Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1879-02-05
NO. 35.

HNe-seIenth, are required TOR Ofncers, show
ing. of course, the top-heavy condition that
the register shows in regard to the Navy.
From the Naval Academy for the last four
teen years since the war, we have added an
average Of fifty officers per annum to the
Navy. and we are continuing to do it. The
rule now is the very same that il is at West
Point. or was until last year we had some
legislation upon the subject that any boy
who graduates at the Naval Academy after
being duly appointed shall be commissioned
as an officer in the Navy That was so in
regard to West Point until the legislation of
last year. Congress, by Il pretty nearly
unanimous vote in both branches, has decided
in regard to the graduates at West Point,
that those only shall be appointed to officers
in the army for which there are vacancies ut
the time of graduation. I think that ought
to be the case in regart! to the Navy. If not,
YOU are liable to add from fifty to seventy five
officers annually to your Navy. and there is
no limit now fixed by law at all to the lower
grade. We fix the limit now to ensigns, but
for midshipmen there is no limit at all, ard
you may pile in midshipmen until they are
there by the thousand for that matter if you
take time enough and at the rate at which
retirement or death thins out the upper grades
of the navy you will find such disparity be-
tween the incoming and the outgoing as must
lead to steady annual increase in the officers
of the navy.
Now. | ask simply that after 1888 gradua-
ton at the Naval Academy, shall not of itself
enttle man to be commissioned in the navy,
but that only such number shall be eommis-
stoned for which there are vacancies in the
navy at the time, leaving the academic board
| to determine that on the merit of the gradu-
atcs. put it at 1888 Just last year the
legislation respecting West Point was put at
1882. for the simple reason that the boys who
| ha., d.
there with the understanding, and, If yon
choose, with the pledge from the United
States, that upon graduation they should be
| appointed to Office, and certainly would not
break the faith of the United States To the
naval cadet. but let every one who has been
entered with that understanding under the
law have its full benefit; but if you make the
law now for the next year, the naval cadet
who enters understands from that day that his
entrance upon the naval list of the United
States depends upon the merit of his gradu-
alton, and that only those shall be selected
from the graduating class for whom there are
vacancies Mt the time.
| 1t seems to me that this is entirely just
and in the case of West Point and of the
Naval Academy also, do not think 1t will be
any harm to graduate very large number
who are not entered in the Navy or Army.
They will have no ground to find fault GER
tainly. They will have received great educa-
tioual advantages as a gratuity from their Gov
ernment; they are eauipped for the battle of
life, and if ever the Government has need of
their services, as it unfortunately did in re-
cent era. they will come in the future as thty
did in the past-for there was very small
number of graduates of West Point that did
not find their way into the army on one side
or the other, during the late war-and so it
will be in the future You will have a mill
tary knowledge spread throughout the cour-
try. and, no matter how many shall graduate
| there at the public expense under the present
organization, let only those be put upon the
regular army list who stand highest. and who
are for the time being needed to fill vacan-
cies actually existing.
| Mr.. President of course would not do
harsh thing to the naval officers 7 have no
propostion to make except that naval board
composed of officers themselves shall tell us
what we ought to do. | would not turn out
an officer who had a good record. and who
! had devoted the best wears of his life to the
service of the United States, but bv retire
ment made larger than il now is by some
form which is easily to be devised by men " no
take the subject into consideration, we can
bring down our navy to the proper propor-
ton of officers and men: and we can. by dis
pcnsing with the surplus number and by dis
pensing with useless navy-yards, and in other
WAYS reduce the naval expenses of this coun-
try by very large figure
And then, Mr.. President. connected with
this and of more interest to me than any 9TH
er part of it, is the fact that we are irving the
impossible experiment Of building navy
from the top.
Mr.. Eaton-If Won build from the ton il
will go down.
Mr.. Blaine accent what nv honorable
friend from Connecticut saws. If Won keen ON
building it from the top il will 90 down TO the
bottom. We are irving to build navy from
the top. repeat Ii has never been done.
and it never will be done in this world You
cannot make navy bv graduating cadets at
Annapolis 1t is in that respect different from
an army. Our experience ia the last war. on
both sides, shows that men make good soldiers
in three months, and in wear they are yete-
ans. This is not the case with a navy. You
cannot improvise sailor anv more than you
can improyise mountain. He has 10 grow
and YOU cannot grow him an exotic. You
cannot growa sailor in vour navy unless there
| il n surrounding commercial otmosnhere nm