Daily national Republican. (Washington City [D.C.]) 1870-1872, 1870-03-11


OF NE properly commanding line ofloer,
from the fact merely Of the formers -
nlority or higher rank Had such been the
case, etad oflcera would never have pre-
terred a claim 10 high rank, certainly to none
that could trench on line command. Nor,
according TO General Sherman, does the high
actual stat rank In the army interfere With
the command Of line oficers who may be Of
Inferior rank. Amer citing the siIty.second
article Of war, which, he states, CLEARLY
establishes who IL 10 command" be re-
marks
when q captain or lientsnAnt And himself
senior, he commands the whole, althouEh
there may Be under him surgeons, paymastsfs,
Colonel Or nsjcr, Who nus, oSsI Il. orders.
So long ~ line othoeF 10 present for duty he
must command. He cannot even waive ~ for
PS for sSa sSa, du Si% or
command may be engaged In" ...r..r
Line officers thus knog, on the highest au-
thority, that this system works well In the
army, bat they DO not knou With certainty
that II might not posaibly work badly In the
navy. Tho unknown Il sol against the
known; knowledge against lgnoIaneei the
possiblc agaiust the actuali tho future
against the present. "Ha," iAJe pr. John
son, "Who win determine Agaihit that which
W hhgWAn bNNAHao huNAu AMAy w uoAMNAhAnA
which he knows not, he that can set hy-
pothetical possibility against acknowledged
certainty 10 not 10 DO admitted among fea-
sonAble beings. II the conviction Of what
We know cannot b. opposed bnt BY referring
Us 70 something that Ne know NOT, We hare
all the evidence that human inteiiect can
admit. II that which Ia known may be
oyerrulsd BY that which Il unknown, no
being, not omniicleut can arrivs Al cor
But we are not Ian 70 the example Of the
without command, for, IN the uaYy. 4 largo
majority OF the llne oficers with hcknoW-
LEGGED permanent rank have at this moment
no command. Difference Of source Implies
teparabIllty. Conkrtss gives rank, which; u
ubiquitous and as permnhent A. the COM
mlasion that eonfert IL The President KiIui
command, which Is held At his pleasure, and
e limited In time and plaeh "a generals 70
bis army, q coloneI's TO his regiment, an
admirable 10 his feet or station, q command
er's 10 his ship. Each has command OF
President whilst the latter Wills IL. Bat
over rank the President has no will without
taking away the commission.
AZ In military life, 90 everywhere out OF
It. A king, with permanent and ubiquitous
rank, has no authority beyond his realm,
Tlceroy beyond his province; q Governor be-
youd his Slater q judge beyond his circuit, 4
bishop beyond his dloeesSi . prisst beyond
his parishi yet the rank OF these dignitaries
ls acknowledged and respected wherever
they may chance 10 be. ..a
''Tho obJect Of all rank" saya General
sherman, sis not 90 much 10 confer power
or honor, ~ 10 az responsibility" ThIs
must be news to those who have Invariably
conteuded that rank involves command A. q
necessary attribute, aud a. Ito most Import
ant Whilst, therefore, every scheme aud
plan Of rank proposed by stan offeera has
expressly provided that the rank conveyed
no authority TO exefeiac military eommnnd,
We should be glad, 10 order 70 quiet the APP
prahenslonh OF tho line on this score, and 70
mako "assunaneo douhly sure 70 zee 4
proyialon corresponding 10 the ca ,r,h1.-.'
war, ~ quoted 6ls QsnsrnlI N, =. !, w ,sn.
$780, ., ~ iaso .nsas, ADD Why skonla ths rssi
=. 1g.ssl. e. aigsnE 2 sss.js, 70
spsets the StaG oaicsn have szlsS5ip,j5
vantages Of their rank" 90 au-1 j
Il IL important that Congress should now
remember that two line boards In 1858 aud
In 1894 proposed schsmes OF rank, giving
10 sundry senior stan ofieers the rank Of
commodore. What was just then cannot b
unjust now. Those boards took statesman
like and liberal Visws, founded on justice
and the interests Of the service, such ~, We
trust, will commend themselves TO tho ap,
proyGl aud adoption Of Congress, which, We
doubt not, sincerely desires 70 promote the
general welfare Of the navy.
The assimilation OF line and STAFF rank
proposed by the latter OF these boards, icon
Itltuted Of two captains aud commander
all since promoted,l is substantially the
| &c. ~. AK ~ Inir isao ~hsn ~ -.
-, ill., 49, 80 .,,ahII. ~ ~ iaSi ~,
hs m 80 $3.50 :. t. ill., ~ ~ ~. III. ~
~ :. me ~ ~ ,nhs,s n,,sI,. nj ths. sanSh
IN csr.S.iiS ,,ss,,s - NH s,a,,,nss3 n. ~
dsp.Stmant "a ~ ths ~hola Nsv.l Scm
mites IN ths Honse. Hhioh wa dsfeatsd l.
lamar Of iast vsSI On iTreleyant al ean
| tsad,,n Isspes - 'NT
n. az. o.,. ,-,, ,.,.,,,i. ,h., om..,,
NJ sousi .Ss shnaIa h.Se sousi r.nI ~,
bosSs nrsbsroS |" si,ahia M sssimiistionS
Ts.hInr sIsry ofiiesy N tbs nav Iths sc.i,
ofas.IS,Ia,iSn saach,ns fror, ccro ma 4,
snis,.d n,oro " eoamnn .t.StinS noin9, ,sh,
omrosnssn.nt ~ ths : s"Iratissian ~ ,.ns,
hsins =. ~, tn,,h ~ ~, 100, m ~. hossd
W,hs $500 ~ n,siias.,idn. ~ n.sf,in.s,
- 1919. fTha $3.50. a., 1890,
sDsin.ss "'.,,,.a, snrs.an "a I.tsnt
nssn,ss,1, h.,Ias, ,nI.h.5 th.ir nrsnnInsrS
s,ndiss M hscoIs mem "a Sor ToTS YER,
sSr.ncsd toSctbsT h. In ranE N eommo.
DOR which was The 0oai Of N. last thres,
! tha s,artInV noint IN IN 0our. Or oounmsnee'
mani az s,sImIIaiIon Of r1nk. belnr. 4,
sirs.dS .tatsd ,hs nerIod of n 1aiIscatIon b,
nssGnI1ss. WON this Ihsr yero ii Tun "A,
~ .Ids an ,bsy r.seh.S tho hiShe.t vrnd,
n,nvidsd for staif nromolionS. yiSi thst .
eomwodors, A plan which The board con
,eeiyed would conduee 10 tho harmony Of N
| service, surely no unImportAnt object. An,
| leRisiatIou that shall fall Of that end, whIci
eau be secured only By Justice % ali, vii
aSsuredly fall OF every oiher, and leave III
navy 10 q worse slate than that in which /
| founi II. only At n future dAy 70 invoke wise
legislation. A legislative victory at the sr
penSe Of Justice, must nssnnediy be short
lived, and lead only 10 reneW we'd Agitation.
IN. ,.n,IuD.nt N ,u.,Ic. ,,hIoh 4. . hn,..,
y, In,ris 49, a. ,hs ecro mon 80 h. !.
nnISar.nI ana snanr,nS ~ man. n shoni,
sn,sr In,o sSsrv s,,c, nSIIe.. rndsrn
sxsyx snhisrt ~ isSisls,Ian /, prr.Ids or
800 SsiISsrstIon ana dSts,mine aver A.
| NNS'J eoAASStehoal $50 NS.ag w