The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1876-01-05
WEDNESDAY,. .....,JANUARY 8
Our Orn amental Navy.


Our Orn am entail Navy.
The many millions that are called for
yearly to maintain that national orna.
ment known as s'the navy" are likely to
receive material reduction by the pres
ent Congress. Thatvigorous scrutinizer
Of appropriations, Sam. Randall, is ex-
pected TO take in hand the whole subject
Of the uses and abuses Of the navy. We
DO not know any thing OF Randalps spec
lalties or opinion concerning the navy;
but presume that, being a Fhiladelphian
md tide-water man, he will feel rather
favorable towards the navy.
But whatever his sentiments may be
npon this matter, we feel certain that,
when the appropriations called for come
before his committee, there will be seen
Bome splendid sums in simple subtrac-
ZION. He will discover chat on the pay
rolls OF the navy are no less than 1,6T5
Df5cers as in active service; number
sufficient to fully man every naval vessel
we have in commission.
In the first place there is an Admiral
whom nobody ever hears from, except
Ing the paymaster, and he only quarter
", who is paid $4,000 per annum for do
Ing nothing, and has secretary at an
expense Of $500 yearly to help him do
1t, That particular ornament counts up
bl5,5O0 yearly. ogr, e.,
Then there is Vice Admiral. He
200 has a secretary; and they twain cost
the country $4,000 per annum. Besides
This amount of pay, the Vice Admiral
occupies the elegant residence attached
TO the New York Navy-yard and has the
finest frigate in tho navy moored in
The harbor for his flagship. It is
pretended that this splendid vessel is
used as a schoolship for training boys to
the service. But while she is supplied
with full complement OF officers,
manned by full crew, and all the out
ut ofa flagship, not dozen boys can be
found on board. Her lists show no less
than fifty officers on board for harbor
duty; SO many, in fact, that capacious
ms she is, the great ship can not accom-
modate them with quarters on board, SO
that portion OF them live on shore and
report themselves on board twice week.
lt,is plain that that particular ornament,
which costs fully 100000 yearly, will
need considerable "polishing off,"
Then come more admirals--''rear-adm
rails" twelve Of them, supposed to be in
command Of as many naval squadrons
indifferent parts OF the world, while. in
fact, we have not more than half that
number of squadrons afoat. And then
come twenty-six commodores, having no
rommands at ali. They are biIletted
around among the nayy-yards, and some
are packed, or to Europe to make OBJ
Bervations concerning foreign nayies.
This naval ornament might be totally
wiped out without any disadvantage to
the country.
Nextcome that glittering ornamental
.tion known as ''the Staff" or the 1,675
officers on the pay-rolls, more than one-
hall belong to the STAFF, and can not be
expected to do any duty in the line.
There are fifteen medical directorR and
fifteen medical inspectors, thirty in all,
with salaries $4,000 per year, amounting
to s120 900, but with nothing to direct
and nothing to inspect that the post sur
geons can not do just as well, and which
Is, in fact, done by them. Besides these
there are twenty-six directors and in
spectors in the Paymaster's Depart
inent, whose function it is to make con-
fusion worse confounded, and who re-
ceiye high salaries for doing it. The
Engineer's Department. is also swarming
with supernumeraries, whose solemn
duty it is TO look after heaps OF old iron
piled up at the nayy-yards.
The fact is our navy is carrying too
much sail for its ballast, too many o1-
GERS for the men and ships. II is top
heavy. We. have faith that there will be
asrazeeing in this particular, and that
the country will be saved many millions
now expended in Q merely ornamental
navy, and that too with no harm to the
public service.
ls