San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1883-02-01
Washington Letter.
(From our Regular Correspondent
WASHINGTON. january %, ISIS:

WASHINGTON, January %, 1883.
Just at present it is the Navy that Con-
gress is talking about. The Navy, mark
you, the Macy, wants itself increased be-
cause forsooth, it is the laughing stock of
Europe" If there is any role the Navy
cannot endure it is tn role of n laughing
stock. hence every year is repeated this cat
apult argument ''our Navy is the laugh
ing 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 horrors. 1t is FORUM
ate for the United States that this morbid
love of admiration is confined principally to
the official personnel of the Navy. All of
them have been to Europe at Government
expense, and the most that their travels 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 monarches 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 Europe it would have stupendous task
before it and our naval Bunthornes may as
well face their share of European dcrision.
But there is lesson that both the Army and
Navy official personnel should begin to
learn: Our traditions are not warllke; our
chief industry is not war: the flower OF
our population is not under arms; we have
not and cannot have personal interest Ill
the armed balance maintained by the colos-
sal demoraiziug life and and treasure sap
ping establishments-rem from us,
thank heaven, by three thousand miles of
heaving sea. If our army and navy officers
feel themselves de t:0p without war ships
and armies for setting so much the worse
for their profession and so much the better
for the country. The United States can
we'll afford to be laughed at for beating
swords and spears into implements 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 arc the Diplomatic, the Military and
the Naval establishments. 1t may be well
to keep skeleton military and naval estab-
lishments rs 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 At
hntic 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 will be continued to-day, but
no real reform need be expected until an
other party has control of legislation, and
executive matters.
During the course of the debate Mr..
Knott of kentucky said there were in COM
mission thirty steaming vessels, for them
were Dob engineers officers at an aggregate
pay of S6i2. 600 for SEA duty. Though
these gentlemen understood their duties
theoretically, he undertook to SAY that with
the exception of a few men like Melville,
none of them ever had a 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 with
rank and dignity that there was not ship
in the Navy big enough to hold them. If
some indiscreet secretary of the navy should
order chief engineer, pay director. and
Il medical Inspector for duty on the same
ship, the vessel would inevitably sink.
There WAS another corps of which the
country has heard good deal-the marine
corps-which had a long list officers. The
duties of every one of these officers could be
as well performed by an officer detailed
from tie line of the Navy: and if he had an
opportunity he would offer an amendment
booking to that result. He would also ofer
amendments for the CARDINAL abolition Of
the pay corps. and for q reduction in the
engineer corps.