The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-11-12
A BUREAU OF M VAL JUSTICE.


PLATO wrote a rather extensive work for the
purpose of defining justice, but the impossi-
ble commonwealth by means of which alone
he concluded that abstract justice could be
realized, presented good many peculiar fea-
lures that we Americans, who live under a
republic that is some degrees removed from
ideal perfection, would consider manifestly
unjust There is a good deal of Injustice
under our system, undoubtedly, and if alb
stract justice cannot be realized under either
an ideal or practical republic, the advocates
for fair play and no favors may we'll conclude
that they have task before them as endless
as that of Sisyphus. By a reasonable amount
of vigilance in looking out for our own inte-
rests, we in civil life can, however, as rule,
manage to pass through the world without
being called upon to seriously specu-
late upon Platos problem; but there
are good many evidences to prove
that in our military service, and especially in
the naval branch Of it, clear and definite
understanding of what the word justice means
is sadly needed. 1t is therefore with a GER
tain amount of satisfaction that we note the
fact that the first steps have been taken for
the Navy Department, and we sincerely hope
that the results it will achieve will be COM
mensurate with the Importance of the sub ject
over which it will have jurisdiction. Can
didly, we have no very great IDEA that this
Bureau will Immediately, at least, accomplish
a great deal in the way of convincing officers
who sit upon courts-martial that certain
clearly defined laws of Congress, no less than
the abstract principles of justice, ought to
guide their decisions, and not their own
individual or class prejudises. The whole pre-
sent organization of the navy, its traditions
and its system of training, which commences
from the first hour that midshipman sets
his foot in the Academy at Annapolis, forbid
us to hope that any average naval court-martial
will be able to judge the offenses of an Ad-
miral according to the same standard as those
of common sailor. bureau presided over
by old line officers, hardened in the traditions
and prejudices of their class, is not exactly
the place where court-martial finding and
sentence will be likely to receive impartial
revision. But while our expectations of good
to be accomplished by the proposed
bureau are not particularly exalted,
we do expect considerable edifcation
from the report which the Secretary of the
Navy has ordered Rear-Admiral A. A. Har-
wood and Captain W. G. Temple to make for
the information of Congress and the country
These officers have Just been named Judge
Advocate and Assistant Judge Advocate of
the Navy, and their appointment is considered
the first step towards the organization of a
Bureau of Justice in the Navy Department.
In order to provide them with employment
the Secretary has directed that they shall re-
view all the records of trials in the navy,
whether by general or summary courts, and
advise the Secretary in regard to the proceed
ings and sentence in each case.
If Admiral Harwood and Captain Temple
do their work thoroughly, their report will be
interesting if not agreeable reading, and it
will prove to an astonished cosntry that the
proceedings, the findings, and the sentences
of naval courts martial in innumerable in
stances have been marked by the most fla
grant injustice and violation of the rights of
J persons accused Of oIenses against military