The Democratic advocate., 1883-01-27
Washington Letter.
Correspondence of the Democratic Advocated

WASHINGTON, D. c., Jan. 25th, 1888.
Just at present it is the Navy that Congress
is talking about. The Navy, mark you, the
Navy, wants itself increased because, torsooth,
it is the "laughing stock of Europe" If
there is any role the Navy cannot endure 1t
is the role of laughing stock, hence every
year is repeated this catapult argument: our
Navy is the laughing stock of Europe"
From naval point of view the Navy OF the
United States lives, moves, and has its being
as the cynosure of European admiration
And to be laughed at by Europe. Oh! hor-
rors. 1t is fortunate for the United States
that this morbid love of admiration is confin-
ed mostly to the official personnel ofthe Navy.
All of them have been to Europe at Govern
ment expense, and the most that their trav-
els has taught them is to be ashamed OF their
country because it does not live for war, and
has fewer and less imposing ships and guns
than the monarchies of Europe which live to
fight and fight to live If the United States
should endeavor to remodel itself in every
line in which it is the laughing stock OF Eu-
rope it would have a stupendous task before
it, and our naval Bunthornes may as well
face their share of European derislon. But
there is lesson that both the Army and Navy
official personnel should begin to learn Our
traditions are not warlike; our chief industry
is not war; the flower of our population is not
under arms; we have not and cannot have
personal interest in the armed balance main
tained by the Colossal demoralizing, life and
treasure sapping blishments-removed
from us, thank heaven! by three thousand
miles of heaving sea. If our Army and Navy
officers feel themselves de trop without war
ships and armies for a setting, so much the
worse for their profession, and so much the
better for our country. The United States
can we'll afford to be laughed at for beating
swords and spears into instruments OF hus-
bandry, and if we have fewer iron clads and
guns than any great European power, we, on
the other hand, have more threshing ma
chimes than all of them combined. -
There are at least three branches OF the
public service for which we pay great deal
and for which we have very little use. They
are the Diplomatic, the Military, and the
Naval establishments. 1t may be well to
maintain skeleton military and naval estab
lishments as a nucleus of National defence,
but the diplomatic corps is an antiquity, ut
terly useless in modern times. We had no
use for it before the laying of the first Atlantic
cable, but since then it has had no shadow of
excuse for remaining above ground.
There was spirited debate in Congress on
Saturday relative to the Naval bill and the
discussion was continued this week, but no
real reform need be expected until another
party has control of legislation, and execu-
tive matters.
During the course of the debate Mr.. Knott
of Kentucky said there were in commission
thirty steaming vessels, and for them there
were 293 engineer officers at an aggregate pay
of S642, 900 for sea duty. Though these gen
tlemen understood their duties theoretically,
he undertook to say that with the exception
of few men like Melville, none of them had
ever had monkey wrench or an oil can In
their hands since they had been in service.
Twenty-Five officers of this engineer corps
were so loaded down with rank and dignity
that there was not a ship in the Navy big
enough to hold them. If some indiscreet
secretary of the navy should order chief en-
gineer, pay director, and a medical inspec-
tor for duty on the same ship, the vessel
would inevitably sink.
There was another corps of which the
country had heard good deal-the marine
corps-which had long list of officers. The
duties of every one of these officers could be
as well performed by an officer detailed from
the line of the navy; and if he had an oppor
tunity he would offer an amendment looking
to that result. He would also offer amend
ments for the gradual abolition of the pay
corps, and for reduction in the engineer
corps.
A committee of the corps of cadets of the
Pennsylvania Military Academy, near Ches
ter, Pa, were refused permission to attend a
| theatrical performance Monday night in COM
| pliance of well-known regulation of the in-
stitution, whereupon discontented band Of
81 cadets, while being called to prayers, ran
into the town in undress uniform and without
overcoats The academic staff was convened,
and the adjutant, with two officers, was sent
to the theatre with an official order, which was
read there. 1t reduces the offending cadet
officers to the ranks, and suspends the entire
number from the academy, forbids their pres
ence on the academic grounds for any pur-
pose, and they are ordered to report at once
to their homes in various parts of the country,