Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1876-08-27
THE LAST OUTAGE.
Secretary RObesOn's General order No
ZIG -PersOnaIIsm aud Fas Ortttsm
Rampant In the Navy.

New York Herald.l
Secretary R3beson's general order No.
ZIG, Just made public, presents bis ad-
ministration in 8 sorry, not TO say COZ
temptible, light. The secretary lays up
on "the representatives Of the people the
burden of al Ubiquitous measure by
which hundreds Of gallant and meTitO-
rious officers, the bone and sinew Of The
active list OF the navy, are placed on
starvation pay. He is se1ulGuSr after
the manner OF q specisl plsader, to prove
his case by quitting from the Congress
siOndL Record; bat he omits to state in
this order thai his estimate Of seven
mil dollars for the pay Of the navy
for 1877. demurred to by congress, is
lust 81. So, coo in excess Of the sppropri-
alton for the fl cal year which ended
June 30 1875; fur her, that these So
called "estim ates" OF his are not real es-
Inmates after all, but are obtained by
computing the pay OF officers and en-
listed men as IL ali were to be employed
on sea pay for the entire year. But
not over one-hslf Of the officers
of the navy are ever on actual bona tide
s'sea dusy.n They are on shore and
hsrbor service, leave OF absence, waiting
ORDER, sick leave or furlougb. "PersOn.
alism" and fzvOTiti9mn are rampant
and utterly intOlerable in the navy; the
retired list is prOstituted, degraded and
burdened with Unworthy and worthless
officers, to the great scandal OF the dis
tinguished veterans obliged to be there
by reason of their years and honorable
WLu IDS or disabilities incurred III the
service OF their country; the active list
is weighed down with the huTden Of
many Gruu kan, int fiji ;ient and dishon-
orable men, who would De expelled from
| any other sci vice ia the world; yet Sac
rotary r Jbesou tells the President aud
| the cOuntTy in bis lsst repor. (l875) that
| sit is gtaafylrg TO b aO.e TO report that
| the navy is now in q strOpg ger and more
| eff 1ient condition than 1t hrs ever been
| at any tima.n so last act is to issue
| tits "sUgAr-eoateGn sp5cil Us general
| order, by which some four hundred
| off sefs OH the a tive list, including OF
| course, sli tn Es who have presumed to say
any thing before ths c1Umittt e. adverse
| to his seven Yeas m tus& emsnt OF the
navy-Dlen who ia The late civil war
served IN Ter F&yrs gut, z rt,r, Dupont,
| FOOte, d shl2Ien ana OthtTs-Sre piacsd
| on s;andalOu p ia: &c. NJr does he
| properly eXslcee Ia Il 6 II he asserts
congress hss given Lim by plBCiI g on
| this u-lOUgn LIST only tie W : ny and
4
| for, while brave ard meTi Oh U men ar
| furiougheG, every Official fJvuiiie is st.
| cUrely Ol duty, aud SIl. draw his full
gay 9TH urfaiiiug leu ariv, aud sp-
| pOi1tmeLtS t. Junior p si.iULs go Cd just
| the same as ever. UndeT tais recent
order sUcn men SIS Re y A1miral Larry,
q gallant and dis Iuguis had veteran CT
f, forsy- five years service, viii bs placed,
Septem Der let, on the same rate Of pay as
some worthless lieuseL ant located Tor lie
on Secretary RoOesoL'J retired list be-
!; Cause he could not pass his examination,
/ and actually lower than the pay OF some
scores of junior officers nov on the re-
tired list, but perfectly able to perform
active DUTY, AID yet who are PEN
stoned off on this lat for life,
with ssventy-five per cent. Of their full
sea pay, ana enabled to engage in any
pursuit. in civil life they may elect. This
"dissgreeable dutyn OF Secretary Role
son is q sham and q pTetense, and
no one knows it better than he does.
What man believes that Robson fluids
| it "disagIeeable duty" to humiliate
and annoy Admiral Porter by placing
| him ION furlough." We commend this
latest Republican outrage to the Demo-
Gratis as mild set IF to the Republican
".utTage MILL" now grinding with such
prsssworthy and persistent vigOr in the
administration organs. The secretary
simply plays a piece of heartless but
shallow trickery on the country. The
| house of repTesen tatives put the appro-
| priatioDs at q figure sufficient for the
real needs Of the navy, but not sufti ,1ent
| 70 support 1t as q hospital for official
favOrites; and tho secretary, determined
not to De thwsrted, maintains his favor
ties, but peryerts the acts Of congress 80
as to MAKE it an injury to the service
and blow at the best men in the navy.