting the difference Of opinion be-
tween the Chronicle and the committee con-
corning the wants Of the line, we shall say
nothing, but allow them to arrange II among
themselves.
But the grossly erroneous statements made
In regard to the necessities Of the service for
officers Of the staff corps require to be cor
rected. For 80 ships the Chronicle estimates
a complement of IS medical of1lcCrsi the
truth being that with only 90 cruising ships
a1oat In commisslon-many Of which are
insunlclently supplied with surgeons-77
medical officers are found to be indlspensa-
bic; so that even according to the same
scant allowance 50 ships would require ~
officers Of this class. For the actual neces-
stiles of the naval service ashore 65 medical
officers are now employed, which, with those
on the 80 ships afoat, would give total Of
l49, instead Of the Ill Of the Chronicle. This
makes no provision at all for reliefs, for
boards, courts, sickness and constantly oc-
curing emergencies.
OF the 40 ships In commission, 80 have
only one medical officer. That this is too
small an allowance we have had lately only
too many melancholy instances, In which
the surgeon, from his greatest exposure, has
been the first to perish In malignant cpl
denies, leaving the inmates of the unfor-
tunate vessel afar from home and help,
without any medical attendant whatever.
Counting the four first grades on the regis
ter tho commanding officers par ereslisHcs,
and the FIRST thirty Of the lieutenant COM
manders, the Junior Of whom is actually In
command, we have provision made for no
less than two hundred and FIVE separate
commands. Would not each of these COM
mands require n medical and ray officer as
welll And yet we have but one hundred
aud eighty medical officers aud one hundred
and thirty-six pay officers to correspond.
The truth is the bill go complained Of by
the Chronicls reduces the medical corps in
numbers twenty, the pay corps thirteen,
and the engineer corps thirty-Gvc, and saves
100000 per annum in the expenses Of the
STAFF corps alone.
1t provides for no increase Of pay for staff
officers, so that the assertion Of the Chronicle
that the creation Of the offices Of medical
and pay directors causes useless eTpendl-
ture OF $4,000 per annum is altogether In
correct.
Orcourse none but the highest line officers
have the good Of the service at heart The
members Of the Naval Committee have not
nor have the highest staff officers by whom
this bill ia advocated.
No further evidence OF the unfair spirit Of
the Chroniels'S article Is needed than the fact
that II underestimate the actual necessities
of the naval service for staG officers, but
omits to mention the long array Of supernu-
meraries OF the line who never eau have
duty. Do Gfly ships and few shore com
mands require ten rear admirals, twenty i've
commodores, 1fty captains, ninety com
mRuders and one hundred and eighty lieu
tenant commanders Considering the
amount of instruction given by the line
officers In Washington to the Naval Com
mlttee, 1t Is surprising that they should now
be accused OF Ignorance, merely because
they choose to sec with their own eyes.