Daily national Republican. (Washington City [D.C.]) 1870-1872, 1870-01-17

~ NANMAAAA - HAN-A
We publish the following article from the
New York TFIbuns Of Friday, jan a. and
invite careful porusAl Of II BY members Of
congross. who win shortly DO called upon
To pass upon this question, which IL ono d
real importance. The Ayilelals The strong,
o,t and most sSaftlA - fahlIfI "a, ON a.
,pbIoct II AIS nilov " N
=, I r. The ed. dls.r az <. line me, ~ :.e
gentlemen Who ollIccr cur shipl and naval
stations, We should feel little disposition "a
take part In Il We believe, however, that
y hAl now foaehed = point which touches
the efficiency Of the service and intimately
Affects the whole country. An American
vessel Of war, In the present state OF thlnga,
murt be iittio better than hell aHoat, IN,
leas by good fortune the line aad stan ON
GERS On board happen TO be nan u Auch Just
temper, common sense, and mutual adaptal
blity that ~ theif peteoaal qualities they
can neutrallio tho mhforuneS entailod BY
How Omen h chances that ali tho ofieefs Of
guSss fbf themselves. ollf4l sEl b9Ie2l "
i7 The eohiplalnt Of The tthif ofaeert u rot q
more sentimental grievances, Of question d
. gold strlrp which can DO settled by tbat
iue them q 20 home and b quies. Rank,
WITH IL accompanying pay, privileges, and
h9nofS, 10 a serious matter 70 q naval d
military man, the only material reward he
can ever look 10 aftef long nfe Of ton.
Whom the war broke out, and new grades
wore creatnd N consequences Of the enlarged
slHs and efpendeS duties q the nayt, AL tbs
KreeS. Thd hot OF CpskFea1 made no special
mention 81 lhe stat, hnt NnWptp taxed fot
granted thai The pnrpose eab 70 AavaHee
them In pfdpoftio 10 .wheA Che captains
vere promoted 70 DO -commodurea, The euf-
geoph, ehgineqEa, and paymaatera, waking
wtth couimAndera, Wero anslgned celdtlve
rank with captaina, and 20 on through the
list, TAAL Congreaa approved thla lntnrpFo-
tation OF the Law u evident from TN fact thai
during eight years the senate unhesltatlngiJ
Confirmed nominatlonG made An accordance
with 4, and no. uhiHPU Of Illegally Ea'
Bot - soon as,YIee Admiral Porter, who
= generally regarded a. The leader Of the
limo 10, The prpsent.quArrel, vas placed o.
Virtual charge Of the navy, u whs discovered
that all these promo tloni weru, illegal. All
the sufgeoua, eugiueerS, paYmAslspsl aud
constructors were cdheoqnantly Degraded,
,thslr PAY being al lths sAlns tine OF eoursu
reduoad, 20 that now the highest grade .
stad oliloer ean obtain "a the asslmllated
Pink Of commander. Tho senior officer on
NE aettse List has been As yeaFS ID the ssrN
ylos, and has held his present rank neariy
80 ye.rr No captain u the line, and only
eight Of the twenty are eommodores, haSe
Hon 4, moi enly whether thg staG shall have
tsnk In pnaPoEtien 20 the me, but yhathef
tnsy shall. virtually have any rank AZ all.
The Hne ouirefa nog declare that they onEht
20 take ptecodapos Of the skaff on all 0cuAl
alonS, aiioat and asboro. Tho sprnee lIttle
just out Of school mnst outrAnk
he surgeon who may have assisted In b1pg-
ae bin, Into the world ofeourso he Officer
o 6hafge o. . shlp must have authority over
IN % boardj nobody disputsa that, but Tala-
~ rank does not imply q divided command,
and oths stai DO not AK thai under any dr.
they thall exercise the poEers
which properly belong 70 the line, ~ n. =
efhofe afs csrtain mysterious priylogas or
ne cabin and tho meas table inv6 lyed N dis
whie b We 40 not profess 10 nndor-
s.and and 40 not much care for, Bal Il
sbstAA1 70 N that a class OF oaiesrS whose
ssfNloes are highly Important 70 the country
are now subjected % a eoutsmPtpouh treat.
Ine0t whlch wonid probably driYe most Of
lsea out d ne service y they we're not wed.
'AAAaAN1NaAN NhHA0yAuNAN ~ ava AAAes AZ y
fuIel We don't believe thAy arc, dangerous
80 siqlent men Who need 70 be kept lndeE.
We d0h't believe that mntiny and general
hisorgHniHaiiop VIM be the Inevitable rosalL
BE- treating them piyilly. We believe that
lheIf manners and MORALS viii not corrupt
the Akhliuk oficers who seem 80 10th 10 a.
lodlats With them, and their duties do not
limit them for the society Of gantlemen. "A
hss otheeF Z edueAtsa from poyhood for bis
lpeclan duties d the expense Of lbs eoantrys
Bot our surgeons, our engineers, our pay.
must get roadY-mHde., We certainly shall
rot get good ones unless We offer them some
Indictment 70 serve Us. I'-. p, 80
In tho same connection we publlsh the
following from the Tribune, OF tho 18th,
Tho dlssepslons 10 ths -~~y are due prin-
for lis staff officers, numbering over 0oc
persons, or nearly half Of the navy. The
proposition OF the limo officers 10 give Tho
STAFF an "assimilatlou Of rank" not real
rank, only something like Il, but unreal,
unBubstantial, and so always liable, az AZ
present, to DO ignored or destroyed BY con-
struetion-or, as has ofton happened at a
dlstonce from the United States, to be POSI-
lively denied BY commanding offirers-will
but perpetuate the existing diseofd.
lno haulo ulincuitlee OCCURRED IN our army
until the passage Of tho laws regulating the
RINK Of the stat officers, and now every
rank, from major general to lieutenant, Il
held BY the stad 70 the promotion OF the
dignity o. these corps and the increase OF
their efficiency. UT
There Is no cause to doubt that the Same
harmonious results would follow tho adop-
tibn Of similar measures In the navy, nor Is
there any reason hgainst Il. Approximations
OF harm 20 discipline, or OF exaggerated
ASSERTIONS OF Importance or claim TO eIerS
che command, do not seem to have AZ
basis, as no such consequepeAs s-Te ap-
pfared during the s-I..Is years that stad
r4uk has boe= established In the two ser
ITsg rank conferred upon those ofnesfs
slould be IN all reEpecta tho absolute rank
Of tho line, a. In the army, except that II
INVOLVES no right TO command. There IL no
natural aud inseparable connection Of rank
and command a. the line assert; their sepa-
ration In The army and in all the military
sSyies; Of ass ,. world Proyss THIS con
mnnity must possess rank, but none exer-
oibe eommand without being charged 70 do
90 by the appointing power. The rank OF
al odiser In his position relatively to others
In biz department, aud IL accurate dedni-
don IL the essential characteristic OF the
military society. Without this mark OF
cabte az, officer (soAcailed) Is pariah, an
GdutsfdeF," as truly as II he belonged 70 a
different and inferior race, and his influence
aud efficiency are inevitably diminished or
destroyed. Then as men OF proper self
appreciation withdraw from or decline to
acfept such lowly valued positions, inferior
men win occupy them, aud the tone Of tho
eOtps and q the whole service, become dc
Drkued .Ha. 81. ..' ~ .. N