The weekly Thibodaux sentinel and journal of the 8th Senatorial District. [volume] (Thibodaux, Lna. [i.e. La.]) 1875-1898, 1883-02-03
LETTER.
From Our Regular Correspondent.
Washington. January %, 1888

mark you. the NAVY. wants itself in
creased because, for>oo;h. it is the
'laaghing stock of Europe: IF there
is any role the Navy cinnot endure it is
the role of a laughing stock, herce
every year is repeated this catapu!t ar
gument ''Our Navy is the laughing
stock of Europe.'' From Il naval point
of view the Navy OF the United States
lives. moves. and has its being as the
exposure of En"opean admiration. Aud
to be laughed ut 10y Eo'ooe OH hnr-
rors. /: is fortunate for the United
States that ,ilis morbid love of a7.nlfa
ton is confined mostly 10 the oaicia1
personnel of the Navy. All OF them
have been 10 Eort pc ut Government ex
peDse. and the most ;hat their travels
has taught .hem is to be ashamed OF
their country because it does rot live
for war, and hats fever and less i,nno
sing ships and gnns than the mouarca!es
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 1t Won'd lave q stnDepdoas task
before it. aud orr naval Bdothorres
may as Veil face their share Of Euro
pean der;sion. But the G is a lesson
that both the Army and Navy official
personnel Should begin to learn Our
traditions are not w.yliLe: our chief in
dustry Is rot war: the flower OF our
population is DO under arms: we have
not and cannot havea personal interest
in the armed balance maintained by the
colossal. demoraiizing. life and treasure
sapping northumberland from
us, thank heaven! by .h,ee thousand
miles of hsaving sea. If our Army and |
Navy officers feel themselves lie t.op
without war ships and armies for q set
ting, SO much the worse for their pro-
%fess:on, and SO much the better for our
country. The United States can we'll af
ford to be laushed at Cor beating swords
and spears into instruments Of hnsbau !
dry, and if we have fewer iron ciads
and guns than any great European pow
er, we. on the other hand, have more
threshing machines than all of them
combined.
There are at least three branches of
the public service for which we pay a
great dea! and for which we have terv
little use. They are the Diplomatic,
the Military, and the Naval establish
ments. 1t may he we'll to maintain
skeleton military and naval establish
ments as nucleus Of Nationa! defeoce.
but the diplomatic Corps is an autiqu
ty, utterly useless in modern times
We mad no use for It before the layipe
of the first Atlantic cable, bat since
then it has had no shadow of excuse tor
remaining above ground.
There was a spirited debate in Con
gress On Saturday relative to the Naval
bill and the discussion will be contia
ued to-day, but no real reform need be
expected until another party has con
tro! OF legislation, and executive mat
tiers.
During the course of the debate Mr..
Knctt.ot Kentucky said there were in
commission thirty steaming vessels.
and for them there were 2O3 engineer
officers at an aggregate pay. Of $685.
600 for sea duty. Though these gentle
men understood their dutios theoretical
". he undertook to say that with the ex
ception ola few men like Melville, none
OF them had ever had a monkey wrench
or oil can in their hands since they had
been in service. Twenty five officers
ofthis 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 secre
tary of the navy should order a chief
engineer a pay director, and a medical
inspector for duty on the same ship,
the vessel would inevitably sink.
There was another corps of which
the country had heard a good deal-the
marine ~corps-which had ALONG list Of
officers. The duties of every one Of
these officers could be as we'll perform
ed nv IN officer 6afailo6 from +ho linz