Daily national Republican. (Washington City [D.C.]) 1870-1872, 1870-01-26
REORGANIZATION or TUX NAVY,
the NAVY DEPARTMENT BILL.

i
In,o con.iasratlon the subject OF aasimilalod
rank between the officers Of tho various
corps Of the navy
He also, at the expressed wish Of some Of
the members, sends such suggestions a. seem
TO him 20 be for the best good of the service.
These suggestions, for the purpose Of giving
them definite form, he Communicates In the
form OF bill, which he wishes considered
merely as suggestions, snd In no sense as an
cudoayor to enforce the views Of the Depart
ment in any othor manner.
He calls attention 10 the fact that the pro.
visions Of the bill, whilothey are eossldorably
more liberal than those Of the bill which
passed tho Senate at the last session, DO not
Include 80 great a number Of officers In the
higher grade as was agreed 10 BY the board
Of o'GT M nor . even % nm many as are
was among the papers before the board.
He SAYS this Is a question OF much person
Al interest," and one calculated 10 excite con-
siderable feeling, aud he has hesltated long
before differing In this point from 80 many
experienced officers, but he felt that their
views had been Influenced somewhat by
Difference to tho claims Of indlyiduals, and q
desire to compromise q much vexed and DIFF
hcult question. He says "In the line Of the
navy, high rank is q necessary incident OF
command, and Is essential TO organization
and discipline; but In the auxiliary corps II Is
matter OF personal feeling, dignity, and
comfort and these, though considerations OF
importance, should, In common with all
other things which are personal, yield to the
bost interests Of the service Of the country. |
Looking from this standpoint, have, as al |
ready remarked, been constrained, while re- |
eommendlnga large number Of pay medl-
cal and engineer officers ofthe higher grades |
than now provided by the Senate bill above |
named, at the same time to reduce the num- |
Dor reported by the board, believing that
number to be larger than q fair adjustment
Of public and personal claims require o, will
In the army of the United States, with
from thirty to fifty thousand men and near
" three thousand officers, there arc In the
medical corps one brigadier general, one
colonel, 1--WE lieutenant colonies, and in the
pay corps one brigadier general, two colon
els, two lieutenant colonies, making In both
these corps twelve officers ranking with or
above the grade oflleutenant colonel, against
slyty.six Of like rank 10 the same corps Of
navy, with but from eight TO twelve thou
sand men and twelve hundred ofhcers.
1t is true that the organizations Of the navy
are much smaller and more numerous and
isolated than those Of the army, and this
requires q la Ut proportion Of officers Of
sufficient rank for the purpose OF separate
and irrespective command. But this neces
atty does not apply to the officers Of the aux
Hilary corps who exercise no command and II
particularly inappllcable to those grades
which are not intended for sea duty.
The bill establishes and connects with the
Navy Department board Of naval survey
to be composed OF three officers Of the navy
not below the grade Of captain Of the line,
who Ahall be from time to time designated,
and detailed for that duty by the Secretary
OF the Navy. 1t shall be the duty OF this
board 10 review the allowance books Of the
complement Of men, equipments OF vessels
OF the navy, and to recommend such Rltera-
lions and amendments thereof from time 10
time rs to them may seem eXpedient, and
when In the opinion Of the Secretary the
exlgeneies OF the service will permit, all
plans and specifications for the construction,
equipment, armament and substantial al.
t,sratlon OF vessels of war shall be submitted
10 said hoard for their opinions 10 writing Il
him. No money shall be expended In tn
construction OF any vessel OF war, aud N
contract shall be made for the construction
or equipment Of such vessel, without the as
sent or authority Of the Secretary OF tn
Navy being thereto first given.
Sec. 9. Each and every commanding OH
Ger ahoat to make reports to the Secretar
from time to time of the performance o
their vessels, with such suggestions as thD
NAV deem proper, which shall be submittGt
TO the board Of survey for their exAWinption
sec. o. The bosssi, as nlr rs practlcaDle, u
make an annual examination OF each nav
yard, station, depot and arsenal bSlonglnl
to the United States, and report 10 the SOC
rotary OF the Navy.
Sec, 4, Provides that the Secretary of the
Navy shall detail an officer, not below the
grade Of commander, as secretary OF the
board.
tenant commander shall be made till the
number is reduced TO eighty and as the
number OF lieutenant commanders is reduced
the number OF lieutenAnts shall be increased
till the number on the active list shall be two
hundred and eighty, and these shall be the
numbers hereafter allowed by law.
Sec. G. The number OF masters and enslgns
IL fixed at one hundred in each grade, and
eusigns in the navy shall hereafter be steer
age officers, unless assigned to duty as watch
and division officers, nothing In the act to be
construed as yacatng the commission OF any
master or ensign now In the service.
Sec. z. The active medical corps OF the
navy shall consist Of one surgeon general
with the rank OF commodore; i've medical
directors TO rank as captains ten medical
inspectors to rank with commanders; ten
deputy medical inspectors with lieutenant
commanders; forty surgeons as heutenants
iortv passed assistant surgeons with an as.
simulated rank and next after that Of lieu
tenant. But nothing In this act shall b.
construed as to deprive any medical oficel
Of his commission, and no promotion shsl
be made to any OF the grades herein men
toned until the number In such grade shai
DO reduced to the number mentioned In till
section. The pay OF the surgeon genera
shall be that now allowed TO the chief of tn
bureau Of medicine and surgery, and medi
cal directors, medical inspectors and deput.
medical inspectors shall BIO paid as nov
from the date Of their commissions As sui
Sec. 8. The active pay corps of the nav
shall consist of one paymaster general, wit
the assimilnted rank OF commodore; fve pa
directors with the rank Of captain ten pa
inspectors with rank OF commander TO
deputy pay inspectors with rank OF neuteT
ant COMMANDERS twenty-five paymaster
with rank Of lieutenant; twenty-five assist
ant paymasters with rank Of aud next afte
that OF lieutenant. But nothing 10 this &C
shall be construed to deprive any officer o
his commission.
The pay Of the Paymastcr General shAl
DO thpt now allowed TO the chief Of the bu
reau Of provisions and clothing, and pa,
directors, pay inspectors and deputy pay In
speetors shall be paid as now, from the dat
OF their commissions as paymasters.
Sec. 0. The engineer corps shall consist 0
one director general OF machinery, with tn
asslmilated rank Of commodore eight chile
engineers, constructors OF machinery, wit
rank OF captain; ten chief engineers, Of irs
class, with rank Of commander ten chile
engineers, OF second class, as lieutenant com
mRnders forty engineers, as lieutenants
any assistant engineers, with rank OF, ant
next after lieutenants, and seyenty-hye as
sistant engineers, with rank Of, and mex
amer masters.
The pay Of the director general to be tina
now allowed the chief OF the bureau OF steam
engineering and chief engineer construct
ors of machinery and chief engineers Of tn
hrst aud second class shall be paid as now
from the date Of their commissions as en-
glneers.
Bee. 10. That the grades OF frst and sec
ond assistant engineers shall be called, re
speetiyely, assistant and passed assistant en-
glneers, aud the grade Of third assistant
engineer shall be abolished, but no commits
alon of any officer of that prade who no