The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-02-10
NAVAL Ecouomy-Tho Abolition Of the
Grade Of Commodore.


The economical epidemic afaicting our ma
tlonal Legislature seems manifested with
peculiar virulence In regard to the interests Of
the navy Appropriations for expenditure
here are reduced to the lowest limit consist
ent with the mere existence of the service.
and our Congressman are upon this subject
apparently emulous of the experiment which
proposed to demonstrate that, under q Judi
cious system of diet, an animal might be edu-
Gated to subsist upon single straw per day.
Pursuant to this laudable purpose of ma
tional thrift, it is now proposed to abolish the
grade of Commodore in the navy, to effect
small saving in the yearly appropriation for
navy pay and rations. The scheme will not
find much favor in naval circles, and it is
questionable if the public, when it understands,
will approve measure which, under pitiful
pretence of economy. may iniict serious in
jury upon the efficiency Of an important organ
ization. Thoughts the Secretary of the
Navy states-it may be there are no duties
performed by the grade of Commodore which
cannot be as well performed by other grades;
and though it may be that if any grade must
be abolished, that of Commodore can be best
spared without materially affecting the eff
cheney of the service it is, nevertheless, the
fact that in 1862 the grades Of Rear Admiral
and Commodore were established to remedy q
recognized deficiency, and by this means
round the official '.personne" Of the navy into
adequate completion.
That either military or naval power, to be
efficient, should be welded by single indi-
vidual head, is indisputable; it is a military
necessity. And the distribution of power aud
responsibility from the head, through success
sively subordinated grades of members to the
extremities, becomes natural and inevitable
consequence. Military men agree in the plan
of construction of grand army. general
in-chief, major generals commanding army
corps and divisions, brigadier generals con-
Quoting brigades, colonies in charge of regi-
ments and battalions. Though these grades
may be sometimes unoccupied, and the duties
of either performed by subordnates, it is none
| the less true that when this is so there is an
imperfection; link of the chain is wanting,
| and the army lacks by this much the first ele-
ment of eficiency-a complete organization.
The same reasoning applies to the navy, in
which the grade of Commodore is equivalent
to that of Brigadier in the army and equally
essential.
Even were the grade of Commodore
superhuous it is always injudicious to
| alter established systems, whose va
rious constituents have become harmo-
niously adjusted, and where the change
may seriously affect individual interests and
aspirations. Next to patriotism and devotion
to the service and the flag the leading idea
with most naval officers is promotion as re-
ward for efficient and faithful performance Of
duty. The future of many subordinate Off
GERS, their domestic establishment and hope
of home, hinge upon the anticipation of adj
vancement in rank, bringing with it the pay
enabling them to support family. When it
is considered that the abolition of the grade of
commodore necessitates the suspension, for
| eight years, Of all promotion, it becomes evil
dent that this measure of economy bears hard
| upon those to whom the question is practi-
cally one of ''bread and BUTTER" and GER
tainly cannot be approved by those liberal
| minded citizens who recognize the propriety
of stimulating activity, energy and efficiency
by the inducement of q coveted reward It
has been observed that in 1862 the grade of
commodore was created to remedy a def
cheney. The number of captains and COM
manders was then expressly reduced that the
aggregate number of officers in the senior
grades might not be increased. There were
Al. - o;~J,k nd MI
commanders. There are now fifty captains
and ninety commanders. If the grade Of
commodore is abolished the fifty cap
tans are manifestly too few for their
present duties, and to fill all the
other positions now filed by commodores, and
it would then seem necessary, with the extinc-
ton of the grade Of commodore, to re-estab-
lish the number of captains and commanders
as existing before the war. If, of the number
in the grade of commodore (twenty-fve),
eighteen be added to the present number of
captains and seven to that of commanders, the
e-established-viz., sixty EIGHT captains and
nnety-seven cOmmanders-and thus the
change may be effected without stopping pro-
motion, which does positive injustice to off,
GERS who have served faithfully from thirty to
thirty-fve years.
| But this will not effect what Congress de-
sres-economy in naval expenditure-as the
increase by addition to these subordinate
grades on the one hand will about equal the
retrenchment accomplished by reduction on
the other Since, therefore, this proposed
economy cannot be attained without inAicting
hardship and injustice; and since, but for
economy, there seems no motive for change in