The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1883-03-04
Navy Officers for Revenue Service.

The accusations made by Chief CLARK Of
the revenue marine against some details Of
navy management are too serious to be
passed over In silence. Secretary CHANp-
LER had adopted and urged the suggestion
for the transfer Of tho revenue marine SER
vice and some other branches Of the Treasury
Department to the charge OF tho navy.
Thcrcupon Secretary FoLGER esked the
heads OF tho bureaus concerned to give him
their views on tho proposed transfer. and Mr..
CLARKS report is response to this call.
Chief CLARK admits that the navy needs
occupation for its surplus officers. There
are. he says, $50 Of these, not required to Off
Ger tho ships, who draw annually In salaries
nearly S20O0,OOO; and though since the war
the total number Of vessels OF all sorts has
gradually fallen from 675 to 1S9. yet more
than twenty millions year has been required
to maintain the navy. At length. with only
thirty-onc vessels in commission. there is an
average Of lifty-nine officers for each ship-a
proportion greater than can be found In any
other navy in tho world. The navy yards
help much in finding places for surplus Off
GERS; but as these yards cost $l1 900 day,
and half Of them are reported to be unneces-
sary. the contemplated abandonment OF a
part OF them will make the surplus Of officers
still more striking. Mr.. CLARK furnishes
what he considers a clnching argument
against throwing In the revenue service
to meet this emergency In the fact that
only about half dozen vacancies occur an
nually in the revenue marine. and these
would give "no apprecable relief to the
naval corps, whose ranks arc burdened with
nearly 800 clamorous idlers."
The argument that the transfer would
familiarize young naval officers with the
coast, and give them practice in handling
ships In shoal wnters, IL one whose force Mr..
CLARK is compelled to admit. But he cynl-
cally suggests that this education might be
expensive for tho Government, since naval
officers have lost three vessels In tho last few
years by running on rocks along the north
Pacific coast alone, namely. tho Suwanee, the
Saginaw, and the Saranac, while the revenue
marine officers have cruised to Alaska an
nually for tho last fifteen years without seri-
GUS damage to any vessel.
But the most striking consideration pre-
sented by Mr.. CLARK Ii the one entitled
Would smugglers be good customs
officers ?" In answering this question, he
declares that the introduction OF dutable
goods in the baggage OF naval officers re-
turning upon vessels OF the navy from for
eign stations Is one OF the most difficult
kinds OF smuggling to check. The baggage
OF ordinary travellers on merchant vessels
can be searched. but no certain means exist
for reaching that OF the naval officers re-
turning In their own ships They are not
required to take an oath or give a certificate
that they have no dutiable goods in their
possession; and they alone OF the general
public are exempted from search. Never
theless, In the cases OF five vessels within as
many years. naval officers have been found
guilty OF endeavOring to defraud the reve-
nue. The application which Chief CLARK
makes OF these facts to the case before him
Is as follows:
sells be tempted to shield their brother Officers returning
their turn to go abroad might be hand. Would
the naval officer fresh from abroad baggage pethorc
such pscuaons he the proper person to guard the
Golfers OF the Treasury! Would tho department which,
by its failure to punish these violations ssemsto wink
pundsring the revenue be the proper 10 superin
tend its protection."
It is not probable that the proposed trans
fer OF the revenue marine service, against
which Mr.. CLARK argues. will occur at pres
ent; but this fact does not remove the duty
Of investigating the serious charges Of naval
smuggling made by q responsible officer OF
the Government.